Just started i'm getting to know the characters so far im enjoying the book.

3.5

from the first page it was obvious that music and women matter. they drive the story. they are the common thread that weaves together a patchwork quilt seven generations wide. the mayfield woman each hear, feel, make, and interupt music differently. they pass this along to their children-in odd ways its the same chord manifesting itself in different people. as society changes so does the tune.

i'm sure the amount of research they did to make this "historically accurate" could fill up another 560 pages of text. i appreciate the authors treatment of the environment. its like a character that plays off the mayfields. at times it was a bit too john hope franklin. some ends were tied up too nicely. everything came full circle. memphis, cinnamon, tokyo, baker. civil rights. fdr. access. blues. jazz. purple haze. french expatriats. dueling affections. poverty. elitism. the circle of african american life.

This was a dense, but worth while read. I think I expected to feel more engaged with it than I did given the common thread of music and the fact that I do gravitate towards these multi-generational epics, but I still enjoyed it. The historical elements were easily digestible because they were placed within the context of characters' lives, and I dug that.

Confused and often meandering. This book tried to be a generational piece (like "One Hundred Years of Solitude") and failed.

Review Previously Posted on: : my link text
This was such a great book for me to read. This book follows seven generations of a Black American family dealing with issues of slavery, the Reconstruction, WWI, the Depression, WWII, the Vietnam War, and then the 21st Century.

This is a lyrical novel which I loved. This novel tells the story of American music and our connection to it. Music has been a part of our culture and social events since its invention. As someone that feels very connected to music, I enjoyed the link the Mayfield family had to it.

“Music is just another way of keepin up with livin. Nothin wrong with that!”

The authors drew on many iconic figures. The connection of Bessie Smith and Josephine Baker were my personal favorites. I enjoyed the connection to the actual figures to their fictional characters.

As a daughter, I thought the stories of the relationship between mothers and daughters was well done. I enjoyed how the relationships were messy and at times strained. It was natural and normal. I enjoyed exploring who the effects of slavery and racism effected the different generations. Each one of these ladies had a real thing to cry and be sad about, but everyone tries to figure out how to have something to sing about.

I really liked the fact that this book is actually written by two sisters. They each wrote four of the eight sections of this book. After a while, I could see the difference in tone and type of writing. Although both were enjoyable sometimes the switch was quite jarring.