Such a beautiful read. I’ve never read a story that was so wonderfully and perfectly told with so few words. The author does an amazing job of creating a story that is so vivid and real using just the right words and sentence structure...it’s hard for me to express. The whole story flowed very beautifully and although it is a work of fiction, it did read like a memoir. ( )

Read this for my book club. Ugh. So the book was 100-odd pages and within that there were at least 3 pages that were coherent. Did I say pages? I meant paragraphs. 3 paragraphs that were ok. The rest of it was time poorly spent.

Let me quote from page 166:

"When did you realize your mother was actually dead?
Sister Sonja would ask again months later.
Never. Every day. Yesterday. Right at this moment."

I'm lost. I do not enjoy this type of writing.

Front cover describes it as a fever dream. Yep, accurate. In the future, I'll select a book written after the author has recovered from her fever. In all fairness, I read that the author received a MacArthur Genius Grant, so obviously she is highly regarded. But I have no plans to try another of this author's books - at least, not one written for adults which I understand is unusual for her. I'd be willing to try one of the books she is well-known for: children and young adult books.
( )

Gorgeous writing, memorable characters, stunning insights into growing up 'Girl' in Brooklyn in the 1970s. I'm giving this five stars even though I wanted to know so much more about the characters, especially Sylvia and Angela.

I have a bunch of random thoughts...

We are going to talk about [b:Each Kindness|13588082|Each Kindness|Jacqueline Woodson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361368608s/13588082.jpg|19175480] at my children's book club today and, thinking about these books side by side, it seems like August not being there for Gigi is analogous in some ways to Chloe shunning Maya. Sometimes you don't get a second chance to be a friend.

As the mother of a daughter, this book is kind of terrifying. The four young girls in this book are objectified in so many ways. They seem to be constantly at risk.

The story of August's family losing their land and their golden son to the US government was powerful. Not only because of how it specifically hurts August's mother but because it illustrates more broadly how good, hardworking people can be crushed by this world.

I listened to the audiobook. I had a little trouble with Sylvia vs. Sonja at first, but I'm glad I stuck with the audiobook. The narrator had a wonderful voice and spoke with great expression, even though she didn't do much to distinguish between the characters (exception: Sylvia's father because he had an accent).

Like the narrator (and probably a lot of people), I have trouble with painful memories. The last line of the first paragraph is: "I know now that what is tragic isn't the moment. It is the memory." And personally I feel the truth of this.

I will read anything by Jacqueline Woodson. Her talent is a treasure. ( )

I can no longer remember what friend recommended this to me, but thank you. I've had this on my bookshelf for at least four years, and last night I picked it up for a little one-chapter bedtime reading. Next I came to myself, I was looking at the final words and wondering how in heck I was supposed to get up for work in a few hours.

I had it marked as YA, which is probably why it sat unread on my bookshelf for so long, but the only thing YA about it is that it deals with coming-of-age issues. It's beautifully written, and its characters feel very real.

Nearly perfect opening line, too.

Hardcover version. ( )

What a beautiful, powerful, perfect novel. So many facets, such clearly developed characters, all achieved with such a light textual touch. Woodson's precise writing conveys an extraordinary amount. I lost myself in this book and couldn't stop reading it until I was done. ( )