megandemo's review against another edition
I really enjoyed this book - read it in two days! Has some heavier content, but you quickly become tied to the characters and their journey
sci_mom's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book and it was a fast read. The characters were fully developed and interesting. Definitely worth reading.
mbeargie's review against another edition
2.0
It was a little difficult to follow what bad things happened to which character and who was who. The writing also didn't make much of an impact.
ablotial's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't expecting to like this book. It was one of two books up for this month to read for a group I recently joined, and neither one of them sounded that interesting. But I chose this one because I preferred the cover. Yeah, yeah... From the description, I thought it would be preachy and moralistic and ... you know, one of those books with an agenda where the actual story is secondary.
But that is totally not the case. This book is very well written and makes excellent use of the dual narrator technique, switching back and forth between Lavinia, who is young, innocent and naive, and Belle, who is older and hasn't been spared the tragedies of the world. To Belle, it is obvious that the biggest difference between the two of them is that Belle is half black and a slave, whereas Lavinia is white and an indentured servant who ended up that way as an orphan. Lavinia doesn't realize that different colors mean anything (having grown up to the ripe old age of 7 in Ireland, she was presumably spared the brainwashing), and she views Belle (and the other slaves) as her family.
Lavinia is often spared the truth to save her innocence. When she asks questions about things happening around her, people often reply that she will find out soon enough, and don't explain. But she never does figure it out on her own, and the lack of knowledge leads her to make some decisions that change everyone's lives forever.
To be honest, most of the things in this book are caused because people refuse to be honest with each other, or don't push the issue and tell things that need to be told. There are other cases of this as well, but these are the big plot-important ones.
In the end, I found all the characters to be likable at some point during the book (well, except Rankin and the tutor...) and even felt a little bad for Marshall, although I have to admit I am REALLY unclear about his motives for his choice of wife. He had SEEN how she interacted with everyone in the past - did he really expect this to change?
Some parts of the book were really, really awful, and brought up strong emotions with me. Lots of violence, often of a sexual nature (but not always). There was an awful lot of death. I'm impressed with the author's research, especially dealing with current events in the time period, and I enjoyed reading the different dialects. Definitely recommend reading this one at least once.
But that is totally not the case. This book is very well written and makes excellent use of the dual narrator technique, switching back and forth between Lavinia, who is young, innocent and naive, and Belle, who is older and hasn't been spared the tragedies of the world. To Belle, it is obvious that the biggest difference between the two of them is that Belle is half black and a slave, whereas Lavinia is white and an indentured servant who ended up that way as an orphan. Lavinia doesn't realize that different colors mean anything (having grown up to the ripe old age of 7 in Ireland, she was presumably spared the brainwashing), and she views Belle (and the other slaves) as her family.
Lavinia is often spared the truth to save her innocence. When she asks questions about things happening around her, people often reply that she will find out soon enough, and don't explain. But she never does figure it out on her own, and the lack of knowledge leads her to make some decisions that change everyone's lives forever.
To be honest, most of the things in this book are caused because people refuse to be honest with each other, or don't push the issue and tell things that need to be told.
Spoiler
Belle's true relationship with the captain, for instance, is hidden from his family and no one makes any effort to correct that even after he dies. Likewise, what is going on with the tutor and Marshall -- no one tries nearly hard enough to make it clear to Marshall's parents what is happening. The father of Belle's child - again, had Lavinia been told instead of had the truth hidden from her, many problems later in life could have been avoided. Lavinia probably could have visited the hospital much sooner if she'd made it clear the effect she has on Miss Martha.In the end, I found all the characters to be likable at some point during the book (well, except Rankin and the tutor...) and even felt a little bad for Marshall, although I have to admit I am REALLY unclear about his motives for his choice of wife. He had SEEN how she interacted with everyone in the past - did he really expect this to change?
Some parts of the book were really, really awful, and brought up strong emotions with me. Lots of violence, often of a sexual nature (but not always). There was an awful lot of death. I'm impressed with the author's research, especially dealing with current events in the time period, and I enjoyed reading the different dialects. Definitely recommend reading this one at least once.
crey18's review against another edition
3.0
This entire book was filled with one devastating event after another. But someone Kathleen Grissom keeps you engaged; perhaps with the sense of hope that something can change. Don't expect a happy story, but expect to be oddly satisfied by all of the heartbreak and where the characters end up.
kirstengrier's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alliepeduto's review against another edition
4.0
A quick note before I get into the meat of this review. I’ve been a part of recent discussion regarding if novels like this one should be written by white authors. It’s a multilayered issue, and ultimately I come down on the side of whatever gets an individual to expand their boundaries. If your pathway in is through a white author, I think that is a fair starting point. For me personally, I read this after reading Kindred, and in my opinion Kindred is the gold standard for books set on historical plantations. I would recommend that next for anyone who is interested in reading beyond this novel.
