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brynngaybee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I think this book could be great for some people. Its subject matter fills a great niche for true success stories of black women. I certainly don't mean to knock the book, I appreciate its goal and I'm certain many readers would enjoy it a lot. I however didn't like reading it. Overall the book really drags and should have been trimmed down a little bit. Much of the plot focuses on Dolly's relationship with various men in her life and this got old quickly as her interactions felt very repetitive and dull. It often felt like I was reading a really boring romance novel. A lot of focus was given to the men around Dolly, but I was in the book for Dolly herself. Vital events, like deaths, seemed to pop up and happen very suddenly, these could have used more exposition. I wish more time had been devoted to how she actually built her empire as I feel I didn't quite understand how it all happened. I appreciated her relationship with her family and how her relationship with slavery was portrayed a lot. It was technically well written and many parts were even compelling, but overall it felt repetitive and boring.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol, Antisemitism, Colonisation, and Death
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