A review by nothingforpomegranted
Belle Greene by Alexandra Lapierre

adventurous challenging informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This was such a fascinating exploration of a fascinating character in history. I appreciated that the author classified this as a fiction book, though it seems highly researched and a mostly historical account. It always irks me when nonfiction pretends to know the inner thoughts of the characters, and this didn’t do that at all, despite the author’s clear research and assertion that most of the dialogue was based on letters from the characters. 

I decided to just accept this as a biography with invented dialogue rather than a novel, and that definitely had a positive impact on my rating. I was able to accept the paragraphs of straight information, just telling us about the characters rather than letting us get to know them. There was a lot of explanation in this for a novel, but as narrative nonfiction, it was excellent. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this, though it was certainly slow at points.