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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
This book is so powerful and ultimately sad, but I highly recommend it. The book started slow but makes up for it in the end.
I appreciate the way the novel explores the complexities of racism, white privilege, blended neighborhoods, poverty, and interracial relationships. The narration is interesting as the narrator does address the reader directly periodically throughout the book and comment directly on the characters and the story. The ending did not sit well with me and did not seem true to character development.
Slow start but great plot and finish where location plays a huge role. Would recommend to anyone who thinks BLM is unjustified. Names of the black women in the book are a bit unbelievable.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reminded me a lot of little fires everywhere but a little more interesting and better written! Fun and easy read. Titillating romance and evil father figure, the ending made me cry so!
I'd like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and devoured it over just a few days. The story line was so well written I felt like I was right there with the characters, moving along with them through their joys and sorrows. I also felt quite a range of emotions reading this book, from happiness to utter disbelief and complete rage. I also quite enjoyed the outsider point of view where it seemed as though the residents of the neighbourhood were telling the story, that is something I have not come across in a book before. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick and engrossing read.
Thought-provoking with a good probe at modern relationships and challenges involving racism, neighbors, teens, social class, and the environment. Definitely recommend.
Well done. It held my interest and compelled me to stay engaged even when I saw the end coming. Covered racism and ecology.
Listened to the audiobook. While I know this sort of story needs to be told, I am flummoxed by the reviewers who seem at all surprised by the story itself. There is nothing new here. This sort of bigotry is happening daily. The only thing that surprised me about this novel is that there was no new twist on the events. Which is exactly why the story still needs to be told. It’s not just a novel; it’s a glimpse into the tragedy that befalls families every day due to someone’s ignorance. I read a few reviews over on Audible, by people who couldn’t get more than 45 minutes into the audio because they were made uncomfortable by the subject matter. That’s white privilege if ever I’ve seen it. If you can’t even read a fictional story of families being destroyed by ignorance, you’re exactly the person who needs to read this and stories like it - fiction and non.
So, even though I was underwhelmed by the story and it’s lack of a new twist that might truly spark change or be a call to action, understanding its meant to be fiction not a non-fiction manifesto, I do think the prose was fairly well done. I did not enjoy the Greek chorus, though perhaps listening to it instead of reading it on the page did not work as well for that aspect, I’m not sure. Also, I’d recommend maybe sticking with the printed book. The narrator of the audiobook was dreadful. Her constant delivery of the lack of emphasis on the right word in a sentence was semi-maddening.
Read the story. We need more about these heartaches in order to reach and open more minds.
So, even though I was underwhelmed by the story and it’s lack of a new twist that might truly spark change or be a call to action, understanding its meant to be fiction not a non-fiction manifesto, I do think the prose was fairly well done. I did not enjoy the Greek chorus, though perhaps listening to it instead of reading it on the page did not work as well for that aspect, I’m not sure. Also, I’d recommend maybe sticking with the printed book. The narrator of the audiobook was dreadful. Her constant delivery of the lack of emphasis on the right word in a sentence was semi-maddening.
Read the story. We need more about these heartaches in order to reach and open more minds.
3,5 stars. It is a good story. Well told. And the chorus voice of the neighborhood narrating is very well accomplished. Inspired in Greek tragedy it really suits this story, a tragedy of modern days. It could be a 4 star. But the way the characters are all good or all bad it’s not really my kind of thing. Plus, as if it was not clear who is good and bad, we are almost told who to like and dislike. Not my favorite style of character construction. And then the end. I understand the intention of the author. I really do. But it made it sound a bit like an old fashioned fairytale with a strong underlined/bold/caps lock moral. Which makes the book sound a little naive.
I recently read An American Marriage. The same theme (race and racism in the judicial and penal systems in the USA) and it’s hard not to make comparisons. An American Marriage is more ‘grownup’ for lack of better expression.
Still a good read. 3,5 stars is between a ‘I liked it’ and a ‘I liked very much’. But it had the potential of being a solid 4.
I recently read An American Marriage. The same theme (race and racism in the judicial and penal systems in the USA) and it’s hard not to make comparisons. An American Marriage is more ‘grownup’ for lack of better expression.
Still a good read. 3,5 stars is between a ‘I liked it’ and a ‘I liked very much’. But it had the potential of being a solid 4.