For who Hopkins was -- a black woman writing in America in the nineteenth century -- her work is startlingly good. In reading her novels, it is good to remember that she wrote serially. Each issue of the Colored American Magazine (which she edited, as well) contained a new chapter of her work. This was true of many nineteenth century authors. A good reading strategy is to read one or two chapters before bed or in the morning. I often advise the same strategy with Dickens.

Hopkins's stories usually revolve around the implications and results of slavery, but take melodramatic or fantastic turns in order to create the most emotional impact. Sometimes, like in Of One Blood, this can lead to a ludicrous (but still hilariously readable) story. Sometimes it creates a truly moving novel, as in Hopkins's classic Contending Forces.

The complaint I would lodge is not with Hopkins's writing. Rather, the format of the book makes her novels less readable. My copy is about five inches tall and four inches across. As a result of this small size and the volume of the writing it anthologizes, the book is unwieldy and has very small type. The ornamental design of the book is excellent, and its size is in keeping with the rest of the series, but I hope there will be a different reprint of Hopkins's better novels soon. ( )

Historically interesting. Technically pretty darned awful. ( )