A review by afreen7
The Richer, the Poorer by Dorothy West
4.0
A classic piece of literature. Every story feels timeless yet refreshing to read even if it starts off feeling like it's been done before. There are some great character studies and morals about how our own actions affect our lives as well as others. Stories about how families work and how some do not. Humans being very much humans.
This quote from "An Unimportant Man" where the parents of a child argue about her future based on their individual contrary life experiences:
“Essie’s got a right to decide her own future,” he cried jealously. “I’d bin a better man today if my mother had let me live my own life.”
“You might ‘a’ bin slavin’ in a cotton field. You might ‘a’ bin swingin’ from a tree. And then, God knows, you would ‘a’ blamed your mother.”
There is a second half of the book composed of sketches from West's life. Some of them were really interesting and informative to read. Some of them regarding the geography, political and religious history of Martha's Vineyard, though, went right over my head. But I did love the writing and impeccable flow of each story.
This quote from "An Unimportant Man" where the parents of a child argue about her future based on their individual contrary life experiences:
“Essie’s got a right to decide her own future,” he cried jealously. “I’d bin a better man today if my mother had let me live my own life.”
“You might ‘a’ bin slavin’ in a cotton field. You might ‘a’ bin swingin’ from a tree. And then, God knows, you would ‘a’ blamed your mother.”
There is a second half of the book composed of sketches from West's life. Some of them were really interesting and informative to read. Some of them regarding the geography, political and religious history of Martha's Vineyard, though, went right over my head. But I did love the writing and impeccable flow of each story.