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nasiathevixen's review
5.0
this was SOOO good! i was boohoo crying towards the end. this book is gonna haunt me!
sweetiekeke's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
lovelykd's review
3.0
The main character—Zelda Livingston—is strong and ambitious. She’s dealt with a lot of tragedy in her life and thats made her focused on making a difference in the world. Its also informed her decision-making in a major way: everything in her world is black or white.
There is no room for gray.
Understanding that, her decision to take a trip, through the south, with friends who can only be described as willfully ignorant (at best) and completely oblivious (at worst) was questionable.
Daphne (a girl who could “pass” for white) and Veronica (who comes from a family of old money), decide a senior year road trip, from New York to Georgia, would be a great way to kickoff their final year at Spelman College.
The trip is long and the girls, along with a young man named Daniel—an escort sent to them by Zelda’s parents and for whom Zelda develops feelings—meet with trouble at every turn: they nearly get caught in a sundown town, Daniel nearly gets arrested after being “mistaken” as an escaped convict, they have a tense run-in with some Black Panthers, endure a scuffle with some white folks on a beach ...the trip is not ideal. At all.
While most of the drama is avoidable, you get the sense, very early, that these girls have different views of what the world is versus what it should be; such discussions color every negative encounter and, depending on your level of awareness you’ll either be annoyed or frustrated by the discussions.
By the time trip comes to its end, it’s clear something awful is going to happen. I won’t go into details as to what because it would give away too much; I’ll only say I disagreed with the way she handled one of the characters: I felt they deserved a better end and, given the utopian way other situations were handled, it felt cruel to use their portion of the story in such a manipulative manner.
Overall, the book was very engaging and held my interest from cover to cover, but I was disappointed by the ending and also felt one of the characters mental health issue could’ve been handled in a less dismissive manner.
Thank you to Netgalley for this Advanced eGalley. My opinion was not influenced by the promotional receipt of this work
There is no room for gray.
Understanding that, her decision to take a trip, through the south, with friends who can only be described as willfully ignorant (at best) and completely oblivious (at worst) was questionable.
Daphne (a girl who could “pass” for white) and Veronica (who comes from a family of old money), decide a senior year road trip, from New York to Georgia, would be a great way to kickoff their final year at Spelman College.
The trip is long and the girls, along with a young man named Daniel—an escort sent to them by Zelda’s parents and for whom Zelda develops feelings—meet with trouble at every turn: they nearly get caught in a sundown town, Daniel nearly gets arrested after being “mistaken” as an escaped convict, they have a tense run-in with some Black Panthers, endure a scuffle with some white folks on a beach ...the trip is not ideal. At all.
While most of the drama is avoidable, you get the sense, very early, that these girls have different views of what the world is versus what it should be; such discussions color every negative encounter and, depending on your level of awareness you’ll either be annoyed or frustrated by the discussions.
By the time trip comes to its end, it’s clear something awful is going to happen. I won’t go into details as to what because it would give away too much; I’ll only say I disagreed with the way she handled one of the characters: I felt they deserved a better end and, given the utopian way other situations were handled, it felt cruel to use their portion of the story in such a manipulative manner.
Overall, the book was very engaging and held my interest from cover to cover, but I was disappointed by the ending and also felt one of the characters mental health issue could’ve been handled in a less dismissive manner.
Thank you to Netgalley for this Advanced eGalley. My opinion was not influenced by the promotional receipt of this work
kyeattam's review against another edition
5.0
This book OMG. I don’t know where to start. I was so glued to this book I read it in one day. I just couldn’t put it down. There were so many twists and turns in this book. When everything unfolds in the book I was constantly like nooooo!!! The end of the book hurts your heart and brings a tear to your eye.
prettypious's review against another edition
4.0
More like a 3 honestly but I scaled up because I did like the portion of the book that was aligned kinda to the history of the Green Book but the relationship between the two main characters made zero sense and that it was only like a two or three day romance with all these significant outcomes was simply absurd. I understand love and true love and all that but nah I call bullshit on the whole last two chapters and epilogue. Anyways it was entertaining and a good story told from an interesting perspective.
kleonard's review against another edition
3.0
I have very mixed feelings about this book. In 1968, three college women and an initially-unwanted college man decide to drive back to school from New York. Naive Veronica, whose father is forcing her to marry against her will for business reasons, takes her brand new, bright red Ford Fairlane convertible and packs it with her friends Daphne--a fragile flower--and Zelda, the novel's protagonist and a putative lawyer for civil rights. Daniel, attending college near the women, goes along to ostensibly protect them. But this isn't a simple road trip, because driving through the South in 1968 while black is incredibly dangerous, and Zelda, Daphne, and Veronica are headed to Spelman College, and Daniel attends Morehouse University. Passing through sundown towns and dealing with racist and brutal cops, gas station attendants, restaurants, and more--and encountering a few decent white and black people along the way--Zelda and Daniel fall in love, Veronica and Daphne realize the importance of Zelda's work in civil rights, and things go wrong and stay that way when the group is involved in the shooting of a white man.
