Review by rinku - Eine Weile bleibt die Zeit für uns stehen

rinku 's review for:

Eine Weile bleibt die Zeit für uns stehen by Jacqueline Woodson

3.5

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

It was not easy to rate If You Come Softly, to be honest. It is definitely a great book for teens about racism, and I would’ve loved it if I read it in school. Now I’m a bit older and the writing was a bit to simple for me, which is why I gave it 3.5 stars.

The book focusses on two teenagers, Ellia, a Jewish white girl, and Miah, a Black boy, falling in love with each other. Like I’ve said, the writing is quite simple, but I still liked the melancholic vibe I got from it. The ending where

Miah gets shot

was so sad and heartbreaking.

What I furthermore appreciate about the novel are the characters that just feel so real. Ellie and Miah are so cute, and it was cute as well how their moms found out that they have a crush. They get together a bit fast but it’s a short book so that’s okay. It’s also interesting to see that cultural appropriation was also a topic in the 1990s, and that we get some sapphic representation where it is shown that marginalized people can have prejudices as well.

So generally, I would recommend If You Come Softly just for the way it deals with issues of social justice and the sad/melancholic atmosphere Woodson creates.

Content Warnings