Scan barcode
k4yura's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
evelyn727's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
pbcup_4_life's review against another edition
3.0
I can’t say the book was bad, I just didn’t find myself unwilling to put it down. More like I struggled to finish it even though the mystery aspect of it was pretty interesting.
lezreadalot's review against another edition
4.0
Really really amazing read. I picked this up again after having forgotten about it for two years, and I am so glad I never marked it as abandoned. It was a mystery, a tragedy, a historical tale, and a couple love stories tied up into a neat, sorrowful, and very well told package. We got a bunch of POVs and each of them felt real and well-crafted and essential to the story that unfolded. I love Jackie, she's the reason I picked this up (Japanese-American lesbian? Hell yeah) but Frank really shone for me, and he was a main character in his own right. Same for Lanier. There's not too much else I can say without giving stuff away, but this was just so good. In addition to all its other merits, it provides a really well-written look at race-relations in the early to mid 20th century, highlighting a community I never knew existed (Crenshaw).
My one, eternal nitpick is POV switching, and by that I mean the type that happens within chapters, sometimes within paragraphs. It's really distracting, really jarring, and I never feel like it's necessary. It didn't happen often enough to detract from the quality of the writing, but when it did happen, it was noticeable.
Otherwise: amazing and evocative. Couldn't put it down. Loved it to bits.
4.5 stars.
My one, eternal nitpick is POV switching, and by that I mean the type that happens within chapters, sometimes within paragraphs. It's really distracting, really jarring, and I never feel like it's necessary. It didn't happen often enough to detract from the quality of the writing, but when it did happen, it was noticeable.
Otherwise: amazing and evocative. Couldn't put it down. Loved it to bits.
4.5 stars.
liberrydude's review against another edition
3.0
A little slow initially but stick with this book. Many layers to this story dealing with two diverse communities who found common ground in their mistreatment by the majority over the course of sixty years. However, the common ground was ephemeral and it takes a shoebox to start a young woman inquiring into the past on a quest for justice. She discovers more than she bargained for about her family and herself.
keight's review against another edition
4.0
Stretching across the 1940s, 1960s, and 1990s, Southland encompasses an impressive breadth of cultural history without overreaching. After the death of Jackie Ishida’s grandfather in 1994, her aunt finds a box of old papers that cracks open a door to long-hidden family secrets and tasks Jackie with sorting them out. Almost immediately, her quest brings her to Jimmy Lanier who reveals that during the Watts riots in 1965, four black boys were murdered in her grandfather’s store — an event her grandparents never revealed to their adolescent children. Read more on my booklog
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
4.0
Nina Revoyr is a writer I really enjoy reading, and I wish her works were better known. It can be tough to find books that feature queer characters that go beyond coming out stories. Coming out stories certainly have their place, but it’s also important to me to read books about queer people living their lives and getting into interesting situations and, you know, being the people they are. In Southland, Revoyr has created a mystery/historical hybrid novel which explores complicated race relations in LA through the years, from World War II to the 2000s.
Jackie Ishida decides to dig into her grandfather’s past when a mysterious will discovered after his death bequeaths the corner store he used to own to a man Jackie has never heard of before. The store was sold after the Watts riots in the 1960s, but Jackie still wants to find out why Frank would have left it to a virtual stranger. Through connections she makes at the funeral, she meets James Lanier, the cousin of the man named in the will. Lanier has some unanswered questions of his own about what happened during the riots and what his cousin’s connection was to Jackie’s grandfather, and he agrees to help her find out the truth.
One thing I love about this book is how it’s really about the relationships—there’s a lot of them, and they’re all rich and complex and realistic. The mystery is solid and kept me turning pages, but what I cared about most was the people. The most powerful reveals had to do with the connections between them, as opposed to the nitty-gritty details of the crime Jackie and Lanier uncover. Recommended for fans of historical fiction and mysteries with substance—these characters and what they went through will stick with you.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
Jackie Ishida decides to dig into her grandfather’s past when a mysterious will discovered after his death bequeaths the corner store he used to own to a man Jackie has never heard of before. The store was sold after the Watts riots in the 1960s, but Jackie still wants to find out why Frank would have left it to a virtual stranger. Through connections she makes at the funeral, she meets James Lanier, the cousin of the man named in the will. Lanier has some unanswered questions of his own about what happened during the riots and what his cousin’s connection was to Jackie’s grandfather, and he agrees to help her find out the truth.
One thing I love about this book is how it’s really about the relationships—there’s a lot of them, and they’re all rich and complex and realistic. The mystery is solid and kept me turning pages, but what I cared about most was the people. The most powerful reveals had to do with the connections between them, as opposed to the nitty-gritty details of the crime Jackie and Lanier uncover. Recommended for fans of historical fiction and mysteries with substance—these characters and what they went through will stick with you.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
ceceliacaldwell's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25