Scan barcode
saramassoudi's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
susanp's review against another edition
5.0
Another excellent book by Anna Jean Mayhew! Since I loved the acclaimed book The Dry Grass of August, a coming-of-age book set in mid-1950s Charlotte, North Carolina, I was excited to discover a new book by this author. Also set in Charlotte, this novel explores racial and "urban renewal" issues from the points of view of three diverse and empathetic characters. "Misery is when you heard on the radio that the neighborhood you live in is a slum but you always thought it was home." -Langston Hughes
blogginboutbooks's review against another edition
4.0
The premise of this book is an interesting and heartbreaking one, especially as Mayhew describes Brooklyn and what it means to the people who live there. Seen through the eyes of Loraylee and Reverend Polk, the community comes alive for the reader in all its variety, both good and bad. I enjoyed getting to know Brooklyn's residents and felt like I knew them. The inclusion of Persy as a narrator threw me a little as her sections seemed out of place in the novel. Overall, the pieces of the book's plot didn't quite come together for me into one unifying, satisfying whole but all in all, I liked this one. Didn't love it, but liked it well enough. I'd give it a B-.
sparklingreader's review against another edition
3.0
This is a charming book that’s a relatively quick read if you don’t mind first person/present tense interwoven with third person/past tense (varies by chapter and character). In this book, the author weaves a story of Black families in a 1950s-60s neighborhood called Brooklyn—part of Charlotte, N.C. In the story, the good white people of Charlotte are determined to “improve” parts of their town through Urban Renewal. To do so, they displace families and businesses with no care for the inhabitants—where they’re going to go and how they’re going to live.
The story is told through the perspective of three main characters. Loraylee Hawkins is a single mother who is the sole supporter of herself, her son, her uncle, and her grandmother—all of whom live together. She’s in love with the father of her son, but he’s a white man and there’s no way they can be together.
Ebenezer (Eben) Polk is the minister of the local church. He’s a widower who becomes the “father” to his sixteen year old nephew Noah when Noah’s father (Eben’s brother) is killed. Eben’s church and the accompanying cemetery will be destroyed when the Renewal comes through. He needs to deal with that, with the death of his wife and brother, with all the changes hitting him late in his life.
Persy (Persephone) is the wife of the greedy white man who’s pushing to get the Renewal through. Her point of view is a direct contrast to the people who live in Brooklyn, and yet she’s a sympathetic character.
The setting is believable and the characters well drawn, but it seems a little superficial. I’d have liked a little more depth to them. Also, I had trouble getting into the story—the language is true to the society and time, but that can make it a little hard to get past sometimes, which makes it slow to start. But once you get into the story, you forget about the language and just “listen” to their stories.
Would I read this again? Probably not. That’s not saying it’s not a good book. It is. It’s just not *my* kind of story. Would I recommend it? To people who like this kind of historical fiction, yes. They would probably enjoy it much more than I did.
The story is told through the perspective of three main characters. Loraylee Hawkins is a single mother who is the sole supporter of herself, her son, her uncle, and her grandmother—all of whom live together. She’s in love with the father of her son, but he’s a white man and there’s no way they can be together.
Ebenezer (Eben) Polk is the minister of the local church. He’s a widower who becomes the “father” to his sixteen year old nephew Noah when Noah’s father (Eben’s brother) is killed. Eben’s church and the accompanying cemetery will be destroyed when the Renewal comes through. He needs to deal with that, with the death of his wife and brother, with all the changes hitting him late in his life.
Persy (Persephone) is the wife of the greedy white man who’s pushing to get the Renewal through. Her point of view is a direct contrast to the people who live in Brooklyn, and yet she’s a sympathetic character.
The setting is believable and the characters well drawn, but it seems a little superficial. I’d have liked a little more depth to them. Also, I had trouble getting into the story—the language is true to the society and time, but that can make it a little hard to get past sometimes, which makes it slow to start. But once you get into the story, you forget about the language and just “listen” to their stories.
Would I read this again? Probably not. That’s not saying it’s not a good book. It is. It’s just not *my* kind of story. Would I recommend it? To people who like this kind of historical fiction, yes. They would probably enjoy it much more than I did.
machadofam8's review against another edition
4.0
Oh this was very good. The chapters were almost like vignettes - nice little short stories that all flowed together.
daisytee's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is an emotional read set it the Deep South. During the 1950 - 1960 time period. Started out very strong slows in the middle to the point I considered it a DNF, but then there is a catastrophic event and the story took off from there. Anna Jean Mayhew also has another very good book, same time period and similar setting but much better than this one called. The Dry Grass Of August highly recommend that one.
