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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
melissa_who_reads's review against another edition
5.0
In the end, really liked the book. It is really a difficult love story between a mother and daughter, filled with expectations and disappointment on both sides. The main character, Libertie, who tells the story, is not always very likable - and that slowed me down reading it. She knows she doesn't know who she is meant to be, and is beset on all sides by the expectations surrounding a 19th-century Black girl and woman. She longs for freedom, for liberty - but doesn't have a solid idea of what that is, or means for her, throughout most of the book.
The narrative takes you from pre-Civil War Kings County (Brooklyn) to Ohio to Haiti - with water playing a huge role in the imagery of the novel. So while I didn't always like the main character, neither could I set her story aside: I am glad I read this, and learned a lot of things I didn't know before (some by looking up things on Wikipedia that were mentioned in passing ...).
Highly recommended.
The narrative takes you from pre-Civil War Kings County (Brooklyn) to Ohio to Haiti - with water playing a huge role in the imagery of the novel. So while I didn't always like the main character, neither could I set her story aside: I am glad I read this, and learned a lot of things I didn't know before (some by looking up things on Wikipedia that were mentioned in passing ...).
Highly recommended.
sawthisdidthat's review against another edition
1.0
Writing occasionally beautiful but dreadfully slow. Vague plot with no sign of intelligence from protagonist. Points for symbolism but anticlimactic and all the characters were horrible people. Did not enjoy and would have DNF if it weren’t for book club. Honestly this book left me depressed and I felt miserable and alone myself while reading it.
yalestay's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25