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A review by lawbooks600
Maame by Jessica George
emotional
funny
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
Representation: Black, Asian and biracial (half Asian and half white) characters
Score: Seven points out of ten.
Maame should have won Best Fiction instead of Yellowface; the former is far better. I saw this book at a library, and after noticing it was a nominee for Best Fiction, I wanted this one, so I had to pick it up and read it. Did I mention that if Maame won, a Black author would win a Choice Award? When I finished Maame, it was enjoyable and an impressive debut from Jessica George.
It starts with the first character I see, Maddie Wright, living with her father, who has Parkinson's disease, while her mother is in Ghana. Here's the catch: Maddie's central attributes are that she is naïve and never fully experienced life, even though she's in her twenties. Which is why Maame starts living her life to the fullest after her mother travels to London instead of staying at home all day caring for her father. Maame's first half goes smoothly as Maddie got the life she deserves, but I noticed Maddie saying that sometimes she's the only Black person in the room (there might be other minorities but not people like Maddie) which must make her feel isolated. However, I struggle to comprehend why Maddie's mother left Maddie alone to experience adulthood alone. Maame shines in its characters and pacing, as they are respectively relatable and engaging. Maddie develops a relationship with another person for the first time, but that didn't pan out as well as she expected. Maame said that person was racist since his new (white) partner received better treatment than Maddie. That sounds more like preferential treatment, but I can understand. Maddie, after losing her father, has had enough of her mother, calling her out for her absence in her life, occurring in Maame's latter half. The mood also changed from exciting to sombre, and later on, bittersweet, as Maddie finds a new person to start a relationship, and this time, it goes well. What a story.
Score: Seven points out of ten.
Maame should have won Best Fiction instead of Yellowface; the former is far better. I saw this book at a library, and after noticing it was a nominee for Best Fiction, I wanted this one, so I had to pick it up and read it. Did I mention that if Maame won, a Black author would win a Choice Award? When I finished Maame, it was enjoyable and an impressive debut from Jessica George.
It starts with the first character I see, Maddie Wright, living with her father, who has Parkinson's disease, while her mother is in Ghana. Here's the catch: Maddie's central attributes are that she is naïve and never fully experienced life, even though she's in her twenties. Which is why Maame starts living her life to the fullest after her mother travels to London instead of staying at home all day caring for her father. Maame's first half goes smoothly as Maddie got the life she deserves, but I noticed Maddie saying that sometimes she's the only Black person in the room (there might be other minorities but not people like Maddie) which must make her feel isolated. However, I struggle to comprehend why Maddie's mother left Maddie alone to experience adulthood alone. Maame shines in its characters and pacing, as they are respectively relatable and engaging. Maddie develops a relationship with another person for the first time, but that didn't pan out as well as she expected. Maame said that person was racist since his new (white) partner received better treatment than Maddie. That sounds more like preferential treatment, but I can understand. Maddie, after losing her father, has had enough of her mother, calling her out for her absence in her life, occurring in Maame's latter half. The mood also changed from exciting to sombre, and later on, bittersweet, as Maddie finds a new person to start a relationship, and this time, it goes well. What a story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, Death, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Full trigger warnings: Racism, cheating, death of a father, grief and loss depiction, panic attacks, depression mentioned