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bookishpsychologist's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars.
Based on the premise, I thought I would love this book. It combines many elements that I typically enjoy, including historical fiction, multi-generational family sagas, and various timelines and character POVs. However, this novel just fell short for me. I listened to the audiobook, and while I enjoyed the narrator, who is also the author, the story was slow, too long, and convoluted at times. Despite the length of the audiobook, I just did not connect with the characters. Nonetheless, as a psychologist, I appreciated the author's unique take on how the history of racism and the slave trade impacted one family's generational trauma, mental health, and relationships.
Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Henry Holt for an arc to review!
Based on the premise, I thought I would love this book. It combines many elements that I typically enjoy, including historical fiction, multi-generational family sagas, and various timelines and character POVs. However, this novel just fell short for me. I listened to the audiobook, and while I enjoyed the narrator, who is also the author, the story was slow, too long, and convoluted at times. Despite the length of the audiobook, I just did not connect with the characters. Nonetheless, as a psychologist, I appreciated the author's unique take on how the history of racism and the slave trade impacted one family's generational trauma, mental health, and relationships.
Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Henry Holt for an arc to review!
tfpjr492's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This novel presents a multi-generational family in the present time plus some episodes of ancestral struggles with slavery. There are many themes. The major themes are family troubles with drug addiction, alcoholism, and lost romance. When the layers of these problems are peeled away, the common factor seems to be the self-isolation of a family member. The strength and resilience of the whole family pull the individuals through their difficulties.
Young man Bo D has a young daughter, whom he loves dearly. The daughter’s mother has pushed him to give up drugs, which have become a daily habit. His self-isolation leads to a disappearance over several months. Can the family find him before he self-destructs?
Altovise and Fletcher were students participating in local civil rights protests, while their romance bloomed. Everything changed when a non-violent protest was violently disrupted by the authorities. Altovise spent 30 days in a crowded, dirty jail. When she gains her freedom, she decides to end the romance and move out of Georgia. After 50 years of self-isolation, she returns to the old neighborhood. Can the family help Altovise and Fletcher rekindle their romance?
Any author of a family tale has the challenge of developing complex family dynamics without boring the reader with mundane events. This author keeps the story moving by weaving together numerous characters and plot lines. The book is recommended for those readers, who enjoy expansive family dramas.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction and Alcohol
Minor: Racism and Slavery
cetasmom's review against another edition
I listen to audiobooks at 2x or more speed. By 24% I was having trouble keeping up with the many characters but realized I didn't care enough about them or the story to slow it down and figure it out. Not my usual genre, but I try to consume one book a month about a culture or life experience other than my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Alcoholism, and Abandonment
schnurln's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.25
theoverbookedbibliophile's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
As the novel begins, we meet seventy-year-old Fletcher Dukes, a widower and resident of Putney, Georgia. It’s 2012 and Fletcher lives alone with his dog Rockhudson for company. His daughter Florida who checks up on him , his grandson Terrence aka “Bo D” and his older sister, Olga all live in close proximity . Olga, an accomplished academician and Civil Rights activist, is working on tracing their family roots, taking the help of modern methods using DNA for researching ancestry.
When Altovise Benson, with whom Fletcher shares a history, returns to Albany, her return opens a floodgate of memories for Fletcher dating back to their school years and romantic relationship, their activism and participation in the Albany Civil Rights Movement and Altovise’s decision to leave Albany and Fletcher in search of a new life for herself taking with her secrets that have been buried for almost five decades.
The narrative follows Fletcher and his family as they grapple with Altovise’s return and the ripples it creates in Fletcher’s family life, long-buried secrets that lead to surprise revelations, Bo D’s struggles with addiction and much more.
At the center of this story is the family talisman- a hard-carved peach seed monkey that is presented to the sons in the family as a rite of passage when they turn thirteen. Fletcher, who was father to three daughters, did not bend the rue for them but passed one down to his grandson Terrence on his thirteenth birthday. Unbeknownst to everyone in his family, he had gifted a special peach seed monkey to Altovise decades ago – a gift that will lead to shocking revelations and connections that will alter the dynamic within the Dukes’ family. Flashbacks take us back to the history of the family talisman and story of a Senegalese man, who was abducted from his homeland in 1796 and sold into slavery in the United States, and the legacy he carried with him into his new life in a foreign land – a legacy of pain, resilience and survival - that he passed down to his descendants. The past and present timelines felt a tad disjoint and I wish the historical storyline would have been explored further and we could get a glimpse into the stories of a few more generations of Fletcher’s ancestors and the significance of the peach seed talisman in their lives. I was especially hoping to know more about Akunna’s story.
With its elegant writing, well-drawn characters and engaging narrative, The Peach Seed by Anita Gail Jones is an immersive multi-generational family saga. The author’s masterful storytelling, superb characterizations, and the vividly described setting make for an engaging read. The author addresses several sensitive issues such as segregation and racism, the slave trade, addiction, loss and trauma with insight and compassion. The narrative does suffer from minor repetitiveness, which does not detract from the overall reading experience.
Many thanks to Henry Holt and Company for the gifted copy.
I paired my reading with the audiobook narrated by the author. Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of The Peach Seed. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Many thanks to Henry Holt and Company for the gifted copy.
