A review by curiouslykatt
Confessions in B-Flat by Donna Hill

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Confessions in B-Flat take us to Harlem, New York in 1963. We have Anita Hopkins who is following the teachings of Malcolm X, meanwhile Jason is pulling up roots from Atlanta and moving to New York to help spread the gospel of Martin Luther King Jr. Knowing this you can see where this story might be going. You have a “by any means necessary” approach versus a passive resistance approach. Ultimately striving for the same goal, but two very different paths. 

This was probably a bad timing read for me and I even mentioned to our bookclub host I’ll be actively picking up some other books because ya girl needs a reprieve. With that being said I don’t know how to review this one. I’m not mad I read it. I’m not happy I read it. I just read it. I can see a lot of the bookclub readers really enjoying this one. 

I will say the historical inaccuracies were a bit of a miss for me, but I don’t think a lot of readers will actually pick up on the minutiae the same way. Like how many people are going to notice that answering machines weren’t common until the 80s but a poor beat poet/waitress has one? How many people will screech halt when Anita and Jason take a plane ride and she’s shocked he’s never been on a plane... In the 1960s... How many people will reflect on bell bottoms, which weren’t common until the later 60s/ early 70s. 

I’ll be honest it was probably my brain focusing on these acting as a padded wall for my sanity. 

I read the book. I got it off my shelf. We’ll call it a win.