Now for a little more backstory on how I ended up reading this: I love travel, but I have a compulsive need to be aware of the history that occurred in the locations I visit. It often makes me a real bummer to travel with, since in cities like Charleston, I can’t just sip cocktails and go shopping with girlfriends. I’m dragging people to museums and historic sites that focus on what happened to the enslaved workers who lived there as a way to promote that awareness. Shockingly it does not make me popular at parties.
But I can’t ignore it, and that is incidentally why I picked up this book as I was traveling to Mount Vernon for a long weekend near DC. In a hilarious a twist, it was Father’s Day, so I felt it was only fitting to explore the history a founding father of this messy but beautiful country. The site does a good job of not whitewashing despite maintaining the sense of Washington being a fairly nice human being for the era. But he was still a part of a system that systematically dehumanized Black enslaved workers, and that’s a problem.
With that elaborate backstory of why I chose this book at this time out of the way, I can say I enjoyed it. I think the author did a great job with her research (especially as I was comparing her story to a real life historical plantation), and I think it was smart of her to use an indentured servant as a way into the story, rather than trying to write an exclusively Black narrative. It added a layer of complexity to the storyline that was well developed and added a lens that I haven’t seen other stories attempt.
It was heart wrenchingly accurate for what women in particular would have experienced during that time, but it was ultimately a hopeful novel that doesn’t shy away from the horror and sadness. I really enjoyed it, and while I’m not sure I would read the sequel (which is about passing; I’m very interested in it but I have another novel, The Vanishing by Brit Bennett, that I intend to read first), I really enjoyed the added value I had from reading this when I did.
Now for a little more backstory on how I ended up reading this: I love travel, but I have a compulsive need to be aware of the history that occurred in the locations I visit. It often makes me a real bummer to travel with, since in cities like Charleston, I can’t just sip cocktails and go shopping with girlfriends. I’m dragging people to museums and historic sites that focus on what happened to the enslaved workers who lived there as a way to promote that awareness. Shockingly it does not make me popular at parties.
But I can’t ignore it, and that is incidentally why I picked up this book as I was traveling to Mount Vernon for a long weekend near DC. In a hilarious a twist, it was Father’s Day, so I felt it was only fitting to explore the history a founding father of this messy but beautiful country. The site does a good job of not whitewashing despite maintaining the sense of Washington being a fairly nice human being for the era. But he was still a part of a system that systematically dehumanized Black enslaved workers, and that’s a problem.
With that elaborate backstory of why I chose this book at this time out of the way, I can say I enjoyed it. I think the author did a great job with her research (especially as I was comparing her story to a real life historical plantation), and I think it was smart of her to use an indentured servant as a way into the story, rather than trying to write an exclusively Black narrative. It added a layer of complexity to the storyline that was well developed and added a lens that I haven’t seen other stories attempt.
It was heart wrenchingly accurate for what women in particular would have experienced during that time, but it was ultimately a hopeful novel that doesn’t shy away from the horror and sadness. I really enjoyed it, and while I’m not sure I would read the sequel (which is about passing; I’m very interested in it but I have another novel, The Vanishing by Brit Bennett, that I intend to read first), I really enjoyed the added value I had from reading this when I did.
novelesque_life's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 STARS
Review to come after reading Glory Over Everything Else
Review to come after reading Glory Over Everything Else
leasummer's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. This book was really powerful. The writing was beautiful. The story was difficult, as most slave stories are. Set in the late 1700s and early 1800s, this story touches on what it might have been like to be a white indentured servant, raised with black slaves. The story is heartbreaking and shows the bonds of family - blood or otherwise.
hiltzmoore's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this book did a great job with painting the complex relationships that existed on plantations during the time of slavery. The deep "family" relationships that arose between the slaves were what I expected to read about, but I really loved the deep rooted history between the slaves and the slave owners. It wasn't just a standard "good guys" vs. "bad guys" that I expected, and the loyalty shown between the slaves and some of the owner family was touching and I think, fairly realistic of the time. The real "bad guys" of the book were well written. I did get a little annoyed with Lavinia's innocence into adulthood and was frustrated with her most of the time that she was an adult, but I think that was explained a little by the circumstances of her upbringing - there was even a line about how she never wanted nothing except something to love. This book is sticking with me.