Content Warnings
This book is very sad in the fact there is so much racism happening during this time. It prevents a love story from being able to become something beautiful and a child from knowing one of their parents.
pnelson384's review against another edition
3.0
This book is the Community Read choice for my local library this spring, and it was very interesting. It tells the story of what happened to the Brooklyn neighborhood of Charlotte, NC in the 1960s from a few different viewpoints. The primariliy black neighborhood was torn down and the residents displaced by the city as the city expanded. The story follows a single mother, a local pastor and a wife of one of the city planners through the period of time where all the changes were happening. I learned a lot about what happened, and have a better understanding of the city I call home right now.
rachaelsreadingnook's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
thelexingtonbookie's review against another edition
4.0
My IRL friend Amber from The Pedestrian Equestrian mentioned this book to me a few months ago, and I lucked out on finding the audiobook via Hoopla. Narrated by Allyson Johnson, whose voice gave life to main character Loraylee (Low-Ray-Lee), the audio easily captured my imagination.
In alternating past and present narratives, Loraylee Hawkins shares about her life in small town Brooklyn, NC in the 1960's. She reminisces on her past growing up in the "separate but equal" segregated town, where she fell in love with a white man named Albert and raised his child, and the tribulations that followed the relationship. Then she moves back into the present, in which the gentrification is about to commence on Brooklyn because the current area was "dilapidated and dangerous."
Woven into Loraylee's tale is Pastor Polk, whose church is being relocated to a more "suitable" destination outside the town limits. This historical church is home to over 150 year old graves, yet these resting grounds must be moved too. Uncertain about what this will mean for the families of his congregation, yet forced to be a silent observer of the demolition of his town, Pastor Polk can only hope to preserve the source of community for the parishioners.
This historical fiction novel gives the reader the ability to see through the eyes of those who lost their homes and community as it was pulled out from under them. The novel touches on the sensitive but current issues of racism and white privilege by looking to the past and the actions that caused the cracks in America's foundation. In the novel, Mayhew describes what it was like to be forced out of home, or to watch others be forced out, because of the crooked systems that controlled (and still do) everything. The Jim Crow laws may have overturned, but predominately white government officials and their underling supporters resisted the change- and in doing so, made decisions based on their personal interests, not the best interest of those involved.
This is why, when I googled "Brooklyn, North Carolina", there is very little on it's historical connection to the gentrification of the now Glenwood district of Raleigh, NC. I did manage to find this excellent article that pulls the skeletons out of Glenwood's closet, and applaud both it's author and Mayhew to sharing the truth about it's past.
Though the subject of the novel is bleak, the information given and feelings evoked by Mayhew's characters makes it a must-read. I personally enjoyed Loraylee's character development and her keen observations, and was intrigued by her life. I'll be recommending this one to my bookish, progressive friends who can truly appreciate Mayhew's sentiments, and sincerely thank Amber for the OG recommendation.
In alternating past and present narratives, Loraylee Hawkins shares about her life in small town Brooklyn, NC in the 1960's. She reminisces on her past growing up in the "separate but equal" segregated town, where she fell in love with a white man named Albert and raised his child, and the tribulations that followed the relationship. Then she moves back into the present, in which the gentrification is about to commence on Brooklyn because the current area was "dilapidated and dangerous."
Woven into Loraylee's tale is Pastor Polk, whose church is being relocated to a more "suitable" destination outside the town limits. This historical church is home to over 150 year old graves, yet these resting grounds must be moved too. Uncertain about what this will mean for the families of his congregation, yet forced to be a silent observer of the demolition of his town, Pastor Polk can only hope to preserve the source of community for the parishioners.
This historical fiction novel gives the reader the ability to see through the eyes of those who lost their homes and community as it was pulled out from under them. The novel touches on the sensitive but current issues of racism and white privilege by looking to the past and the actions that caused the cracks in America's foundation. In the novel, Mayhew describes what it was like to be forced out of home, or to watch others be forced out, because of the crooked systems that controlled (and still do) everything. The Jim Crow laws may have overturned, but predominately white government officials and their underling supporters resisted the change- and in doing so, made decisions based on their personal interests, not the best interest of those involved.
This is why, when I googled "Brooklyn, North Carolina", there is very little on it's historical connection to the gentrification of the now Glenwood district of Raleigh, NC. I did manage to find this excellent article that pulls the skeletons out of Glenwood's closet, and applaud both it's author and Mayhew to sharing the truth about it's past.
Though the subject of the novel is bleak, the information given and feelings evoked by Mayhew's characters makes it a must-read. I personally enjoyed Loraylee's character development and her keen observations, and was intrigued by her life. I'll be recommending this one to my bookish, progressive friends who can truly appreciate Mayhew's sentiments, and sincerely thank Amber for the OG recommendation.