Reviews - The Great Mrs. Elias

58 reviews for:

The Great Mrs. Elias

Barbara Chase-Riboud

3.75 AVERAGE

silver_illusion's review against another edition

3.5

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

formanda's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 rounded up to 4. This was a long read/listen and it was difficult to get through, but overall it was a fascinating story.

asmcentee's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous informative mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

sreadabook's review against another edition

4.0

informative medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

WOW!!! what a story, always amazing the stories we never know, based on a true story. It was a audiobook for me and narration is key and this was excellent, chapter 25 should have been condensed but it was a very good read. Pick it up before it becomes a movie or ends up on Netflix.

am_readingterminal's review against another edition

2.5

challenging informative inspiring slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

1st: This book was only 394 pages not 512 and it was a hardcover book so idk why I couldn't find that edition
2nd: I picked this book to read b/c there are so many influential African-Americans in society that don't really have their chance to shine (esp black women) and I love learning about black history anyway I can.

pros: I liked how the author incorporated name drops/evidences into this historical fiction novel so that I can look up certain people on my own; whenever someone talks about business/economics to me, my eyes glaze over but in this format I was able to pick up some "tips" about how to improve my finances lol; overall, it was great to learn more about Hannah Elias and it did leave me wondering

where did she actually disappeared too after her trial

cons: referring back to my second reason as to why I picked this book, I got this book from my local library in September...it is now February with just one day left. Just as other people commented this book could be a bit of a drag to read. While I appreciate all the research the author used to give us the readers as as close to possible profile of Hannah/Bessie and what was going on in the world at the time, it felt like the author didn't trust us to connect the dots ourselves at time. It was a lot of exposition and sometimes less is just more. Due to this dense reading, it made reading this book not as exciting as I thought it was going to be and I had to keep renewing the book (I don't like to give up) lol BUT just like the author's acknowledgements, this would make a great movie- I just don't think Beyonce would be the best actress for this role ;)

eicart_reads's review against another edition

3.5

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Content Warnings

cjeanne99's review against another edition

3.0

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

At the very end - during Hannah's trial - the author finally starts to get into the serious topics of how Hannah had defied cultural norms for women by purchasing property, having bank accounts in her name - and being her own person without a husband. The misogyny that she faced was typical of the time - and God Bless Hannah Elias for standing up to the men who wanted to change her or rule her behavior. For me - the true measure of Hannah Elias is her strength to persevere with her goal of owning property and managing her own money.
As Chase-Ribaud told about the men who accused Elias of fraud, of thievery, of deception - I couldn't help but think about how strong she was - a self made woman who overcame multiple obstacles including convictions leading to serving prison time. On her own, she built her estate - which turned out to be threatening to the white men in power - and inspiring to women.
As much as I liked the story - this was a little long - and some of the narrative dragged.