| (ARC) The Tweleve Tribes of Hattie Author: Ayana Mathis Genre: Fiction Publisher: Vintage Release Date: October 8, 2013 Paperback: 320 pages Source: Free from publisher Buy the Book: Amazon |
Book Description
In 1923, fifteen-year-old Hattie Shepherd, swept up by the tides of the Great Migration, flees Georgia and heads north. Full of hope, she settles in Philadelphia to build a better life. Instead she marries a man who will bring her nothing but disappointment, and watches helplessly as her firstborn twins are lost to an illness that a few pennies could have prevented. Hattie gives birth to nine more children, whom she raises with grit, mettle, and not an ounce of the tenderness they crave. She vows to prepare them to meet a world that will not be kind. Their lives, captured here in twelve luminous threads, tell the story of a mother’s monumental courage—and a nation's tumultuous journey.
Review
Review
I received this ARC last September (2012) free from the publisher as a gift for Mocha Girls Read Book Club 1st Anniversary. They sent us printed manuscript copies of the book bond and with a clear plastic cover. Then less than a month later it is announced as Oprah's book club pick. I was shocked when I heard this. I was thrilled to see a book I have in ARC form is on her list. But I never got to it for whatever reason.
This book is written unlike most books. It centers around Hattie Shepherd, a young mother of many children. Each chapter is written by and about her children in their unique voice. Their stories tell you about their issues, problems and difficulties as well as their relationship with Hattie and their Father.
I thought the book was well written and it painted the bleak picture of Hattie and her children's situation clearly as time went on. As a debut author Ayana Mathis did a great job expressing the despair Hattie goes through as see watches her new born twins suffer in the first chapter.
Then why am I giving it such low stars? Well it is the ending and the lack of conclusion. The chapters are told by her children at different time periods but nothing gets resolved. Nothing is told to the read about anyone after the chapter ends. I was invested throughout the book with each and every single person but when I finished the book I got no conclusions at all as to what happened to them through out the decades. The children grow up, leave and make their own way. Done! That did not settle with me at all. I need something to help me understand why they are all going though this and what is the purpose. Don't just drop me off and forget about me. I need some time of closure.
Without telling you any spoilers the ending felt like it was a beginning of a new chapter in Hattie's voice. I was so expecting that but nothing.
NOTHING!
This book is written unlike most books. It centers around Hattie Shepherd, a young mother of many children. Each chapter is written by and about her children in their unique voice. Their stories tell you about their issues, problems and difficulties as well as their relationship with Hattie and their Father.
I thought the book was well written and it painted the bleak picture of Hattie and her children's situation clearly as time went on. As a debut author Ayana Mathis did a great job expressing the despair Hattie goes through as see watches her new born twins suffer in the first chapter.
Then why am I giving it such low stars? Well it is the ending and the lack of conclusion. The chapters are told by her children at different time periods but nothing gets resolved. Nothing is told to the read about anyone after the chapter ends. I was invested throughout the book with each and every single person but when I finished the book I got no conclusions at all as to what happened to them through out the decades. The children grow up, leave and make their own way. Done! That did not settle with me at all. I need something to help me understand why they are all going though this and what is the purpose. Don't just drop me off and forget about me. I need some time of closure.
Without telling you any spoilers the ending felt like it was a beginning of a new chapter in Hattie's voice. I was so expecting that but nothing.
NOTHING!
Reviews by Other Bloggers
Recommendations
I recommend this books to adult readers due to some violence and sex.
Challenges
This book is number 18 in my Off the Shelf Reading Challenge
This book is number 30 in my Women's Reading Challenge
This book is number 19 in my TBR Pile Reading Challenge
This book is number 10 in my Dusty Bookshelf Reading Challenge
This book is number 44 in my Goodreads Challenge
This book is number 18 in my Off the Shelf Reading Challenge
This book is number 30 in my Women's Reading Challenge
This book is number 19 in my TBR Pile Reading Challenge
This book is number 10 in my Dusty Bookshelf Reading Challenge
This book is number 44 in my Goodreads Challenge
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