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mugglemom's review
3.0
I liked the book but for me, it was an aggravating ‘soft-ball’ book. At first, I was recommending for 8-16yrs old as a different entry theme on slavery but there is a witness rape scene…and it’s condoned by a white wife of the plantation owner…the mind boggles why the author didn’t do a better job of weaving this material into the book?? From this point on, the story goes off the rails for me and lands at a predictable conclusion. I want to write spoilers here but I try not in my reviews….but sheesh, the story feels “historical fantasy” almost.
I have problems with the main character, Elizabeth, how she is written. At the book start, is Elizabeth difficult birth, in 1837, the permission the author gives to a reader to insert that Elizabeth is somehow a “damaged yet simple naive mind”? I’ve got more questions than satisfaction…
Written with easy tempo, it’s easy to see why readers can fall for Elizabeth’s love for Mattie above all.
I have problems with the main character, Elizabeth, how she is written. At the book start, is Elizabeth difficult birth, in 1837, the permission the author gives to a reader to insert that Elizabeth is somehow a “damaged yet simple naive mind”? I’ve got more questions than satisfaction…
Written with easy tempo, it’s easy to see why readers can fall for Elizabeth’s love for Mattie above all.
lovetoread62's review against another edition
2.0
I'm sorry, but only a 2 star read. The story was nice but not enough depth and believability. Writing was poor and too rigid.
Wouldn't recommend . . . there are much better books out there on this topic. The Kitchen House is fabulous.
Wouldn't recommend . . . there are much better books out there on this topic. The Kitchen House is fabulous.
pebbles1984's review against another edition
4.0
I'm always interested in reading books on the American South, whether it's set in the 18th, 19th or 20th century, and this one did not disappoint. It covers a serious topic, but the book is a quick and easy read, although sometimes I felt it missed some depth. I really liked Mattie and Lisbeth, and I'm shocked everytime I read about attitudes and behaviours towards the slaves. Based on the book description at some points I thought I was pretty sure what would happen but then I was pleasantly surprised , and at some points it was a bit predictable . The book definitely has a positive feel to it.
Spoiler
for example, when Mattie ran away I was so sure that she would be captured, punished, and that that would be the horrific event Lisbeth witnessed. I was so happy that she actually made it out!Spoiler
when Lisbeth thought about moving to Ohio it was quite obvious that she would meet Mattie againteaguemeyer's review
4.0
Read it free via Kindle Unlimited. It was a great historical fiction journey that I had never been on before.
jlynncarter1514's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a quick and easy read. I thought the plot and main characters were interesting, but I think the story wrapped up too neatly for it to be a five star book. I read The Kitchen House earlier this year, and I think that book - which takes place in a similar time period - is better written. Overall, however, I enjoyed Yellow Crocus and would recommend it to others who a) want to learn more about the time period and b) would prefer to read a story with a happy ending.
coral_anne_bee's review
5.0
This was such a beautiful and touching story, centred around the time of slavery and abolition. I almost cried.
eiliux's review against another edition
4.0
Lo leí por recomendación de Betti y lo disfruté mucho. Es de esos libros que te hacen enfrentarte con una realidad incómoda pero importante, creo que a veces se nos olvidan estos episodios de la historia que hoy vemos tan lejanos... pero que al mismo tiempo seguimos replicando.
dmyanc61's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
neesh_reads's review
5.0
Wow
I honestly didn't think I would make it through this book. Not only was it a slavery book, but it's a book where the slave was a wet nurse. But I was wrong, immensely wrong. The way Laila Ibrahim wove Lisbeth's and Mattie's lives together is a better love story than Romeo and Juliet.
Mattie had no idea what she was getting herself into when she was selected to be the wet nurse for the mistress's first child. She went from a field hand to a house slave seemingly over night. The night her young charge was born, Mattie was torn away from her own 3 month old son to care for this new baby.
A bond formed over the years between the two, were Lisbeth wanted Mattie when scared over her own mother. It took everything for her mother to allow it, but soon, Mattie's son was sold to a different plantation where he and his father ran away. This took Mattie from Lisbeth but not for long and not by far. Lisbeth was old enough to not need Mattie, but she was still prefered to her mother.
I won't spoil too much, but there is an amazingly happy ending to this story!
I honestly didn't think I would make it through this book. Not only was it a slavery book, but it's a book where the slave was a wet nurse. But I was wrong, immensely wrong. The way Laila Ibrahim wove Lisbeth's and Mattie's lives together is a better love story than Romeo and Juliet.
Mattie had no idea what she was getting herself into when she was selected to be the wet nurse for the mistress's first child. She went from a field hand to a house slave seemingly over night. The night her young charge was born, Mattie was torn away from her own 3 month old son to care for this new baby.
A bond formed over the years between the two, were Lisbeth wanted Mattie when scared over her own mother. It took everything for her mother to allow it, but soon, Mattie's son was sold to a different plantation where he and his father ran away. This took Mattie from Lisbeth but not for long and not by far. Lisbeth was old enough to not need Mattie, but she was still prefered to her mother.
I won't spoil too much, but there is an amazingly happy ending to this story!