This is my Fifth Selection for my 70's/80's Epic Book Challenge for 2023
What a book!!! I'm BLOWN AWAY by the sheer eloquence and grittiness of the wriThis is my Fifth Selection for my 70's/80's Epic Book Challenge for 2023
What a book!!! I'm BLOWN AWAY by the sheer eloquence and grittiness of the writing by the late great Ms. Toni Morrison! What can I say that hasn't been said about this powerful story? ❤️...more
A beautifully told story with a very catchy title. It's based on true events. In 1811 in Richmond, Virginia there was a horrific fire at the theatre wA beautifully told story with a very catchy title. It's based on true events. In 1811 in Richmond, Virginia there was a horrific fire at the theatre where many people were attending a play. Many perished and most of them were women. The story focuses on 4 people and how the fire affected their lives.
Sally, is a widower who attends the theatre performance with her sister-in-law, Margaret and brother-in-law, Archie. Sally survives and Margaret has horrific burns while Archie too survives but was not there to help them get out.
Jack, is a young boy who works as a stagehand. Something goes wrong that night and he's been given some questionable orders by his boss.
Cecily, is a slave who accompanies her mistress to the theatre. She gets out but is presumed dead.
Gilbert, is a slave who performs a heroic act that night.
I listened to the audio and was deeply moved by the story especially knowing it was a true story. It's a story that will make you sad and angry and one that brings out the good and bad in people.
What writing! What feeling in this story! An exceptional debut!
I listened to the audio and the narration is perfect!
I'm glad I stuck with this story aWhat writing! What feeling in this story! An exceptional debut!
I listened to the audio and the narration is perfect!
I'm glad I stuck with this story as in the beginning I was starting to think this one might not be for me. It's quite depressing at first.
Maddie Wright lives in London. Her family is originally from Ghana and she has lived a pretty sheltered life. Her Father has Parkinson's Disease and at 25 she is his primary care giver. When she was still quite young her mother left the family to go back to Ghana and only briefly returns to London from time to time. Her older brother too has left the home and does not really help Maddie with her Father. She pretty well does it all on her own while working full time. Her childhood nickname "Maame" can mean many things but basically means, woman. She is everything to her family. One day her Mother announces she has returned from Ghana and Maddie decides to move out of the family home and leaves her Father in her Mother's care. Now Maddie is on a new path in life. Living on her own for the first time she gets a new job and a boyfriend for the first time.
Maddie's story has many different elements to it. It's sad, frustrating, and a touch funny at times. She's stronger than she thinks. I must admit it reminded me a little bit of, Eleanor Oliphant only less humorous. I liked Maddie. She was insecure and sweet. A real people pleaser who is a survivor. Does Maddie get her happy ending? You need to read the book to find out!
A ReadWithJenna selection for the Month of February....more
This is a debut book that many people really enjoyed. It didn't "wow" me as much as I anticipated it would but I did overall enjoy it. It's a goo3.5 *
This is a debut book that many people really enjoyed. It didn't "wow" me as much as I anticipated it would but I did overall enjoy it. It's a good and important story with only a touch of mystery.
The story opens with a mystery. Ray McMillian is a black classical musician. He has been using his great-grandfather's "fiddle" for many years. The violin is a Stradivarius and worth a lot of money and is very precious to him. It is stolen from his hotel room on the eve of an important Classical Music Competition. I thought there would be more of a mystery on the quest to find who stole it. The story then goes into Ray's background and how he started out playing the violin. His family especially his mother has never been supportive but his Grandmother always was. She is the one who gives Ray her Father's old fiddle which has been in her attic for many years collecting dust. Once it's found out just how much it's worth his family turns on him. He wants to keep it and continues to play it.
The story was good and highlights racism and Ray's own personal struggles with it. It's maddening and sad and the note he finds towards the end did bring tears to my eyes as I listened to it. It just falls short of 4 stars for me as I did find the middle lagged a little and was a bit repetitive. I'm still glad I stuck with it though. The author's note at the end was very good too! He's a promising new writer and I would gladly read something else by him in the future.
The author is a poet and her writing is lovely and worthy of 5 stars. This is a debut book and the story is qA very engrossing and heartbreaking book.
The author is a poet and her writing is lovely and worthy of 5 stars. This is a debut book and the story is quite good. Most of the story was a full 4 stars for me but it did dwindle in certain parts to a 3.5.
