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gmdudley4's review
4.0
I remember reading Martha Southgate's Fall Of Rome as a teenager and the beauty of that work prompted me to read this one. I enjoyed this coming of age narrative told the point of views of three black women all linked by blood, loss, love, and expectation. The intergenerational nature of the story reminds the reader how the choices a woman makes for herself today can alter the lives of the women borne after her - a truly riveting novel. I enjoyed this book and am excited to seek out other works by this author.
jennthumphries's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bites_of_books's review
5.0
This was a great read; I loved every page. It narrates three interlocking stories and emphasizes the importance of family and of the skills that are silently passed down from one generation to another.
ksparks's review
4.0
This is a moving story about three generations of black women, their dreams and struggles and love stories. It's told from different perspectives, and some of the voices are more compelling than others. But overall, it's really enjoyable and parts of it made me cry. I love the way she brings all of the these threads together in the end; how she shows the evolution of these women, and this family over time, and in doing so shows how the larger culture is changing.
marisahowardkarp's review
4.0
My only complaint about this book is that I didn't have enough time to really focus on it. Martha Southgate managed to weave together a very political book - topics included blaxploitation films, race riots, and closeted lesbians, among others - in a way that felt very naturally like the lives of the 3 women at the center of the book. I found myself completely attached to each of the major characters, who were very different but all relatable and real. What really stands out is Southgate's descriptions of the relationships between mothers and daughters and the developing relationship between grandmother and granddaughter. When I was done I found myself wondering what happened to each of them next and rooting for them.
coffeeandink's review against another edition
3.0
-The ending made me cry.
-Three generations of African-American women and their relationships to Hollywood movies. We start, more or less, with Angela, in the middle, "the third girl from the left," tiny bit parts in blaxploitation flicks before she gives up; her mother Mildred had loved movies, and loved knowing how things worked when she was little, fascinated by machinery and projectors before gender and race expectations made her give them up; and Tamara, Angela's daughter, wants to be a director. From watcher to actor to director: love, and increasing control, and the personal and social constraints each woman has to fight against. Sometimes that means fighting each other.
-Three generations of African-American women and their relationships to Hollywood movies. We start, more or less, with Angela, in the middle, "the third girl from the left," tiny bit parts in blaxploitation flicks before she gives up; her mother Mildred had loved movies, and loved knowing how things worked when she was little, fascinated by machinery and projectors before gender and race expectations made her give them up; and Tamara, Angela's daughter, wants to be a director. From watcher to actor to director: love, and increasing control, and the personal and social constraints each woman has to fight against. Sometimes that means fighting each other.
bigbooklife's review against another edition
4.0
Third Girl from the Left follows three generations of Edwards women, and how movies impacted their life. Mildred, the grandmother, survives the Tulsa Race Riots only to live a normal Tulsa lifestyle in spite of her dreams. Angela, the mother, rebels against a traditional tulsa lifestyle and flees to LA to be in the movies never to look back. Her dream is deferred indefinitely when she has Tamara. Tamara fights for to fulfill her dream to direct, but when she's discouraged by reality, meeting her mother's family for the first time in Tulsa brings her dreams back to light. Third Girl from the Left is a great book. I enjoyed every page. The similarities between Mildred and Tamara are uncanny, especially since they are meeting for the first time in 29 years. There are apparent generational themes that draw the reader in and provide for great discussion. I am interested in reading other works by Martha Southgate. This book did not disappoint.
readincolour's review against another edition
5.0
It really doesn't get any better than Martha Southgate. I loved The Fall of Rome & can't even come up with a word to describe how much more I love Third Girl from the Left!
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