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ceri124's review
4.0
4*
A story of powerful black women in one family and their lives. At first, I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy this novel but by the end, I was glad I picked it up. One of my only complaints was that I felt like some characters were receiving more sympathy and forgiveness than what I thought they deserved. I thought that I would get confused with the different povs and timelines but it was pretty straightforward to understand and the family tree was a good decision. The last comment is that Myron deserved better
A story of powerful black women in one family and their lives. At first, I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy this novel but by the end, I was glad I picked it up. One of my only complaints was that I felt like some characters were receiving more sympathy and forgiveness than what I thought they deserved. I thought that I would get confused with the different povs and timelines but it was pretty straightforward to understand and the family tree was a good decision. The last comment is that Myron deserved better
caseyjnovak's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
The characters are incredibly vivid, but the last two paragraphs kept it from rating higher for me. So many topics, so much trauma, so well intertwined. I enjoyed the format, though I did have to go back a few times to verify the different timelines. Will definitely look for more by this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Racism, Rape, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
toosavvy's review against another edition
3.0
I was excited to read a book that I thought would honor Memphis, but most of the descriptions about Memphis are all around division and hate. There’s so much more to Memphis than that, and if you’re gonna name it “Memphis” you’d think you’d see more of that.
Also, the format is interesting but confusing. Some of the scenarios and the things people say seem unrealistic. I understand the book is character driven, and the characters are great, but I think there should still be a stronger plot line.
Also, the format is interesting but confusing. Some of the scenarios and the things people say seem unrealistic. I understand the book is character driven, and the characters are great, but I think there should still be a stronger plot line.
cf1990xxx's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-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? Yes
4.0
molliefff's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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? No
4.0
ashlynfbarclay's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jaclyncrupi's review against another edition
5.0
Multigenerational multivoice books are my sweet loves and this one is spectacular. Very much in conversation with Homegoing, The Mothers and The Turner House, Memphis reveals the lives of three generations of women as they navigate the pain and trauma inflicted by the men in their lives (and the world at large). Memphis is a character all its own. I could have bathed in the lyrical prose here! Poets turning to fiction so often results in luminous writing and here it’s just sentence after sentence, jewel after jewel. My only criticism would be the eldest generation was a little underdeveloped and I would have loved to know Hazel better. Apart from that this is storytelling of the highest order where the trauma is there without being exploitative, the characters are vibrant and alive and the sentences are good enough to eat.
knitswhilereading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Grief
Minor: Gun violence
amarachie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
emmabeckman's review against another edition
4.0
I really really liked this one! I think it could have been 5 stars if I had read it with my eyes, as one of the things that pushed it down a bit was that I had a bit of a hard time keeping track of whose perspective we were reading and when it was set while listening to the audiobook, especially at the beginning. But I really liked the writing and I liked the way that the narrative was told. I also really liked the way real life events were incorporated into the story. I think if you liked Homegoing or the Vanishing Half, you would really like this one as well.