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A review by libellum_aphrodite
I Been in Sorrow's Kitchen and Licked Out All the Pots by Susan Straight
3.0
I had to re-start this one many times, but finally got through it. On the first two attempts I didn't get past the first 20 pages, specifically the very beginning of the book where Marietta is at the basket selling stands with her mother and the other women. Between the Gullah-speak and the sitting around selling baskets, something it seemed neither Marietta nor I cared about at all, I didn't get engaged. However, once she runs away to Charleston, things got more interesting. When all was said and done, I felt like I saw an interesting portrait of a few evolving times, places, and cultures, but wasn't particularly inspired or blown away.
**spoilers cometh**
Some very scattered thoughts:
* Marietta's father looms over the whole tale, and I wish more was included about his story.
* The "historically accurate" plantation-made-hotel where Marietta worked in the fields was an extremely distressing and insultingly, patronizingly racist setup. I don't know if any such places actually existed, but the whole thing made my skin crawl, especially when they move Aint Sister's original slave home closer to the main house and try to charge Marietta rent for hers.
* Nate's foray into steroids felt like it left a bit of development on the table. The tension between him and Carolanne and the pressure of being in the NFL, let alone other pressure to keep his family lifted from poverty and not blow it, was a fascinating internal conflict that just sort of silently wrapped itself up without too much probing.
* Why the heck did Sinbad show up that the very end just to chat? I feel like the intention was to demonstrate that Marietta is happy even though she encountered a large array of difficulties in her life, including getting pregnant as a teenager and being veritably abandoned by Sinbad, but his brief appearance was superfluous - that was already clear.
My favorite arc through the book was Marietta's transition from borderline resenting to embracing and seeking out the community around her. She's downright resentful of her original community, particularly Aint Sister (although I can hardly blame her as the woman was quite condescending), but by the ends seeks out a residence in California with a very parallel culture, lifestyle, and community structure. She goes from resenting and distrusting community help to valuing and respecting it. Many of the other reviews focus on how strong Marietta is. Undoubtedly, she is a very grounded and persevering character, but she wouldn't have made it without the various communities to hold her up. Her personality is very constant other than this one important transition.
**spoilers cometh**
Some very scattered thoughts:
* Marietta's father looms over the whole tale, and I wish more was included about his story.
* The "historically accurate" plantation-made-hotel where Marietta worked in the fields was an extremely distressing and insultingly, patronizingly racist setup. I don't know if any such places actually existed, but the whole thing made my skin crawl, especially when they move Aint Sister's original slave home closer to the main house and try to charge Marietta rent for hers.
* Nate's foray into steroids felt like it left a bit of development on the table. The tension between him and Carolanne and the pressure of being in the NFL, let alone other pressure to keep his family lifted from poverty and not blow it, was a fascinating internal conflict that just sort of silently wrapped itself up without too much probing.
* Why the heck did Sinbad show up that the very end just to chat? I feel like the intention was to demonstrate that Marietta is happy even though she encountered a large array of difficulties in her life, including getting pregnant as a teenager and being veritably abandoned by Sinbad, but his brief appearance was superfluous - that was already clear.
My favorite arc through the book was Marietta's transition from borderline resenting to embracing and seeking out the community around her. She's downright resentful of her original community, particularly Aint Sister (although I can hardly blame her as the woman was quite condescending), but by the ends seeks out a residence in California with a very parallel culture, lifestyle, and community structure. She goes from resenting and distrusting community help to valuing and respecting it. Many of the other reviews focus on how strong Marietta is. Undoubtedly, she is a very grounded and persevering character, but she wouldn't have made it without the various communities to hold her up. Her personality is very constant other than this one important transition.