quite outside my normal zone. I enjoyed all the dips into the history of a middle class black American family.

Sloooooooow start but what an ending!!

This book’s plot was an utter disaster.

The entire plot line with Lute only kicks into gear in the last section, even though it should have been the main focus of the story. It showed a lot of symbolism and really drove home important points that the book was trying to make - but he was only mentioned once in the beginning and then disappeared until the last fifty pages or so!

The whole middle part of the book, while an interesting subplot, felt like an excuse for the author to avoid her main plot line. Like she didn’t have enough material for the actual wedding story, so she had to go back in time and give the family backstory. It lasted for way too long and completely interrupted the flow of the main story.

The end was also insanely rushed. It required readers to have an emotional connection to a character we had all but forgotten about in the hundred or so pages since she was mentioned.

Having such a terribly structured plot would usually earn a book a lower rating, but this book did have a couple of things going for it. First, the characterization was done really well. I felt like the author really had a grasp on each character. Second, the writing itself was beautiful. It was just a very pretty book to read.

If you’re looking for something short, easy, and slightly historically informative, I’d recommend this book. But don’t go into it expecting a stellar plot line whatsoever.

I had not heard of this author until I read the Summer series by Sunny Hostin. I liked the book but felt a lot of things were left unsettled. It also left me wanting.

3.5 stars