I paired my reading with the audiobook narrated by the author. Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of The Peach Seed. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
When Altovise Benson, with whom Fletcher shares a history, returns to Albany, her return opens a floodgate of memories for Fletcher dating back to their school years and romantic relationship, their activism and participation in the Albany Civil Rights Movement and Altovise’s decision to leave Albany and Fletcher in search of a new life for herself taking with her secrets that have been buried for almost five decades.
The narrative follows Fletcher and his family as they grapple with Altovise’s return and the ripples it creates in Fletcher’s family life, long-buried secrets that lead to surprise revelations, Bo D’s struggles with addiction and much more.
At the center of this story is the family talisman- a hard-carved peach seed monkey that is presented to the sons in the family as a rite of passage when they turn thirteen. Fletcher, who was father to three daughters, did not bend the rue for them but passed one down to his grandson Terrence on his thirteenth birthday. Unbeknownst to everyone in his family, he had gifted a special peach seed monkey to Altovise decades ago – a gift that will lead to shocking revelations and connections that will alter the dynamic within the Dukes’ family. Flashbacks take us back to the history of the family talisman and story of a Senegalese man, who was abducted from his homeland in 1796 and sold into slavery in the United States, and the legacy he carried with him into his new life in a foreign land – a legacy of pain, resilience and survival - that he passed down to his descendants. The past and present timelines felt a tad disjoint and I wish the historical storyline would have been explored further and we could get a glimpse into the stories of a few more generations of Fletcher’s ancestors and the significance of the peach seed talisman in their lives. I was especially hoping to know more about Akunna’s story.
With its elegant writing, well-drawn characters and engaging narrative, The Peach Seed by Anita Gail Jones is an immersive multi-generational family saga. The author’s masterful storytelling, superb characterizations, and the vividly described setting make for an engaging read. The author addresses several sensitive issues such as segregation and racism, the slave trade, addiction, loss and trauma with insight and compassion. The narrative does suffer from minor repetitiveness, which does not detract from the overall reading experience.
Many thanks to Henry Holt and Company for the gifted copy.
I paired my reading with the audiobook narrated by the author. Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of The Peach Seed. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Many thanks to Henry Holt and Company for the gifted copy.
I paired my reading with the audiobook narrated by the author. Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of The Peach Seed. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
no_more_shelf_control's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.25
THE PEACH SEED by Anita Gail Jones and read by the author is a family drama unlike any I have read before.
Fletcher Dukes is a widowed man who comes across the scent of his lost love while grocery shopping. Ms. Altovice Benson has returned to the south and she brings with her a new spark, and also secrets long left silent. The stories about their courtship were beautiful and moving, their partnership strong through the Civil Rights years until one dustup changed their course.
Fletcher gave his carved peach seed, a family tradition from beyond memory, to Altovice before she left. This little peach seed monkey with the diamond eyes, which tradition dictated should go his sons, becomes a talisman of more than just family legacies of the past.
I loved the Southern Georgia setting and the peach seed carving tradition. The parallel history of the first carving was another historical fiction addition that was lovely. I felt carried away by Jones and the way she told this story. It felt like I got to sit at the feet of a master storyteller. It was beautiful and hard and all the things that bring family legacies to light with history and secrets revealed.
Thank you to @netgalley @macmillan.audio for @henryholtbooks for sharing this audiobook with me and let me share my thoughts! This was published August 1st and for fans of family dramas with a fantastic historical addition, pick this up now! And check out the very real peach seed carvers out there!
Fletcher Dukes is a widowed man who comes across the scent of his lost love while grocery shopping. Ms. Altovice Benson has returned to the south and she brings with her a new spark, and also secrets long left silent. The stories about their courtship were beautiful and moving, their partnership strong through the Civil Rights years until one dustup changed their course.
Fletcher gave his carved peach seed, a family tradition from beyond memory, to Altovice before she left. This little peach seed monkey with the diamond eyes, which tradition dictated should go his sons, becomes a talisman of more than just family legacies of the past.
I loved the Southern Georgia setting and the peach seed carving tradition. The parallel history of the first carving was another historical fiction addition that was lovely. I felt carried away by Jones and the way she told this story. It felt like I got to sit at the feet of a master storyteller. It was beautiful and hard and all the things that bring family legacies to light with history and secrets revealed.
Thank you to @netgalley @macmillan.audio for @henryholtbooks for sharing this audiobook with me and let me share my thoughts! This was published August 1st and for fans of family dramas with a fantastic historical addition, pick this up now! And check out the very real peach seed carvers out there!
kenzienoellereads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
barnstormingbooks's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Thank you to @NetGalley and @HenryHoltBooks for the e-ARC
I love a good multi-generational family story, and Jones delivers. Told through multiple generations using carved peach pits (seeds) as the link, Jones delves into a slow burn of masculinity and family in a legacy of slavery and generational trauma and substance abuse. One of the true strengths of Peach Seed is that even when tackling very heavy content, the writing feels appropriately reverent without wavering into realms of trauma porn or excuses. Instead each character feels fully formed and complex. The pain and the joys are real. The struggles and the happy endings are unrushed and possible. The growth of each character, is anchored in their decisions to become a better person, and are achieved through the support of those they love.
This is a family I would be happy to call my own, even with the drama and trauma that has surrounded them. Feel the love.
overeducatedwomenwithcats's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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
bmore_reads's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
5.0
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