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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
This book caught me from the first chapter. Set after the Civil War and the 1980’s, it interweaves two stories gloriously. I’m a reading teacher so I connected with one of the main characters. Both stories were compelling and I was on the edge of my seat by the end. The story of lost friends is haunting and tragic and I liked how so many details connected both stories. If you are looking for a great read, look no further.
I tried so hard to like this book, but just couldn’t for some reason. Loved Before We Were Yours but this one just bored me to tears. Barely finished it.
Top 3 books of the year so far. The characters, the history, the documentation... all of it wonderful!
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As someone who has become obsessed with family history and the stories hidden within, I found this book to be such a delight. The start was a bit slow, and the writing was clunky in places, but the story was beautiful. I found myself wanting to know the next chapter of the characters' lives after it had ended.
While the author attempts some genuine themes related to the importance of facing the nation's racial history, it lands as a whitewashed, apologist version (told by a white woman) that centers a white savior as her modern hero. Highly recommend reading a book about slavery by a Black author (Kindred, The Water Dancer, The Underground Railroad, Beloved, The Prophets...).
Enjoyed this. Tells a story with two narrators one more in the present (1987) and the other post civil war. Part of the story is based on Black families posting ads looking for the families they had been torn from. It really tore at my heart reading those ads. For such a deep topic it was an easy and enjoyable read.
Beautifully done, I could have kept reading about Hannie forever. I just wish the ending wasn’t so rushed and we got one more chapter with her.
IDK why it took me so long to get into this book, but it did.. And then I was really interested.. and then it felt like I missed a chapter where something big happened (but I didn't) and then the book ended and there was the epilogue.. and if you wait until the epilogue to drop "the bomb", I feel you've waited too long because I want some resolution within the story.