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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
This is an interesting take on marriage and what it takes to make one work, especially when life has different plans for how your lives will unfold.
I haven’t devoured a book like this in a long time.
I breezed right through this book. It's a very potent, heartbreaking story that sheds light on what probably many black men go through in our American culture. The thought of having a life, and then someone taking it away from you for no reason, and how a human even begins to navigate that... Jones beautifully writes this story without making it a lecture or lesson. It's all about this man (Roy), this woman (Celestial), everyone around them, and how their lives change forever when Roy ends up in jail despite being innocent.
There are letters written to and from Roy and his wife, Celestial, while he's in jail. The letters are my favorite part of the book. They were so well written and purposeful. There was so much said without being said. The time between responses glared through the book and the growing distance was felt. After that, characters become extremely frustrating to deal with when it comes to Roy's new life. I wanted to shake them and yell at them in his defense. But I think that was part of the point.
I will say that the one thing I did actually get frustrated with, outside of the natural ebb and flow of the story, was the character Celestial at times. Although her career was a big part of her life, there were moments that the definition of her came down to two men. I struggled with believing and understanding that this is just who the character was. I understood (as best as I could), the situation she was in, but there was something off about her. It was reiterated time and time again that Celestial could not belong to anyone, but it didn't always feel that way. I wish we got to spend a little more time with her outside of Roy and Andre. Again, how everything leads her back to the subject of Roy makes sense because of the guilt and this sudden change in life, but I just can't put my finger on what was missing about her...
Overall, the different perspectives are fascinating. The theme of "letting go" and just finding the best for yourself becomes more and more apparent as the story goes on even though each and every character tries to fight it.
I'll be thinking of this story for a long time. And I'll be thinking of the characters in it as if they are real people, wondering how they're doing.
There are letters written to and from Roy and his wife, Celestial, while he's in jail. The letters are my favorite part of the book. They were so well written and purposeful. There was so much said without being said. The time between responses glared through the book and the growing distance was felt. After that, characters become extremely frustrating to deal with when it comes to Roy's new life. I wanted to shake them and yell at them in his defense. But I think that was part of the point.
I will say that the one thing I did actually get frustrated with, outside of the natural ebb and flow of the story, was the character Celestial at times. Although her career was a big part of her life, there were moments that the definition of her came down to two men. I struggled with believing and understanding that this is just who the character was. I understood (as best as I could), the situation she was in, but there was something off about her. It was reiterated time and time again that Celestial could not belong to anyone, but it didn't always feel that way. I wish we got to spend a little more time with her outside of Roy and Andre. Again, how everything leads her back to the subject of Roy makes sense because of the guilt and this sudden change in life, but I just can't put my finger on what was missing about her...
Overall, the different perspectives are fascinating. The theme of "letting go" and just finding the best for yourself becomes more and more apparent as the story goes on even though each and every character tries to fight it.
I'll be thinking of this story for a long time. And I'll be thinking of the characters in it as if they are real people, wondering how they're doing.
An American Marriage is just that, the story of a marriage, an average, not perfect, marriage when the husband's life goes horribly wrong. Roy is from a small town in Louisiana, a poor boy, carving out a business career after college, while Celestial is from an upper middle class family, making her name as an artist, making dolls. Roy is wrongly accused and then convicted of rape and sentenced to twelve years in jail. A lot happens in their lives, secrets are shared and hidden as Roy lives life "inside" and Celestial tries to maintain. This was a lot of the story. Near the end, however, Roy is released after serving five years and attempts to get his life back. With my wish for a happily-ever-after, this part of the book was hard for me.
The audio book was extremely well-read; I got so involved in the lives of Roy and Celestial. An American Marriage provoked many, many thoughts and feelings.
I also just read that Barack Obama also read this book this summer. (It was the only one on his reading list that I had also read.)
The audio book was extremely well-read; I got so involved in the lives of Roy and Celestial. An American Marriage provoked many, many thoughts and feelings.
I also just read that Barack Obama also read this book this summer. (It was the only one on his reading list that I had also read.)
Stunningly written, gripping, heartbreaking, made me see the conflict of race in America in a new light. A beautifully difficult story that is worth the read.
I listened to the audiobook of this one, and finished it in one lazy day. Great story told from multiple POVs (heads up for you 2019 Popsugar participants). Overview: tragedy strikes newlyweds Roy and Celestial, in what is an all too familiar occurrence in America. At no fault of their own, their picture perfect life is set on a different course and brings up a number of interesting questions, and how false imprisonment punishes more than just the accused. I don’t know if I would have done what Celestial did, but at the same time - she and Roy are both in a very hard situation and marriages have dissolved before far less trying circumstances. At the core of this book is the very real social issue concerning African Americans being unjustly accused and incarcerated at a higher rate than other groups of people. The ending isn’t the happy ending the reader hopes for, but it is a happy ending none the less.
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. I snagged this as a Kindle book for late night with a sick baby last week since it has been on my TBR for the longest time, it seems. Celestial and Roy had only been married for a year and a half when Roy is sentenced to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. The long commute from Atlanta to Louisiana takes a toll on their relationship, and after awhile Celeste begins to pull away. What she doesn’t expect is for the justice system to actually let him out early; she has moved on to a new relationship, but has an obligation as Roy’s wife. This is a raw look at what prison can do to a marriage, and how the justice system wrongfully imprisons Black men. A solid choice for adult book clubs.