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yourbookishbff's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I loved this setting - in Harlem in the early 1900s - and I loved how original the premise is - a Black woman rewrites her dead husband's will to keep his nightclub and build a business on her own terms (while casually leading marginalized suffragettes in advocacy for the vote) and falls in love with her dishwasher-turned-sous-chef, a Bengali man who ditched a life at sea to live in NY and is now living in fear of immigration. Their love story is cautious and redemptive, and their relationship as guided by their passion for workers' rights as for each other. I will note that cultural appropriate is the crux of the original conflict between characters, and the foundation for their continued connection. It is used intentionally and challenged on page, as it helps both characters examine colorism, orientalism, and exoticization, but it is a lot packed into a novella, and I felt like it could have been further addressed with more page time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Racism, Classism, Misogyny, and Police brutality
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Colonisation
Minor: Death
Note: a childbirth scene on page.
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