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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
När nordstatarna närmade sig plantagen skickade Old Marse iväg Hannie, hennes Mama och syskon, morföräldrar, moster och kusiner till en annan plantage under överinseende av Old Missus brorson. Men han säljer dem alla på vägen. Mormor ger varje barn ett halsband med tre blå pärlor, för att de ska känna igen varandra. Hannie är den enda som återvänder och bor nu - efter befrielsen - på en arrendegård under godset, med sin fostermor och -bröder. Old Marse har försvunnit i sökandet efter sin son och hans dotter Missy och frillodotter Juneau Jane ska söka rätt på honom för få fatt på ägobrev. Hannie följer med, men det går inte så lätt som Missy säger att det ska. På sin resa upptäcker de en tidningsspalt: De Saknade Vännerna, där man kan efterlysa familj man skilts från.
Drygt 100 år senare kommer Benny till Goswood för att arbeta som engelskalärare på skolan där de fattigare barnen går, de färgade och "sumpråttorna". De som inte har någon framtid att tala om. Hon försöker få dem att intressera sig för böckerna, men först när hon övertalar Granny T att komma och berätta lite om stadens historia vaknar intresset. Hon och ungdomarna startar projektet De dödas röster, men motarbetas av stadens starka och rika. Men med hjälp av Granny T och hennes vänner och släktingar samt Nathan, den nuvarande ägaren till godset kämpar de på.
***
Jag läste just ut den här boken och känner att den nog genererat samma boksmälla som Wingates "Innan ni tog oss"! Vilken historia! Den börjar lite långsamt, nästan segt, men tar sig snart. Vartannat kapitel följer vi Hannie på hennes resa och vartannat kapitel berättar om Bennys kamp för, mot och med ungdomarna. Efter lite läsande blir den till en bladvändare. Jag måste veta hur det går! Så bra!
Drygt 100 år senare kommer Benny till Goswood för att arbeta som engelskalärare på skolan där de fattigare barnen går, de färgade och "sumpråttorna". De som inte har någon framtid att tala om. Hon försöker få dem att intressera sig för böckerna, men först när hon övertalar Granny T att komma och berätta lite om stadens historia vaknar intresset. Hon och ungdomarna startar projektet De dödas röster, men motarbetas av stadens starka och rika. Men med hjälp av Granny T och hennes vänner och släktingar samt Nathan, den nuvarande ägaren till godset kämpar de på.
***
Jag läste just ut den här boken och känner att den nog genererat samma boksmälla som Wingates "Innan ni tog oss"! Vilken historia! Den börjar lite långsamt, nästan segt, men tar sig snart. Vartannat kapitel följer vi Hannie på hennes resa och vartannat kapitel berättar om Bennys kamp för, mot och med ungdomarna. Efter lite läsande blir den till en bladvändare. Jag måste veta hur det går! Så bra!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.5 stars. I alternated between which story line I was more interested in and found the pacing a bit irregular. An interesting highlight of a part of history I did not know about!
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
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
Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this book.
Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.
With all that is going on in the world today, this book means more than ever. Going back and forth between two stories, one of Hannie in 1875, and the other of Benny in 1987, the past and the present intertwine in a beautifully woven story. The characters jump off the page and into my mind. While this story tackles some difficult aspects of history such as slavery, the conversations this book could bring about are invaluable. This would be a fantastic summer book club book. It was an incredible story and I highly recommend for adult readers.
Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.
With all that is going on in the world today, this book means more than ever. Going back and forth between two stories, one of Hannie in 1875, and the other of Benny in 1987, the past and the present intertwine in a beautifully woven story. The characters jump off the page and into my mind. While this story tackles some difficult aspects of history such as slavery, the conversations this book could bring about are invaluable. This would be a fantastic summer book club book. It was an incredible story and I highly recommend for adult readers.
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
While I loved the premise of this story and the details, it was a bit disjointed at times, with some loose ends you were expected to assume/figure out/guess. While I liked that the story was told from Hannie and Benny’s points of views and loved how they crossed, there was so much to Hannie that wasn’t really needed. And I feel like the connections to what Benny did with her students could have been made stronger had that been delved into a bit more.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
After a couple of less-than-savory audiobook experiences, I finally googled "other narrators that are fantastic like Julia Whalen" and landed here.
I'm so glad I did. It's wonderfully narrated and I'm utterly captivated by this story, and gutted, again, by the truths of American history. Chattel slavery treated people like livestock - branding them, breeding them, and selling off their children - and that kind of damage is not healed with a singular emancipation event. Well-researched fiction turns these experiences into things we can better try and feel and understand in a new, more visceral way. And instead of fighting it, we should.
The Book of Lost Friends is a history lesson, and also a lesson on generational trauma and reclaiming family history. That being said, my one small gripe with this book was what felt like a big touch of white saviorism on the part of Benny Silva. I am aware that she drops into Augustine with her own pile of generational trauma to redeem herself from, but... I hoped I'd eventually escape my personal gripe about this by the end, and I did not. Your mileage may vary but Benny's very much a Freedom Writer, if you know what I mean.
I'm so glad I did. It's wonderfully narrated and I'm utterly captivated by this story, and gutted, again, by the truths of American history. Chattel slavery treated people like livestock - branding them, breeding them, and selling off their children - and that kind of damage is not healed with a singular emancipation event. Well-researched fiction turns these experiences into things we can better try and feel and understand in a new, more visceral way. And instead of fighting it, we should.
The Book of Lost Friends is a history lesson, and also a lesson on generational trauma and reclaiming family history. That being said, my one small gripe with this book was what felt like a big touch of white saviorism on the part of Benny Silva. I am aware that she drops into Augustine with her own pile of generational trauma to redeem herself from, but... I hoped I'd eventually escape my personal gripe about this by the end, and I did not. Your mileage may vary but Benny's very much a Freedom Writer, if you know what I mean.