Reviews

Praisesong for the Widow by Paule Marshall

tina94's review

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit and Miscarriage

adeaso2's review

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

thelonelycastle's review

I had to read this for class and I just do not have the time to finish it

gtea_reader's review

emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

kwilson271's review

4.0

An elderly African-American woman surprises her friends by leaving a Caribbean cruise before it's half over. She stays over on an island and participates in Voodoo dances. She doesn't know it yet, but she's responding to a pull from the past to come around full circle and complete things. In Praisesong for the Widow, Marshall wrote yet another book that hearkens African-Americans back to their robbed roots, but she does a better job of it than any I have read yet. Her descriptions of both the inner landscape and outer landscape, but especially the outer, are detailed and exquisite. I recommend the book for any race or gender.

jarika's review

5.0

Beautifully written, stoic, and sparse. I loved it as it strung me along for the ride of changes within a person, a marriage, and a life.

tawallah's review

3.0

I picked this up randomly from my library to read for Caribbean Heritage month. It is written by a Barbadian female author who moved to New York. In this novel we follow the story of a widow, Avery Johnson. It is a beautifully written story about losing yourself and your identity. This is written through the lens of race and the struggle for economic freedom. And its impact on a marriage.

Despite the beauty of the writing, the spiritual aspect didn’t work for me. The connection it makes with music, dance with African past is great. It just doesn’t for me.

sentientsea's review

4.0

i can see why people call this book life-altering; it's a gorgeous, unabashedly heavy-handed read