Historical fiction

Well written novel of one family’s history of challenges and success. Each character comes alive to weave the determination to better themselves.

This is a captivating novel, based on the author's own genealogy. Set in antebellum Louisiana, it traces the lives of African Americans, particularly women, from slavery to freedom. Tademy's ancestors lived at a fascinating, if often grim, time in the nation's history, and the novel depicts the many obstacles they faced even after the Civil War, particularly for couples of mixed race. Highly recommended.

I found this book on the bargain table and picked it up to read when I needed something in between other books. I am very thankful that I read this book…I truly enjoyed it. The author takes the real life people from her family’s genealogy and puts them within a heart breaking and loving story set in the backcountry of Louisiana in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The story deals extensively with racial relations between whites and blacks because throughout most of the book, the characters are slaves and are treated with utter disrespect, hatred, and distain. Each woman in the book fights for her place in the world, for what she believes is her due for herself and for her children. After finishing the book, I recommend returning to the beginning and rereading the author’s note. There was so much factual information that meant much more to me after “knowing” the people involved.

An epic family history of a Louisiana family. I found it very interesting.

Such an enlightening read on the history of slavery. Tademy does a remarkable job of fleshing out her characters and an era of history. Based on real people.

"Family is everything... A tree without roots cannot survive."

"Sometimes while you wait for what you think is better, what is good enough slips away."

"Fire burns hot and hides everything."

I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel! I loved that it chronicled four generations through the novel. The pictures and documents that were included throughout the book were an added bonus! Each woman's story was gripping and captivating. The book is a bit long-winded though and the last few chapters in particular got a little redundant and summary like.

This book was interesting and intriguing but it did not feel authentic. I know she wrote a novel based on her family tree but the “free reign” of the “mulattos” did not feel true based on what I know of that time in history, especially in Louisiana. I also wish she had attempted to answer the question of why stay in Louisiana when so many others left. I often ask that question...

At times, this book was emotionally painful to read, yet I couldn’t wait to get back to it. I liked the pace of the book, and I learned a lot. I am so glad I read it.

Interesting novel based on the researched history of the author's family tree going back several generations. It sounds dry, but wasn't in the least. It covers the time period from before the civil war to the 1930's, and four major women characters. I liked that there was a family tree in the front of the book that helped to keep everyone straight in my mind.

I really enjoyed this book.

3.5 stars. The blend of fact and fiction makes for tedious reading at times, but it's worth the effort to get such a detailed look at the power and status structure of a small farming community in Louisiana before, during, and after the Civil War. There is so much more to it than just slave vs. free. It's interesting to see how the author's family tree progressed from slave to corporate VP in 7 generations.

This is a great book. There was many gains and losses and times of freedom. Recommend this book to everyone. Everything about this book was great it is a surprisingly enjoyable novel. Learned a lot reading this novel because this was an actually fictionalized family history.This book gave the importance of knowing our history and it touched deeply coming from a strong family. Highly recommend 5 stars.