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A review by red_steele
A House Divided by Donna Hill
4.0
1. True Rating - 3.5 stars
2. Voice Actor: Karen Chilton provided a good four star performance.
3. Author: This is the first book I read by Donna Hill. The author has a simplistic writing style that kept my attention throughout the book.
4. Topics or Theme: This is a romance novel that discusses family secrets and lies, racial passing, and the privilege of the wealthy.
5. Character Review:
Zoie Crawford is a 31 year old up and coming journalist living in New York. She is originally from New Orleans and has a complicated family history with her mother and aunts. Zoie’s exodus from New Orleans is twofold; she fled to New York to start fresh because of a difficult relationship with her boyfriend Jackson Fuller, and to distance herself from her family. Zoie is forced to return to New Orleans after the death of her grandmother, and she is forced to make life changing decisions regarding her family and love life.
Kimberly Maitland-Graham is an important secondary character. She hails from a prominent and wealthy family from New Orleans, and lives amongst the affluent in New York with her husband and twin daughters. Kimberly is a Republican candidate for state senate, but when Zoie is given the task of following her campaign and writing an expose, her life and campaign are irrevocably changed.
Note: Kimberly has a strained relationship with her parents. She eventually learns that the Maitlands are her grandparents, and that her late brother Kyle was her father. Kimberly also learned that her childhood nanny was her maternal grandmother.
Rose Bennett Crawford (supporting character) is Zoie and Kimberly’s biological mother. Rose became pregnant at the age of 16 by Kyle Maitland (19), and was sent away to have her baby in New York. She was informed that her child had passed away, and she was not aware that Kimberly was alive until Zoie learned the family's dark secret following the passing of her grandmother.
6. Pros: Family reconciliation was a strong theme throughout the book that I enjoyed.
7. Cons:
A ridiculous storyline involving Jackson's ex-girlfriend Lena caused Zoie and Jackson's relationship to be unnecessarily disrupted.
The author could have added more depth to the characters.
8. Recommend Book: Overall I enjoyed the novel and recommend it to others.
2. Voice Actor: Karen Chilton provided a good four star performance.
3. Author: This is the first book I read by Donna Hill. The author has a simplistic writing style that kept my attention throughout the book.
4. Topics or Theme: This is a romance novel that discusses family secrets and lies, racial passing, and the privilege of the wealthy.
5. Character Review:
Zoie Crawford is a 31 year old up and coming journalist living in New York. She is originally from New Orleans and has a complicated family history with her mother and aunts. Zoie’s exodus from New Orleans is twofold; she fled to New York to start fresh because of a difficult relationship with her boyfriend Jackson Fuller, and to distance herself from her family. Zoie is forced to return to New Orleans after the death of her grandmother, and she is forced to make life changing decisions regarding her family and love life.
Kimberly Maitland-Graham is an important secondary character. She hails from a prominent and wealthy family from New Orleans, and lives amongst the affluent in New York with her husband and twin daughters. Kimberly is a Republican candidate for state senate, but when Zoie is given the task of following her campaign and writing an expose, her life and campaign are irrevocably changed.
Note: Kimberly has a strained relationship with her parents. She eventually learns that the Maitlands are her grandparents, and that her late brother Kyle was her father. Kimberly also learned that her childhood nanny was her maternal grandmother.
Rose Bennett Crawford (supporting character) is Zoie and Kimberly’s biological mother. Rose became pregnant at the age of 16 by Kyle Maitland (19), and was sent away to have her baby in New York. She was informed that her child had passed away, and she was not aware that Kimberly was alive until Zoie learned the family's dark secret following the passing of her grandmother.
6. Pros: Family reconciliation was a strong theme throughout the book that I enjoyed.
7. Cons:
A ridiculous storyline involving Jackson's ex-girlfriend Lena caused Zoie and Jackson's relationship to be unnecessarily disrupted.
The author could have added more depth to the characters.
8. Recommend Book: Overall I enjoyed the novel and recommend it to others.