Reviews

If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson

ladylizardxvii's review against another edition

5.0

Wow, what a beautifully-written, well-constructed book -- it's going to haunt me for the rest of my days. "If You Come Softly" is quick, only 200-odd pages, but it packs a lot of punch in those few. Woodson constructs a classic, believable love story in a short amount of time while also shedding a lot of light on modern-day issues of discrimination & prejudice. On that note, this book was published in the nineties, but I felt like Miah and Ellie were kids I knew in the present day. I would recommend this book to anyone!

ej_pitts's review against another edition

1.0

Nope, this book was so randomly written. Ellie being Jewish has nothing to do with the story whatsoever. It’s just kind of a a random fact about the character. There wasn’t anything about religion in the book. Originally when I read what the book was about I was thinking well this is going to be about an interracial relationship and the characters have two different faiths. They’ll work through that to find their perfect but nope religion was never really mentioned except at the end when Ellie’s mom mentioned Hanukkah and Yom Kippur. The ending was what really got me. She randomly killed Miah off and during the later part of chapter you don’t even know he is dead. It sounds like it but it’s left up in the air. You kind of sit there shocked that just happened. It’s like the author said well, I want this book to be a little bit longer so I’m going to write a few more chapters. We never even got to see how Ellie’s family was going to react to her dating a black boy. There was so much build up about her family’s potential reaction just to in the end kill off Miah. It had so much potential and but it didn’t follow through. Lastly i don’t think anyone in New York 20 years ago would care about an interracial relationship. If the author wanted it to be taboo she should’ve made it in a different time period like 50 years ago or instead just had them in the south. Lastly, to show credibility: I have been in interracial relationships and no one every gives me or my significant other any looks or judgement. Honestly, I don’t recommend this book. 1 star is being generous.

fortheloveofturtles's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

this is a book as much about the magic of falling in love for the first time as it is about navigating injustice.

melthomp13's review against another edition

4.0

this book is so short, simple, yet heart wrenching. it breaks my heart that this was published more than 20 years ago and is still just as relevant now as it was then.

anniefwrites's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

What can I say? I’m devastated. Jacqueline Woodson is an absolute genius—one of the best naturalistic writers there is. Exquisite yet simple details, crystal clear atmosphere, expert weaving of big questions and little moments, characters you know and love immediately. It was so poignant and so heartbreaking and I think I’m gonna be sad about this for a while. 

blondieonekenobi's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

lakreadsthings's review against another edition

4.0

It was a heavy book. Although I did breeze through it, the subject was heavy. And I liked it. But the wish there was more character development, especially for Ellie. There wasn't a lot about her personality in the book except that she was in love with Miah. There was potential for so many relationships in this book to be explored. It felt like the author just started to explore them and then they were over. The book was too short.
But I liked the way young love was portrayed. It was accurate. I kind of felt like we didn't see them falling in love, we just kept hearing about it. But I later realized that's just kinda how it is when you're 15. But all Ellie and Miah talked about was heavy stuff. And I know that was the point of the book but it would have been nice to see some casual banter. I don't think we talk like that all the time when we're 15.
I also liked the way black identity and racial injustice was explored.
What pushed it up from a 3.5 to a 4 star was the last page with the "what could have been".

jessethereader's review against another edition

That ending was so ABRUPT & HEARTBREAKING.

mfh1979's review against another edition

4.0

Oh my heart. I have never been a fan of Romeo and Juliet, but this modern retelling is fan freaking tastic! I BELIEVED their love, I felt their relationships with their parents. In such a short book the characters were developed beautifully and just wow.

This is a defiant read again kind of book!

michellelouise's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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? No

4.0