I had this title on my radar but didn’t sit down to read it until it became this month’s pick for my book club. My book club consists of women ranging in age from 50-something to late 20’s. Four of us are married, 3 of us have children, 1 is pregnant with her first child , one is recently engaged and one is single after a decade long relationship. Each of us will be coming at this from different vantage points in terms of marriage […]
None of This is Fair
I needed an Oprah’s Book Club book for the Book Riot Read Harder challenge and this one took place in Atlanta so it seemed like a good choice. The novel deals with the false imprisonment of a successful black man and its after effects on him, his wife and his marriage. While this seems especially relevant in today’s context, I was surprised to realize the novel takes in the early to mid 2000’s rather than current day. Ray Jr. grew up in small town Louisiana; […]
A marriage is more than your heart, it’s your life. And we are not sharing ours.
I’m claiming my “I’ve been reading Tayari Jones for years” privilege here! So take that Oprah! I think this is likely her best book in the combination of importance, story and execution, and audience concern. Leaving Atlanta is very good, but it’s kind of devastating in a way that leaves you pretty raw and cut open by the end. Silver Sparrow and The Unnaming are both very good, but less so than this one. There’s a very real and very relevant story here. It’s that combination that makes it […]
Her best is her first
I have a lot of little entry points into this review, so I will just say them all and think of where to go next. Tayari Jones is really really really good at narrating adolescence. The fact that no one talks about this chapter in America is an effing crime. Oddly, the books narrated by children dealing with the kidnappings and murders of their peers is the least harrowing and sad book about this set of events I’ve read/read about. Something about dealing children dealing […]
Separate But Equal Is Not Equal
Tayari Jones’ Silver Sparrow is an engrossing novel about sisters and secrecy. Set in 1980s Atlanta, its focus is on a dysfunctional and disintegrated family. Our first narrator, Dana Yarboro, writes from an adult perspective about her childhood and teenaged years as the secret daughter of one James Witherspoon. Our second narrator, Chaurisse Witherspoon, is James’ daughter by his legally recognized wife Laverne. Jones uses her prodigious writing talents to create sympathetic and complex but very human characters as well as an intricate and compelling […]