feliciar33ds's review against another edition
4.0
Blanche is a great character - smart, strong, and sassy. She suffers no fools and sheds light on the experience of a black woman working for families in the South.
(PopSugar list - #15)
(PopSugar list - #15)
basilvamp's review against another edition
2.0
I really didn't like this book.
Probably because I had to read it for school.
Probably because I had to read it for school.
squirrellygoat's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. I listened to the audio book, and I didn't like the reader. She was inconsistent in her delivery.
loneli's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
3.0
daniellesalwaysreading's review against another edition
5.0
Great cozy fun, with a touch of the paranormal, and some biting social commentary that I wish I had read in 1992 instead of 30 years later.
smemmott's review against another edition
3.0
1st in the Blanche White series. Blanche is a great character, a practical, no-nonsense African-American woman. In Blanche on the Lam we see the many trials she faces in cleaning up other people's messes - ranging from employers who want her to listen to their personal problems while cleaning their homes, to happening on a string of murders while on a job in the country. The mystery isn't that exciting, but this is a good introduction to a memorable woman, a well-rounded character who has interesting vulnerabilities as well as strengths.
mbondlamberty's review against another edition
4.0
Fast and easy listen.
Would be a series I would continue but not necessarily run to finish it. Why, well basically because many characters are so unlikable. yes you know that white folks in the south are hardly sympathetic but it really doesn't make you want to keep on reading. Also, Blanche's ability to "sense" things gets a little tiresome, but it works most of the time.
That said, Blanche's humor is entertaining and how she solves the "mystery" is untraditional which is also fun.
Would be a series I would continue but not necessarily run to finish it. Why, well basically because many characters are so unlikable. yes you know that white folks in the south are hardly sympathetic but it really doesn't make you want to keep on reading. Also, Blanche's ability to "sense" things gets a little tiresome, but it works most of the time.
That said, Blanche's humor is entertaining and how she solves the "mystery" is untraditional which is also fun.
baguettekelly's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
siria's review
3.0
As a murder mystery, Blanche on the Lam is only so-so: a housekeeper in late 80s/early 90s rural North Carolina figures out that there's murder afoot in the household of her rich employers. The whodunnit is so obvious that the fact that there was no twist or subversion is what's really surprising. But for me the redeeming feature of this book is the voice that Barbara Neely gives to the main character, Blanche. A fat, dark-skinned, working-class Black woman, Blanche leaps off the page. She's observant, smart, and really clear-eyed about the world around her—she's less a detective in the traditional mystery mold than she is a woman who's trying to survive the circumstances she's found herself in. I'd definitely read more of this series, particularly if Neely managed to get a better grip on plotting as she went.
One caveat: where this book is really dated is in its treatment of one of the main characters, who has Down Syndrome. His portrayal, while intended to be positive, is rather cringe-inducing 30 years on.
One caveat: where this book is really dated is in its treatment of one of the main characters, who has Down Syndrome. His portrayal, while intended to be positive, is rather cringe-inducing 30 years on.