Remembered | Litsy

Remembered | Yvonne Battle-Felton

pick

This book is brutal. Unforgettable and brilliant but All The Trigger Warnings. A mother sitting at her son‘s hospital bed with the ghost of her sister begins to tell him their family history on Walker plantation. The story she recounts is violent and traumatic but the characters are rich and complex and the “cursed” nature of the plantation is fascinating.⬇️

Centique I felt this part was stronger than the framing story in the present which could have done with a few more chapters. 3y

TrishB Great review 👍🏻 3y

Centique @TrishB thank you Trish 😘 3y

ValerieAndBooks I actually bailed on this one because some of it was too hard for me to read. I could tell it was well-written, though. 3y

Centique @ValerieAndBooks I can understand why, it was extremely brutal. There are times when I would bail on this too 😥 3y

79 likes5 stack adds5 comments

Moray_Reads

Remembered | Yvonne Battle-Felton

so-so

I have mixed feelings about this that I need to unpack. Much like my last book (The Vanishing Half) it felt like the author tried to do too much and ended up not doing full justice to any of the threads in the story. This seems a recurring theme in my book reviews right now, maybe it's me... @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

TheAromaofBooks I could be way out on a limb, but I feel like authors are kind of under pressure now to make sure they “address“ & “represent“ all the social issues, otherwise they get mobbed by angry internet people. But if an author feels like they have to talk about everything, they have less space to actually say something important about one or two issues. That's just my interpretation, though - but I feel like I've also read a lot of “muddled“ books of late 4y

BarbaraBB I agree @TheAromaofBooks. Well said! 4y

TheAromaofBooks Thank you @BarbaraBB !! And it's not that those issues shouldn't be discussed, it just seems so unrealistic to basically demand that authors talk about everything in every book. 4y

BarbaraBB Exactly. In trying to be so correct they sometimes forget about their art - writing / storytelling @TheAromaofBooks 4y

Moray_Reads @BarbaraBB @TheAromaofBooks sometimes it also feels like they're not confident in the strength of a simpler structure/story. I would have loved separate novels that focused on Stella/Desiree and Reese/Jude but it felt like neither was done real justice when Bennett tried to do both at once 4y

28 likes5 comments

Lesliereads

Remembered | Yvonne Battle-Felton

“They want to be up close to pain, until they are. When I get mad about them telling me all they think they know about my life, they call me angry. They say it like I ain‘t got no cause at all to be upset, sad. Can‘t hardly feel nothing without somebody telling me how I should feel instead. I can fall down a whole flight of stairs and won‘t there be somebody at the bottom telling me I should be grateful to be alive?”

WomanistBibliophile Whew, relatable 4y

batsy Wow. That quote packs a punch. Also, I hadn't heard of this book before, so thank you! 4y

Lesliereads @WomanistBibliophile “Whew“ is right. In the story these are the thoughts of a newly emancipated woman, circa 1866; “relatable“ in 2020! (*tsks) 4y

Lesliereads Hi @batsy yes I just happened upon this book during the 1 hour of browsing time I was allowed at my branch library (pandemic restrictions). Surprised that it has not received more attention, but glad that I was able to bypass reviewers' references to Toni Morrison's Beloved because this book is in possession of its own rich and unique story.

Beloved

15 likes4 comments

BrownGirlReading

Remembered | Yvonne Battle-Felton

pick

Definitely recommend this debut novel set before during and after the Emancipation Proclamation. It‘s the meeting of slaves and free Negroes. It‘s a story of freedom and what to do with it. Told through the words of Spring with her ghostly sister by her side yo will be énamourés with this emotional story. Longlist Ed for the Women‘sPrize for Fiction 2019, it‘a must read. #readsoullit

charl08 Agreed, great book. Looking forward to her next one already. 6y

BrownGirlReading @charl08 Thanks! The disappointment is real! 6y

16 likes5 stack adds2 comments

charl08

Remembered | Yvonne Battle-Felton

pick

I don't envy the judges picking a shortlist for this years women's prize: another great read. Painful but gripping.

37 likes1 stack add

charl08

Remembered | Yvonne Battle-Felton

The preacher struggles to get his point across...

33 likes

charl08

Remembered | Yvonne Battle-Felton

#hiddenhistories #BMEauthors #diversebooks

39 likes1 stack add

youneverarrived

Remembered | Yvonne Battle-Felton

pick

Brilliant. I had no expectations going in & knew little of what the book was about but I loved it. Very strong sense of time, place and character. It unfolds at a steady pace that keeps you wanting to read on. Spring‘s grown up son is in a coma in the hospital & she is telling him the history of his and her family so he can ‘make his way home‘. It‘s about slavery, the past and family. Also, how stunning is the cover! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #womensprize

erzascarletbookgasm Stacking! 👌 6y

Tanisha_A Sounds a good read! 6y

Liatrek This sounds a amazing and the cover is beautiful😊 adding to my TBR. thanks for the great review 6y

See All 8 Comments

JennyM I was looking at this online with the library only yesterday. I didn‘t hold it...but I shall go and change that now. Sounds good. 6y

youneverarrived @erzascarletbookgasm 👍😘 6y

youneverarrived @Tanisha_A it really is! 6y

youneverarrived @Liatrek isn‘t it gorgeous 💙 I hope you like the book! 6y

youneverarrived @JennyM let me know what you think of it ♥️ 6y

84 likes5 stack adds8 comments