3.5
I think the writing was successful in creating the right atmosphere on reader’s mind.However,it also seemed quite different and at times a bit weird;or maybe I feel this way cause English isn’t my first language?
Anyways,good read overall.
I received it via a goodreads giveaway listed by William Morrow.
Thank you!

This book was a bit too wordy for me. There was just a lot of pages for the story told and could easily had been shorter than it actually was. There were elements of suspense and I did want to find out what happened to the characters which kept me reading, but I don't know if I would necessarily recommend this book to anyone.

I HATED finishing this book. Saying goodbye to these characters who were so well developed I felt like they were all friends or neighbors (even the hateful ones). "Promise" is reminiscent of "To Kill A Mockingbird" based purely on how I felt when I read it. The storytelling brought me back to Harper Lee's novel when I read it in the 70s. I will definitely re-read this and loan it out to friends. Amazing.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Compelling story based on the catastrophic 1936 Catagory 5 tornado that struck and devastated Tupelo, Mississippi and the complicated, tragic and ultimately redemptive connection between members of two families.

I thought this novel was brilliantly written. The horror, fear and confusion in the aftermath of the tornado of '36 opens the story and draws the reader in with fast pacing and plenty of hooks to keep one reading. The characters are well drawn and while not all are fully fleshed out, the main characters of Dovey, Dreama, Jo, and Alice are complex and nuanced so that each is completely individual.

Anyone who has ever ridden out a tornado or been close to one or even seen the devastation left behind will surely appreciate this story.

I want to rate this higher and probably would have but REASONS. In the aftermath of a tornado, whiteness is still centered. Black people were expected to delay looking for their family to assist white people. And this little white girl ordering grown ass black people around? Lawdamercy, this book didn't sit right with me for so many reasons. Was it a good story, probably. Is there a lesson to be learned in it, maybe for somebody, but not for me.

WEEK# 46 Book #4 the Element Air
Great fiction based on F5 tornado that destroyed Tupelo, MS in 1936. Told from the view of two people there -- one black and one white. Loved the character development and the way the lives of the two were captured in pieces of memories and present day details as they lived through the tornado and its aftermath. Would definitely recommend this one.

Before I started this book, I didn't know anything about the tornado that devastated Tupelo. It's probably one of the deadliest natural disasters in American history, although no one knows exactly HOW deadly, because while 200 people were killed, no one kept track of how many black people died. (I can't wrap my head around either of those things--200 people killed in the blink of an eye or the fact that no one bothered to count how many people of color died. And since that was most likely a poorer section, it could easily have doubled the casualty rate.)

Still, though, this book is about the survivors. And somehow, against all odds, a baby survived being flung incredibly far. He's found and saved...but he's assumed to be part of a different family. 

Everything about this story is fantastic, in both senses of the word. It's a remarkable achievement and, even though horrible things are done, there aren't any real villains here. I'm not a huge fan of Jo, but she did not great things for good reasons. And she had a head injury, so I'm hoping that was part of it.

This is an absolutely stunning novel. Recommended.

I want to rate this higher and probably would have but REASONS. In the aftermath of a tornado, whiteness is still centered. Black people were expected to delay looking for their family to assist white people. And this little white girl ordering grown ass black people around? Lawdamercy, this book didn't sit right with me for so many reasons. Was it a good story, probably. Is there a lesson to be learned in it, maybe for somebody, but not for me.