Scan barcode
A review by blessing_aj
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
adventurous
funny
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This genre-blending, Chic-lit/ magically realist/ contemporary romance / historical fiction was quite the experience. Having read The Perfect Find and Seven Days in June, I found that ALSFRW incorporated everything I enjoy about Tia’s storytelling and showed how much she has grown as a writer.
The first quarter was absolutely delectable with its lyrical, poetic, vividly descriptive prose. Although as the story progressed, it did seem as if this element of the book, weakened, and it picked up speed at the tail end.
In true Tia Williams fashion, her flair for the melodramatic was felt heavily throughout the novel. Some of it was funny and relatable. Others simply came across as gaudy and annoying. But how I loved Ricki in all her free-spirited, daring, determined, Harlem renaissance-obsessed, self.
The depiction of the black beauty, black creativity and black excellence in 1920s Harlem was so passionately done that it made me wonder if the very idea of this book didn’t start off as a love song to Harlem before the decision to share its spotlight with Ricki.
Also true to form, the side characters were likable and engaging. The characters that made up Ricki’s birth family were entirely unbelievably but I love that she found genuine friendship and sisterhood in Tuesday. I also liked the frequently evolving dynamics in the nature of her relationship with Ms. Dela. I’m not a fan of the choices the latter made towards the end, but for most of the book I really liked her quirky approach to life.
On the other hand, Ezra was an enigma. While I initially found the idea of the circumstances surrounding rebuff and the inevitable development of a romantic relationship with Ricki to be fascinatingly adorable, I found that I really didn’t care about him as a individual character in the grand scheme of things.
As a result, I didn’t find the rest of the book as compelling as I did the first quarter. Everything went downhill the moment he explained their situation to Ricki. It could also be on account of the fact that the romance came so late because I found that I didn’t care much for it too.
I’m glad it wrapped up well enough, because I was really rooting for Ricki.
The first quarter was absolutely delectable with its lyrical, poetic, vividly descriptive prose. Although as the story progressed, it did seem as if this element of the book, weakened, and it picked up speed at the tail end.
In true Tia Williams fashion, her flair for the melodramatic was felt heavily throughout the novel. Some of it was funny and relatable. Others simply came across as gaudy and annoying. But how I loved Ricki in all her free-spirited, daring, determined, Harlem renaissance-obsessed, self.
The depiction of the black beauty, black creativity and black excellence in 1920s Harlem was so passionately done that it made me wonder if the very idea of this book didn’t start off as a love song to Harlem before the decision to share its spotlight with Ricki.
Also true to form, the side characters were likable and engaging. The characters that made up Ricki’s birth family were entirely unbelievably but I love that she found genuine friendship and sisterhood in Tuesday. I also liked the frequently evolving dynamics in the nature of her relationship with Ms. Dela. I’m not a fan of the choices the latter made towards the end, but for most of the book I really liked her quirky approach to life.
On the other hand, Ezra was an enigma. While I initially found the idea of the circumstances surrounding rebuff and the inevitable development of a romantic relationship with Ricki to be fascinatingly adorable, I found that I really didn’t care about him as a individual character in the grand scheme of things.
As a result, I didn’t find the rest of the book as compelling as I did the first quarter. Everything went downhill the moment he explained their situation to Ricki. It could also be on account of the fact that the romance came so late because I found that I didn’t care much for it too.
I’m glad it wrapped up well enough, because I was really rooting for Ricki.