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A review by buttonsandbooks
Godpretty in the Tobacco Field by Kim Michele Richardson
challenging
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up. A friend recommended it and when I saw it was less than 300 pages long, I figured it was worth a shot. I definitely didn't expect to hang on to its every word.
It's 1969 in Nameless, Kentucky and RubyLyn Bishop is 15 years old and living with her God-fearing uncle Gunnar. Her parents died when she was a young kid and she was sent to an orphanage until her uncle came to take custody of her. Ever since, she's been working the tobacco fields of his and she's exhausted of this small town, rural life. She wants to see the city and live her dream of being an artist. Moreso, she wants to do it with Rainey, an 18 year old Black man who works alongside her in the fields. But that's their secret because people in these parts would never accept their relationship. Tragedy and heartbreaking revelations push RubyLyn towards a future she never imagined for herself.
My heart really wanted RubyLyn to get her happy ending, whatever that looked like. It wasn't necessarily what I expected, but I left this read feeling satisfied. I was also pleasantly surprised by Gunnar in the last few chapters. I love how he and RubyLyn didn't accept the way people talked about Rainey. In a small, narrow minded place like Nameless, that's not always easy to find.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
It's 1969 in Nameless, Kentucky and RubyLyn Bishop is 15 years old and living with her God-fearing uncle Gunnar. Her parents died when she was a young kid and she was sent to an orphanage until her uncle came to take custody of her. Ever since, she's been working the tobacco fields of his and she's exhausted of this small town, rural life. She wants to see the city and live her dream of being an artist. Moreso, she wants to do it with Rainey, an 18 year old Black man who works alongside her in the fields. But that's their secret because people in these parts would never accept their relationship. Tragedy and heartbreaking revelations push RubyLyn towards a future she never imagined for herself.
My heart really wanted RubyLyn to get her happy ending, whatever that looked like. It wasn't necessarily what I expected, but I left this read feeling satisfied. I was also pleasantly surprised by Gunnar in the last few chapters. I love how he and RubyLyn didn't accept the way people talked about Rainey. In a small, narrow minded place like Nameless, that's not always easy to find.
⭐⭐⭐⭐