Scan barcode
kb_hg's review
3.0
2.75 I was liking this till the rape scene and then It went down hill. Sucks because the synopsis made it sound so good
biblio_t's review against another edition
2.5
I really loved the characters in this book. This book was character-driven, but the writing style was so detached. It made it hard to get invested. I think it says a lot to the characters and growth that I still ended up really liking the characters despite this.
The concept was a great idea, the execution just was not for me.
The concept was a great idea, the execution just was not for me.
sparklespanx's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
redhdlibrarian's review
2.0
I was 40 pages from the end and decided not to finish. I did not like this book from the beginning but kept pushing myself to finish. The book earned rave reviews, but I just could not get in to it. Overall, not my favorite and will not be finishing.
agador_spartacus's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mellabella's review against another edition
3.0
I liked Balm. It started off slow for me. But, at the end I was expecting more. I think my expectations were high. I really enjoyed Wench. It should be a good quick read for anyone that likes historical fiction from this time period.
kdurham2's review against another edition
3.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Three main characters: Sadie is a widow who can talk to dead soldiers and slaves and people and has moved from Pennsylvania to Chicago into the home of her deceased husband; Madge is a born free "colored" woman who comes from a line of women who can heal people and has moved from Tennessee to Chicago to escape her mother and aunts and start her own life; finally there is Hemp and he is a newly free "colored" man who is trying to find his wife and daughter who were sold right before he was freed and hopes to find them in Chicago.
These three characters will intersect from the beginning and will each help each other in various ways. I appreciated that these characters were in and out of each other's lives from the beginning. I also appreciated the secondary characters that surrounded them that had almost full stories of their own.
Three main characters: Sadie is a widow who can talk to dead soldiers and slaves and people and has moved from Pennsylvania to Chicago into the home of her deceased husband; Madge is a born free "colored" woman who comes from a line of women who can heal people and has moved from Tennessee to Chicago to escape her mother and aunts and start her own life; finally there is Hemp and he is a newly free "colored" man who is trying to find his wife and daughter who were sold right before he was freed and hopes to find them in Chicago.
These three characters will intersect from the beginning and will each help each other in various ways. I appreciated that these characters were in and out of each other's lives from the beginning. I also appreciated the secondary characters that surrounded them that had almost full stories of their own.
miss617's review against another edition
3.0
Rounding up from 2.5 stars. It wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible. I didn't feel particularly attached to any of the characters, but I did find Madge and Sadie's stories more interesting than Hemp's.
ajreader's review against another edition
3.0
Read my full thoughts over at Read.Write.Repeat.
After enjoying this author's first novel, I found myself disappointed in number two.
After enjoying this author's first novel, I found myself disappointed in number two.
moviebuffkt's review against another edition
1.0
Abandoning at page 96. Boring and I have too much else to read!