by James McBride

A Historical Fiction, 2023 by Riverhead Books, 385 Pages 

What I Didn’t Like:

• Clunky and cumbersome prose that seems to ramble. There’s a lot of words for a minimum amount of action. This gives a lot of the book a “what did I just read” feeling.
• The section following the KKK member was (intentionally) HARD to read. It definitely makes you ANGRY. 
• The description on the back of the book has led a lot of people to think this is a mystery/thriller. It’s NOT. It’s a slow moving historical fiction heavily focused on character development. I list this as a negative because when the tone of your book jacket doesn’t match the tone of your book it confuses readers. 

What I Did Like:

• Lyrical prose. No one would argue that James McBride can’t craft a sentence. The language is beautiful. 
• Slow moving picture of life in 1970s Pennsylvania. Each character is brought to life and shows a different aspect of life. 

Who Should Read This One:

• Historical fiction fans who like slow moving character driven prose. 

My Rating: 2 Stars

• The back cover description felt like it was for a completely different book and that, combined with the rambling prose, ruined this one for me.