Honestly, it wasn't the best story as I started it. Plodding and easy to walk away from. Then came to the middle and the story flowed. I found myself picking up the story to see the next part, the next surprise and how everyone was going to end up. Recommend.

Really enjoyed this book. Think a second read would make it less confusing? its easy to follow but I also feel as if Im so absorbed in the characters and their development that by the time it ends I may have missed the point. But not sure. I enjoyed all the characters and the dialogue. Honestly the end reminds me a bit of Grapes of Wrath. With a twist of true love like Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Enjoyed!

Bad. I think if Oprah's book club recommends it I won't like it

I would have given this book 4 stars except for the first 125 or so pages. It was a slow starter. Once the story moved past that, it was a very good read. The characters were purposeful and I loved the addition of Joody Two Suns. I also enjoyed the banter between the characters. The dialog felt “real” and it was easy to imagine the scenes. There were moments when I laughed out loud and others when I gasped. If only the beginning were more concise …

Set in Petal, Mississippi during the 1950's, Mother of Pearl is a story about finding love and the connections between individuals regardless of our differences. These connections are particularly meaningful in a time and place where racial tensions and prejudice are very pronounced. Even Grade is a black man born to unknown parents. He builds a relationship with Joody Two Sun, an eccentric woman with Native American roots and an ability to "read" the past and future lives of the people she encounters. Valuable Korner is a white teenage girl whose mother is a loose woman that drifts in and out of her life; her father remains unknown and unnamed to her. She seeks companionship with a childhood friend, Jackson. Unbeknownst to the two of them, Valuable and Jackson are actually half-siblings; family members that keep this knowledge from them are causing them more harm than good - particularly when the two realize they have fallen in love. This did not exactly sit well with me; I wanted to shout out for someone to please let them know before this goes too far! An abundance of additional characters are introduced, each with his or her own distinct idiosyncrasies.

I struggled a bit with this book. It took quite some time for me to become interested in the characters and the plot. Once I understood where this might be going, I decided to continue and follow through to the end. The dialect was tough to get used to and parts of the story seemed just too fragmented; it didn’t really flow well for me. There were many characters and for the most part I did not feel many of them were well-developed. There was a thread of magical realism running through the book that somehow just did not work for me; I couldn’t really buy into it. Despite these criticisms, there were some things I liked about this book - vivid imagery, a touch of humor resulting from the bantering between Even and his neighbor Canaan, the bond eventually created between Even and Valuable, the connections made between several of these characters which defied the overlying prejudices and segregation in the small town, and an important decision which was made at the end of this novel. Overall I would say this book was okay - it had potential but just seemed too unpolished and choppy for me to truly enjoy it.

2.5 stars

I wasn't sure whether to leave a review or not. Wish there was a section for DNFs. It is rare for me to DNF a book even if I don't like it overall. I just couldn't get through this one. I made it about halfway through chapter 5 even though I was struggling from chapter 1. Can't truly rate this book since I didn't finish. Based on what I read I felt no connection to the characters and found the narrative confusing especially in chapters with Even's point of view. I thought the premise based on the synopsis sounded good, but the book lacked direction. Of course, I didn't get very far in so maybe the plot becomes clear? I would say if you are interested in reading this book definitely try to borrow it in case you dislike it as much as I did. Also wanted to add I felt the authors use of a certain racial slur in the first chapter over used un-necessarily. There were parts it works to capture what it would have been like for Even in that time period, but other moments could have gone without. I only noticed it in the first chapter out of the ones I read

I'm going to begin my review by quoting from some of the jacket blurbs, to give you a sense of how well received this first time novelist was with her beautiful piece of work.
From the Chicago Tribune: "Remarkable." From The Plain Dealer in Cleveland: "Haynes is the real thing, a true artist, a genuine writer, and in this book, at least, a genius....MOTHER OF PEARL transports us to the wilds of a different world." From Publishers Weekly: "In prose both rugged and beautiful, Haynes plumbs the secrets of the South in her stunning debut novel...She is fearless in portraying her characters flaws, their pettiness and racism, their erring thoughts, but she's also merciful, letting them grow and change during the course of the narrative,,,This wise, luminous novel demonstrates her great gifts-for language, courageous storytelling, and compassion." And from Booklist (starred review): Both richly humorous and deeply tragic, this story leaves one wiser, and makes one understand something meaningful and important about life and human nature. Haynes speaks the truth in a story that is astonishingly powerful." Now, to MY review.