It's a story about three generations of Southern black women who have lived, some left and then returned to their home in Memphis. There's really no plot. It's just their stories and how they have coped with life and the hardships and good times they have encountered. The stories go back and forth in time and are non-linear. I listened to the audiobook and it was wonderfully narrated. I did not have a problem with following along.
This one was impressive and I'd certainly read or listen to anything else from this author. The acknowledgments at the end were read by the author herself. It read like poetry and it was lovely to hear. It felt like a little treat. This is an author to keep your eye-on.
I don't always follow Celebrity Bookclubs but this was one I'd been meaning to read. It was Jenna Bush Hager's pick-of-the-month for April 2022....more
A fabulous story! I listened to this one as an Audio and the narrator was fantastic! If you like stories about the South I suggest you listen to this A fabulous story! I listened to this one as an Audio and the narrator was fantastic! If you like stories about the South I suggest you listen to this little gem! Thanks to a suggestion from a fellow "Book Club Girls" member I gave this book a try.
I'm so happy to hear that there is a second book that is a sequel to this story. I will definitely read it. Cassie Dandridge Sellers tells such a compelling and emotional story that is heart breaking yet also heart warming. If you like Southern Fiction then this one is not to be missed!...more
I listened to this as an audio book. Wow, the narrators were fantastic! The characters really came alive. This is my first Tayari Jones book and does I listened to this as an audio book. Wow, the narrators were fantastic! The characters really came alive. This is my first Tayari Jones book and does she ever have a way with words!
This book tells the story of the very young marriage of Roy and Celestial (just about 1 1/2 years of marriage.). Roy is wrongfully convicted of rape and is sent to prison. Both try to cope with this situation the best way they can. Celestial finds herself becoming closer to her best friend, Andre. After five years Roy is released. Much has changed. They have both changed. Can their marriage still survive?
This was a slow-paced book. Much of the drama comes at the end but the build-up is very detailed. The story is interesting and the characters were well developed even the minor ones. I found myself rooting for Roy but Celestial was harder to like although towards the end I think I came to understand her better. This book is thought-provoking, and upsetting but hopeful too. The story shows the many facets of marriage and how one circumstance or event can change something forever....more
If you can believe it....I found this book on the Bargain rack of my local bookstore! I immediately recognized it as a book I had been wanting to readIf you can believe it....I found this book on the Bargain rack of my local bookstore! I immediately recognized it as a book I had been wanting to read plus I just adore Diane Chamberlain's books.
This was a complete winner and fully fledged 5 star read! I was engrossed from the first page to the last. The story of two sisters living in poverty in rural North Carolina in 1960 and the social worker who comes to their aide. It's a heartbreaking and distressing story and I certainly shed some tears especially near the end. I enjoyed the ending very much. It was perfect.
Lily is a 14 year old girl who is living in the south in the early 1960's with her abusive father and her black nanny, Rosaleen. Her mother died when Lily is a 14 year old girl who is living in the south in the early 1960's with her abusive father and her black nanny, Rosaleen. Her mother died when she was 4 years old and she lives with the guilt. Lily and her nanny, find themselves in trouble and she runs away with Rosaleen hoping to find out more about her mother. She comes to a small town in South Carolina where they end up staying with 3 black sisters. The story is about love, hope and the banding together of strong women and how they help each other. Although there is a strong, good message in the novel I found it very slow and the writing a little shifty....more
I loved this book! A wonderful debut novel. It is the summer of 1953 and 13 year old "Jubie" from Charlotte, North Carolina sets off on a family trip I loved this book! A wonderful debut novel. It is the summer of 1953 and 13 year old "Jubie" from Charlotte, North Carolina sets off on a family trip (with their black maid) heading down south to Florida. There are two stories told thru her eyes. One, is the travels down south and the deep rooted racism of the time and things they encounter. The other, is a family story of secrets and lies. If you enjoyed "The Help" you will like this book although it is more a "family" story. ...more
I absolutely loved this book....couldn't put it down. I brought my kobo reader with me everywhere just to sneak in a few minutes of reading time. Can'I absolutely loved this book....couldn't put it down. I brought my kobo reader with me everywhere just to sneak in a few minutes of reading time. Can't wait for the movie!...more
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