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erinlcrane's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. This is the story of a young Black woman with dark skin in the 1920s. The major theme of the story is colorism, so there are a lot of sad moments. There’s an extra level of sadness when someone internalizes oppression and in turn judges others.
I didn’t rate this higher because while it has some great passages, it’s kind of all over the place as a story. I was startled when I started getting Alva’s perspective and dips into a couple others I think. I would much rather have stuck with Emma Lou the whole way through.
My other complaint is that Emma Lou has a very random moment of growth on the end. The book isn’t quite as internal as it could be or I would like, so that’s part of why it felt random. But I’d rather it have ended with her not learning a thing than have something that felt tacked on.
I’ve read a number of books about sad young women lately, and this oddly felt like it fit in. This might be a classic that you’d like if you enjoyed Luster or Pizza Girl or the Book of X, etc.
Favorite quotes:
Emma Lou was determined not to go out of her class, determined either to associate with the “right sort of people” or else to remain to herself. Had any one asked Emma Lou what she meant by the “right sort of people” she would have found herself at a loss for a comprehensive answer.
“We are all living in a totally white world, where all standards are the standards of the white man, and where almost invariably what the white man does is right, and what the black man does is wrong, unless it is precedented by something a white man has done.”
What she needed to do now was to accept her black skin as being real and unchangeable, to realize that certain things were, had been, and would be, and with this in mind begin life anew, always fighting, not so much for acceptance by other people, but for acceptance of herself by herself.
I didn’t rate this higher because while it has some great passages, it’s kind of all over the place as a story. I was startled when I started getting Alva’s perspective and dips into a couple others I think. I would much rather have stuck with Emma Lou the whole way through.
My other complaint is that Emma Lou has a very random moment of growth on the end. The book isn’t quite as internal as it could be or I would like, so that’s part of why it felt random. But I’d rather it have ended with her not learning a thing than have something that felt tacked on.
I’ve read a number of books about sad young women lately, and this oddly felt like it fit in. This might be a classic that you’d like if you enjoyed Luster or Pizza Girl or the Book of X, etc.
Favorite quotes:
Emma Lou was determined not to go out of her class, determined either to associate with the “right sort of people” or else to remain to herself. Had any one asked Emma Lou what she meant by the “right sort of people” she would have found herself at a loss for a comprehensive answer.
“We are all living in a totally white world, where all standards are the standards of the white man, and where almost invariably what the white man does is right, and what the black man does is wrong, unless it is precedented by something a white man has done.”
What she needed to do now was to accept her black skin as being real and unchangeable, to realize that certain things were, had been, and would be, and with this in mind begin life anew, always fighting, not so much for acceptance by other people, but for acceptance of herself by herself.
kealyjules's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
adelie_e's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bp_43's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jillianviveiros's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.0
weejman33's review against another edition
4.0
Rivaling but not quite matching the peaks of “Passing,” Thurman’s sinister portrayal of early 20th Century Harlem and its unforgiving nature sent chills down my spine.
havanaxo's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
savaging's review against another edition
3.0
A disorienting book. I don't know how to write about it. Maybe it's because the mind of the main character, Emma Lou, is always inscrutable to me, at one moment with an clear analysis of racism, misogyny, and colorism; at the next with the shallowest kind of disgust toward other black people because of their blackness; at one moment brave and secular; at the next with a kind of pearl-clutching why-I-never indignation over any fiddling with conservative social mores. This is either not a realistic character, or else it's far too realistic for me to follow.
Emma Lou isn't only marginalized all of her life because of her color, she's also consistently gaslit, everyone telling her she made up the problem in her head, or that her begrudging attitude made others treat her this way. I'm still trying to figure out the meaning of her final 'victory.'
Emma Lou isn't only marginalized all of her life because of her color, she's also consistently gaslit, everyone telling her she made up the problem in her head, or that her begrudging attitude made others treat her this way. I'm still trying to figure out the meaning of her final 'victory.'
synthzar's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5