On the one hand, this novel does an excellent job of illustrating just how dangerous it was--and often still is--to be black in the American South, On the other, the characters in this novel make such unbelievably foolish choices and do such vacuous things that I wanted to yell at them all. The story is a tragedy, and one based in racism, but the author could have written the same tragedy without having made the women all be so dismissive or ignorant of their surroundings.
On the one hand, this novel does an excellent job of illustrating just how dangerous it was--and often still is--to be black in the American South, On the other, the characters in this novel make such unbelievably foolish choices and do such vacuous things that I wanted to yell at them all. The story is a tragedy, and one based in racism, but the author could have written the same tragedy without having made the women all be so dismissive or ignorant of their surroundings.
novelvisits's review against another edition
3.0
My Thoughts: This is a tough one to review without sounding insensitive to the realities of life for African Americans in the U.S., especially the South, in the late 1960’s. Let’s start with the parts that really worked for me. One Night in Georgia features three young women traveling by car from NYC to Atlanta to start their final year of college at Spelman. The female friendships and excitement of a road trip were what drew me to this novel. Celeste O. Norfleet created three very different women, all struggling with the implications of being both female and black in the 60’s. I liked these woman and the three very different stories behind each of them. I appreciated their strong bonds, and their longing for a little freedom and an adventure.
Racism was pervasive and something they’d lived with their whole lives, but each also grew up with some privilege in their lives which was no longer protecting them on their journey through the South. As the book moved on and the girls moved closer to Atlanta, racism became more and more open and much more dangerous. What bothered me about the book was how so many awful events were packed into a journey of less than a week.
“No. It’s not the kiss. Not really. It’s everything – you, me, all of this. I guess I’m overwhelmed. I don’t know what to think anymore, or what to expect next. It feels like I’m haphazardly tumbling from situation to situation.”
Exactly! It bothered me that three very intelligent girls (and a man traveling with them) made choice after choice that they knew was risky. Yes, they were young and wanted to have fun, but at some point it seems they should have reached out for help, or turned around. One Night in Georgia was just a little too extreme for me, and to top it off, there was one of those neat and tidy epilogues that are just unnecessary.
Note: I received a copy of this book from Amistad (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
Racism was pervasive and something they’d lived with their whole lives, but each also grew up with some privilege in their lives which was no longer protecting them on their journey through the South. As the book moved on and the girls moved closer to Atlanta, racism became more and more open and much more dangerous. What bothered me about the book was how so many awful events were packed into a journey of less than a week.
“No. It’s not the kiss. Not really. It’s everything – you, me, all of this. I guess I’m overwhelmed. I don’t know what to think anymore, or what to expect next. It feels like I’m haphazardly tumbling from situation to situation.”
Exactly! It bothered me that three very intelligent girls (and a man traveling with them) made choice after choice that they knew was risky. Yes, they were young and wanted to have fun, but at some point it seems they should have reached out for help, or turned around. One Night in Georgia was just a little too extreme for me, and to top it off, there was one of those neat and tidy epilogues that are just unnecessary.
Note: I received a copy of this book from Amistad (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
nat_mc_of_nyc's review against another edition
2.0
I was really disappointed in this book. It had the potential to be a firsthand story of what it meant to be black in 1968. But, we didn't get to know any of the characters. They were all underdeveloped. So many things "happened" to them with narrow escapes, and no motivations or consequences.
Loved the cover art. It was a very quick read.
SPOILER
One part that really bothered me was the deal with her step dad. It seemed that he was, ironically - considering how little he was in the novel, the most developed of said characters. He was a lazy con man and a user. He wanted Zelda out of school because he thought it was a waste of money, that he undoubtedly believed he could use for better purposes. Anyway, he insists on having "a friend" accompany the girls south. It seemed like this had to be a trick in some way. I spent the entire novel distrusting Daniel, assuming that he must be playing Zelda in some way. This made the love story totally unbelievable to me. Like No, he's up to something. But, no. Apparently not. And the step father is never mentioned again.