I don't cry. I'm just not an emotional person. One thing my mother is always sure to tell me, "You're just like your father." Meaning I am too stoic, unemotional. Point being, I was NOT unemotional while reading this haunting, multi-layered, so very deeply Southern book. As a matter of fact, I had real tears falling down my face, I was fearful of choking on pent-up sobs! This is not such an easy thing to admit.

As a matter of fact, not giving any spoilers away, I was so immersed in this world of hot, steamy, racially charged, small town Petal, Mississippi in the early 1950s that when tragedy REALLY struck 3/4 the way through, and I was so emotionally drained, I literally had to throw the book down. I just couldn't take any more of the heartache right then. I just needed a little breather. That's how real her characterizations are. All her "people" are fully realized and simply come alive and burst off the page. 

You ARE in Petal, Mississippi and it's hot and lazy and the town is divided and their are so many secrets. I do have this to say, this book is truly a work of art. Even the names she gives them are true. The heroine is young Valuable Corner, who has problems being named after a real estate sign. She is the daughter of the town whore, who leaves town soon after her birth, and she is left to be raised by her grandmother, Luvenia. There is heartache for Valuable when Luvenia passes on and Enid, her mother, comes slinking back to town.

 Even Grade is a young black man just trying to make do in the world. His best friend is an older man, Cannan Mosely, who has been writing a discourse for years, "The Reality of The Negro" and is enamored with Greek Mythology. This leaves him at a disconnect with virtually all of his peers and leads to a lot of soul searching on his part. A young half Indian, half Black Voodoo/Shaman woman, Joody Two Sun comes breezing into town, staying down by the river. She sees far and brings with her many changes. This is but a tiny peek into the world of Petal, Mississippi, a tiny town...filled with big secrets. 

I had a hard time getting into this book, even as a 28-year-old South MS woman. It's horribly far-fetched in terms of events like Vulnerable having her half-brother's baby, everyone in the town knowing and saying nothing, Bea and Neva being reasonably open lesbians, and Vulnerable being so innocent/naive. The writing style is too Faulkneresque for my taste. The core of the story is interesting, but there is too much that is irrelevant. The description of the book talks about it being a tale of love and adopted family, but I didn't get that from the book. Taking others in who are in need is just a part of being Southern. It's just the right thing to do. I have mixed feelings about this book, and ultimately, I think the writing style is what made the story just okay for me.

I loved this novel, despite a few miscues in the beginning that tripped me up . Later I was able to find the rhythm of the story, and it was well worth it. Is is a story about life in the Old South, circa 1950s, complete with the vernacular of the time, and how innocent choices can forge deep relationships across racial lines. I can’t do justice to the many storylines, the quirky characters, the lyrical writing, or the humor and heartache. Read it yourself, and you will be glad you did.

Mother of Pearl spends a lot of time getting into the story and the characters. I guess about page 200, I was finally into the story. This story takes place in 1956, in Petal, Mississippi, when Mississippi was deep into segregation. The pronunciation of words I thought was a little over-done especially by the Negroes in the story. Having lived in Hattiesburg, I found the book interesting reading.

For a first time writer, I thought the book was well written and flowed considerably well from one chapter to the next. A few of the characters in the story were somewhat unreal by what they were doing. I would have only given this book a (3) Three rating, but I felt the first-time author did a very good job in her descriptions of people and places. Throughout the story the author goes into deep descriptions so that the reader experiences what she is trying to get across in the story.

I will not go into the characters or the story-line as others have already given good descriptions. This is an older book that was published over twenty years ago. Mississippi is not the same place as the book describes how it was in the 1950s. I guess I would classify it as Historical Fiction.

This book took me forever to read! It is not worth your time! I don't usually leave comments but the author is all over the place in this book. It is hard to follow and the only good part was the last five chapters!

For some reason you want to keep reading it. Not because you're hoping for an explanation or a story or a plot. But because you want to know what in the world possessed the author to write a book that makes no sense.