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katiegreen's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
gabriellamorelli's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mweir710's review against another edition
4.0
What a provocative read. I enjoyed learning more about the history of the personal librarian and found myself tangled in the web of emotions and loss. To have to give up a core identity to thrive in a world that shunned the thought of anything beyond segregation. It definitely gives readers quite a bit to think about, past or present.
kgraham10's review against another edition
2.5
Fascinating person and should be a great biography but all I can come up with is "boring, stuffy, removed".
sjhaughney's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
terrafonk's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
slynnh26's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The start of the book was slow for me but turned around halfway through, and I ended up finding it a very interesting read. The story of Belle de Costa Greene is one of courage, sacrifice, and loyalty. Belle constantly questions her self-worth as she works for JP Morgan and navigates various challenges as she passed as a white woman. She goes through love, heartbreak, and loss but end the end finds her voice.
elissas_reads's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Interesting historical fiction with flawed characters. It took a bit of time to get into but ended up becoming pretty engaging. I think it will make for good book club discussion!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Abandonment, Religious bigotry, and Abortion
annahandy's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
frenchfrybri's review against another edition
4.0
really cool story, kind of average writing. the time jumps were confusing at times, but i get why it jumped around so much because they were trying to fit a huge amount of her life into one book. a lot of it is truth but it is historical fiction and reads like fiction even though you learn a lot