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A review by nat_mc_of_nyc
One Night in Georgia by Celeste O. Norfleet
2.0
I was really disappointed in this book. It had the potential to be a firsthand story of what it meant to be black in 1968. But, we didn't get to know any of the characters. They were all underdeveloped. So many things "happened" to them with narrow escapes, and no motivations or consequences.
Loved the cover art. It was a very quick read.
SPOILER
One part that really bothered me was the deal with her step dad. It seemed that he was, ironically - considering how little he was in the novel, the most developed of said characters. He was a lazy con man and a user. He wanted Zelda out of school because he thought it was a waste of money, that he undoubtedly believed he could use for better purposes. Anyway, he insists on having "a friend" accompany the girls south. It seemed like this had to be a trick in some way. I spent the entire novel distrusting Daniel, assuming that he must be playing Zelda in some way. This made the love story totally unbelievable to me. Like No, he's up to something. But, no. Apparently not. And the step father is never mentioned again.
Also, I wish she had described literally anything else in the book with as much detail and passion as she described the sex scene.
Loved the cover art. It was a very quick read.
SPOILER
One part that really bothered me was the deal with her step dad. It seemed that he was, ironically - considering how little he was in the novel, the most developed of said characters. He was a lazy con man and a user. He wanted Zelda out of school because he thought it was a waste of money, that he undoubtedly believed he could use for better purposes. Anyway, he insists on having "a friend" accompany the girls south. It seemed like this had to be a trick in some way. I spent the entire novel distrusting Daniel, assuming that he must be playing Zelda in some way. This made the love story totally unbelievable to me. Like No, he's up to something. But, no. Apparently not. And the step father is never mentioned again.
Also, I wish she had described literally anything else in the book with as much detail and passion as she described the sex scene.