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Fascinating backstory

Revisado: 08-23-22

This work of fiction gives a plausible backstory to women's involvement in the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. It should be of interest to anyone who enjoys learning about lexicography, the struggle for women's suffrage, and the British domestic experience of World War I. It sheds much needed light on the constantly changing nature of language and the gendered character of authoritative texts like dictionaries, particularly during the Victorian era.

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A total delight!

Revisado: 02-17-22

Like all of Jojo Moyes books, this is life-affirming and inspiring. She presents complex compelling characters caught up in extraordinary circumstances who find resolutions through personal struggle.

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Astonishing book!

Revisado: 02-11-22

This beautifully written and constructed book will bring you both pleasure and pain as it recounts the human suffering behind the apartheid system of South Africa.

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Riveting autobiography!!

Revisado: 09-19-21

I have followed Trevor Noah for several years, enjoying all of his comedy acts and his Daily Show, especially during the pandemic lockdown. I appreciate his intelligence and wit. I was aware that he had a difficult life before he attained international success, but I never suspected just how hard it really was. This collection of autobiographical sketches brings to life the challenging experiences of a mixed race person in South Africa in the tumultuous transitional years after apartheid was abolished. Trevor is the ideal narrator for his life story and fleshes out the characters with different voices and languages. This is one of his best performances ever and not to be missed.

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Timely messages from history

Revisado: 08-01-21

I had mixed feelings when I began to listen to this novel since it was about a Black woman who succeeded in early 20th century New York City society by passing as White. On the one hand, I was aware that passing was a common practice after slavery was abolished and a means of survival and advancement for those formerly enslaved individuals and their descendants who had very fair skin. While it meant denying their African origins and pretending to be something they were not, passing also permitted a sector of the African-American community accomplish what White society thought they could not, merely because of the color of their skin.

On the other hand, it disturbed me that Belle's accomplishments as JP Morgan's personal librarian/curator/purchasing agent were seen at the time as the successes of a white woman, and her true identity was only discovered much later on. While her prominence was a singular enough situation in the heavily male-dominated society of her time, it is truly tragic that she could not reveal her real origins which made her accomplishments all the more remarkable.

Another thing that disturbed me about the story was how Belle's focus was primarily on her individual advancement and that of her family (which depended on her economically). Although her father was a civil rights activist and the first African-American to graduate from Princeton University, the extremely racist climate of early 20th century America made his dreams of racial equality for all impossible to achieve. Within the context of the virulent white supremacy of the KKK and the official government positions taken against integration, intermarriage, and other forms of racial contact, Belle's decision to "hide in plain sight" is understandable. Nonetheless, it is painful to watch her hobnobbing with wealthy European aristocrats and upper class U. S. financial titans while doing nothing actively to help her fellow African-Americans advance as a group.

Despite my reservations about Belle's personal choices, this is an extremely interesting bit of African-American history that most of us are probably unaware of and should know more about. The story of a Black woman passing as White underscores the subtle and not so subtle advantages of White privilege and reveals very clearly the arbitrary nature of social constructs such as race.

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Total waste of time

Revisado: 09-22-20

The story was amazingly annoying. I could not identify with any of the characters, and the pronoun usage was very confusing. I have a rule about never giving up on a story, but it was a challenge to get to the end.

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Highly entertaining book

Revisado: 04-23-20

The narrator was stupendous, and the characters, enthralling. I just felt sad that the story ended so quickly.

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Can't wait until the next installment

Revisado: 02-28-20

if you're a James Taylor fan, this autobiography of his first 21 years is a must. You will learn about his adolescent struggles with mental health and addiction, the beginnings of his musical career, and the autobiographical sources of many of his great hits. In between the narrative passages, he plays and sings bits of of the relevant songs.

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Appropriate title

Revisado: 03-30-19

I had to force myself to finish this dystopic book. Violent, disturbing, confusing plot, muddled messages, unlikeable characters, waste of my time.

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Enchanting time travel story

Revisado: 03-06-19

This will remind readers of Outlander, but in early 20th century Ireland instead of 18th century Scotland. The novel's chapters are bracketed by apt quotes from the poetry of Yeats. A very satisfying read!

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