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A review by theoverbookedbibliophile
The Peach Seed by Anita Gail Jones
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.