Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - A Sitting in St. James

An unflinching and powerful character-driven book that gripped me from the very beginning. It was utterly mesmerizing - I couldn’t look away. I am in awe of how the author crafts characters that feel real and complex, who show each other kindness and love while also demonstrating astonishing and unspeakable cruelty.

Several other reviews have mentioned how explicit and mature this book is, and questioned its status as ‘Young Adult’, wishing instead that it was marketed as Adult Fiction. While I cannot argue with the truth of its explicit nature, I disagree with the idea that it is suitable only for adults to read. Williams-Garcia writes historical fiction, with the emphasis on historical - it is meticulously researched and utterly honest in its depiction of the dehumanization and exploitation that was life in the antebellum south for enslaved peoples. It does not shy away from the reality and truth of our history, it does not soften the blows for easier digestion. Choosing whether or not to confront that history is a privilege.

So are they all horrible, despicable human beings, as one commenter described them? So many of the characters here are monstrous. They behave monstrously. Yet Williams-Garcia depicts them not exclusively as monsters - but as ordinary and human. They were unremarkable and normal, which is possibly the most horrifying part of the book - that the terrible things they did were played out in the same manner all across the south, every day, over and over again.

A Sitting in St. James is the most honest book written about this time period that I have ever read. It is real history, and it is also fiction.

Content Warnings

arlangrey17's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

betweentheshelves's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is essentially a slice-of-life kind of story set in late 1800s Lousiana. The writing is very well done, anad it's clear that Williams-Garcia did her research on the time period. Everything about it felt authentic, really pulling you into the story. It's definitely not a fast-paced, plot driven story, though. It's slow moving, giving you a clear picture of the time period. I also appreciated the inclusion of LGBTQ characters, because so often they are left out of historical fiction.

There is definitely a dark side to this book, depicting slavery, sexual violence, and rape. I'm not sure that most teens would just pick this up off the shelf, I do think it's an important side of history that many people don't get in American history classes.

Anyway, I underestand why this is getting so much buzz and I think it's definitely well placed. It's just not a book that would be for everyone.

Content Warnings

kaispellmeier's review

Go to review page

challenging dark 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

5.0

Content Warnings

porshea's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A well-written story that uses a critical lens to portray the white plantation class of the late 1700s, this novel is likely one of the only books that I would point others who would like to read fiction about this period from this perspective. While the story is inflected with POVs from enslaved Black people and the author explains why she did not make their voices prominent, I feel like this is a reason I would point people towards other works that do center these voices instead. There is also a fair amount of sexual abuse, child abuse, and traumatic murder/death in the story that makes this a read for a very specific type of person. See also, white queer relationships and a character who seems to be on the autism spectrum within the time period and all of the bigotry that comes along with the issues of this particular era.

Content Warnings

More...