A review by egkaetzel
The Fallen Fruit by Shawntelle Madison

slow-paced

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

3.0

The Fallen Fruit uses the story of a family of time travelers to capture the lives of African Americans in Virginia from the late 1700s to the early 1900s. Rather than having one main character, the book follows several key characters in the Bridge family and how their lives and choices shaped the family curse. 

I expected the book to have a more mystery element, maybe following Cecil’s as she uncovers for herself the time traveling mystery, but that isn’t what happens with how the book is organized. Instead I found myself a bit lost as to where the story was going. Because of that I think readers will enjoy the book most if they have the expectation of a story focused on the lives of the characters themselves, shaped by time travel rather than a mystery that drives the book. I do think reading a physical copy would help so you could go back and reference past sections and the family tree.

For me I wish there had been more time spent on unraveling the curse and I felt like it ended with a lot of unanswered questions. Still it paints a detailed picture of life in Virginia for free African Americans at that time. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Amistad for the ARC!