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marinaemoore's review against another edition
2.0
This book frustrated me. I was drawn in at the beginning but found that the more I read, the less interested I became. Although the writing was beautifully poetic at times, I found the characters to be shallow.
This book skips large chunks of time, and I felt confused in parts… almost like something was missing.
I found the ending very dissatisfying - it didn’t feel like it organically fit in with the rest of the book in any way.
This book skips large chunks of time, and I felt confused in parts… almost like something was missing.
I found the ending very dissatisfying - it didn’t feel like it organically fit in with the rest of the book in any way.
bookherd's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Libertie is an African American girl and then young woman growing up in the shadow of her mother's reputation as a respected doctor and her mother's ambition for her to become a doctor too. Libertie has her doubts about whether she's cut out for the medical profession, and questions her mother's choice to treat white women despite their racist attitudes and behavior. However, she doesn't openly oppose her mother's wishes. This book is Libertie's coming of age story, set in Kings County, New York a little before and then after the Civil War. It's an enjoyable novel to read, with complicated yet sympathetic characters, and real personal conflict, in a recognizable historical setting. Highly recommend.
zeallygreen's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
lk222's review against another edition
4.0
Libertie is a passionately intimate book about finding oneself and one’s independence as a black woman in Reconstructionist Era Brooklyn. Libertie is the daughter of Dr. Sampson, a single mother inspired by the real life Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Steward, a Weeksville, Brooklyn resident and the first black woman to become a medical doctor in New York State. Greenidge meticulously recreates life in Weeksville, one of the first free black communities in the US, including such details as large scale as the arrival of New York Draft Riot survivors and as minute as mentions of the monthly newspaper, of which only one copy remains today. Through Greenidge’s historical fiction runs a thread of magical realism, drawn from the Haitian Vodoun religion in which men and women can be captured by spirits and brought back from death. The intertwining of Brooklyn history and Vodou beliefs produces a singularly enchanting story.
Our protagonist, Libertie grows up watching her mother tend to the bodies of others, be they sick New Yorkers or enslaved runaways escaped to the north inside coffin decoys. She is to become her mother’s medical partner when she grows up, but the white women who begin arriving at the light-skinned Dr. Sampson’s practice won’t let Libertie touch them with her dark hands. Away at college she finds distractions in women and their music and realizes her mother’s dreams might not be the same as her own. Rather than facing her mother’s outrage and shame, sure to be of mythic proportions, Libertie makes a life-changing escape to Haiti, but will it be a change for the better?
Greenidge is a masterful writer. I found this story quietly captivating, but don’t misunderstand me when I say “quietly.” There’s nothing dull about this book. It digs into profound truths about oneself, about the complexities of love, and about society. The intimacy of Greenidge’s style reminds me of Golden Age paintings by the Dutch masters, filled with distinctly detailed images of domestic life and professional trade, glimpsed through open doors leading on to other doors. I’m deeply interested in Weeksville, so I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to step into its past, particularly a version of the past that is enchanted by Erzulie, the Vodoun goddess of love.
Our protagonist, Libertie grows up watching her mother tend to the bodies of others, be they sick New Yorkers or enslaved runaways escaped to the north inside coffin decoys. She is to become her mother’s medical partner when she grows up, but the white women who begin arriving at the light-skinned Dr. Sampson’s practice won’t let Libertie touch them with her dark hands. Away at college she finds distractions in women and their music and realizes her mother’s dreams might not be the same as her own. Rather than facing her mother’s outrage and shame, sure to be of mythic proportions, Libertie makes a life-changing escape to Haiti, but will it be a change for the better?
Greenidge is a masterful writer. I found this story quietly captivating, but don’t misunderstand me when I say “quietly.” There’s nothing dull about this book. It digs into profound truths about oneself, about the complexities of love, and about society. The intimacy of Greenidge’s style reminds me of Golden Age paintings by the Dutch masters, filled with distinctly detailed images of domestic life and professional trade, glimpsed through open doors leading on to other doors. I’m deeply interested in Weeksville, so I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to step into its past, particularly a version of the past that is enchanted by Erzulie, the Vodoun goddess of love.
lemonandpine's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
barizley's review against another edition
4.0
A slow-moving but beautifully written book. I can’t decide whether I love or hate the ending, but I’ll be thinking about it for a while.
chris10b's review against another edition
3.0
I was really excited to get this as my first Book of the Month Club book, but after reading it I was disappointed. It’s a bit cruder than I typically care for, but that’s personal preference and something I could have overlooked if the book had been good. But it was just so boring. It took me forever to finish and just reading a few pages felt like a chore. Also, none of the characters were likeable. Is it too much to ask these days for one likeable character???
This story had so much potential, but it really fell short for me. There are some beautifully written parts, but as a whole it was just kind a meh.
This story had so much potential, but it really fell short for me. There are some beautifully written parts, but as a whole it was just kind a meh.
readerinthezoo's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book but it was just a miss for me. I did not care for the characters and found them all a bit exasperating. I’m listened to The audio book version. I did wonder if I would have liked it better if I read it myself.
silk4k's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0