Reviews

Blanche Among the Talented Tenth by Barbara Neely

beanpod's review

4.0

The book starts out with a quote from W. E. B. Dubois:

“The Talented Tench ode the Negro race must be made leaders of thought and missionaries id culture among their people…The Negro race, like all other races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men.”

When the story starts in earnest, it becomes obvious that the “Talented Tenth” that think they the authorities on what is worthy and good and what isn’t are not the actual valuable citizens.

mznayluv's review

mysterious

4.0

olau76's review

informative mysterious reflective 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

4.5

aderby's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

tigerb99's review against another edition

5.0

Well, yeah, it's a mystery, but it's much better to just read the book and listen to Blanche's take on color, race, and relationships. Really. Read the book.

liesbethvv's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I'm glad I continued this series after waiting a bit after finishing the first one. I much preferred this sequel. It gripped me more and I thought the mystery was a bit more elaborate. I'm curious where Blanche will take me next!

brighthappyness's review

3.0

As a mystery, it's not great...but the social commentary was still as good and important as it was in the first book. If you're looking for that then I would recommend, but as a mystery, the first book was a lot better IMO. Also this is like a minor spoiler (I don't even know if it's really a spoiler) but I don't think Moon is a Vietnamese surname and it bothers me a little that a Viet character decides to give herself that name. Maybe I'm wrong but it feels a little like Neely is treating Asian names are interchangeable, which may not have been her intention, but it sorta bothered me regardless.

jennylimmy's review

4.0

An exciting mystery that explores anti-Black racism within an exclusive, well-heeled Black community. While the first in the series felt like a twist on an old classic (murder in a fancy mansion), this book contains a more unusual plot and more nuanced characters. In some ways, this made the book less satisfying — it’s less of a popcorn read, in which good is good and evil is very, very evil. But this book was also much more interesting than the first.

locdbooktician's review

adventurous challenging funny medium-paced

5.0

shoshthemost's review

informative inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75