Also, I wish she had described literally anything else in the book with as much detail and passion as she described the sex scene.
Loved the cover art. It was a very quick read.
SPOILER
One part that really bothered me was the deal with her step dad. It seemed that he was, ironically - considering how little he was in the novel, the most developed of said characters. He was a lazy con man and a user. He wanted Zelda out of school because he thought it was a waste of money, that he undoubtedly believed he could use for better purposes. Anyway, he insists on having "a friend" accompany the girls south. It seemed like this had to be a trick in some way. I spent the entire novel distrusting Daniel, assuming that he must be playing Zelda in some way. This made the love story totally unbelievable to me. Like No, he's up to something. But, no. Apparently not. And the step father is never mentioned again.
Also, I wish she had described literally anything else in the book with as much detail and passion as she described the sex scene.
book_buddy_rob's review
challenging
emotional
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
5.0
This is probably one of the most important books that I’ve read so far this year.
Not only is it a fantastically written historical fiction novel but it touches on so many heavy yet poignant themes that are relevant today, mainly the racism and antiblackness experienced by black people in the United States. It does so in a way that isn’t sugar coating anything to appeal to non black readers but in a way that forces you to reflect on these themes.
If you enjoy historical fiction and are working to diversify your bookshelf, I definitely recommend this one.
Not only is it a fantastically written historical fiction novel but it touches on so many heavy yet poignant themes that are relevant today, mainly the racism and antiblackness experienced by black people in the United States. It does so in a way that isn’t sugar coating anything to appeal to non black readers but in a way that forces you to reflect on these themes.
If you enjoy historical fiction and are working to diversify your bookshelf, I definitely recommend this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
rmarcin's review against another edition
4.0
This is an incredibly powerful novel. As someone who was only 8 years old in 1968, and not a person of color, much of this book described situations that were unknown to me. But, this story brought to life the racial tensions of 1968, and the fear that blacks had as they tried to live normally, but were in danger from prejudice, racism, and blind hatred from others. There were also bright spots of kindness from people who saw beyond the color of the skin, and treated them as human beings, as they should have been treated all along.
This is the story of 3 women, college friends, who decide to drive back to Georgia for their final year at Spelman College. Zelda is resistant at first, but her friends, Daphne and Veronica convince her to return with them, and make special memories. Zelda's stepfather sends the son of one of his military buddies, Daniel, to go with them. Zelda is hesitant about Daniel as she despises her stepfather. But, as the trip goes on, she and Daniel forge an easy friendship, which quickly turns to romance. Daphne reveals a troubling secret to her friends, and Veronica describes the plans her father has for her after graduation. Zelda is still very angry over the death of her father, 5 years earlier, at the hands of the police. Her anger comes out as frustration with the system, and how black people are treated.
Zelda is so strong and brave in this book, and her story is powerful. The racial tension is palpable in this novel. The romance between Daniel and Zelda is sweet. The impetuousness and poor character of another classmate, Mazie, is the cause of a tragic event which forever changes the lives of the 4 who traveled to Georgia that night.
So powerful, I believe this book will stay with me for some time.
Thanks to Edelweiss.plus for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#OneNightInGeorgia #CelesteONorfleet
#Edelweiss.plus
This is the story of 3 women, college friends, who decide to drive back to Georgia for their final year at Spelman College. Zelda is resistant at first, but her friends, Daphne and Veronica convince her to return with them, and make special memories. Zelda's stepfather sends the son of one of his military buddies, Daniel, to go with them. Zelda is hesitant about Daniel as she despises her stepfather. But, as the trip goes on, she and Daniel forge an easy friendship, which quickly turns to romance. Daphne reveals a troubling secret to her friends, and Veronica describes the plans her father has for her after graduation. Zelda is still very angry over the death of her father, 5 years earlier, at the hands of the police. Her anger comes out as frustration with the system, and how black people are treated.
Zelda is so strong and brave in this book, and her story is powerful. The racial tension is palpable in this novel. The romance between Daniel and Zelda is sweet. The impetuousness and poor character of another classmate, Mazie, is the cause of a tragic event which forever changes the lives of the 4 who traveled to Georgia that night.
So powerful, I believe this book will stay with me for some time.
Thanks to Edelweiss.plus for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#OneNightInGeorgia #CelesteONorfleet
#Edelweiss.plus