melanie_page's reviews
1469 reviews

Each character maintains his or her personality throughout The Street, making it possible to understand them on a deeper level without being told what to think. Lutie’s background always seems to inform her present choices. While it would have been easy for a black teen to drop out of school in the 1930s, Lutie’s father convinces her to graduate. So,it makes sense that she continues studying course materials that will let her move up pay grades at work. Also, after her husband cheated on her, she’s suspicious of men in a way that isn’t hateful, but reasonable. When a fast-talker with money named Boots enters The Street, I wasn’t too worried about Lutie falling for him because it didn’t fit her personality. Instead, Lutie navigates carefully around him.

Check out the full review at Grab the Lapels: https://grabthelapels.com/2021/04/06/the-street/

If you are a careful reader who wants every inclusion of information to mean something, McMillan might leave you irritated. However, if you read simply in the moment, you’ll love I Almost Forgot About You. I’m somewhere in the middle. I noticed details like Georgia had an older brother in the army who died that never gets mentioned again nor affects Georgia. Then, there was Georgia’s oldest daughter claiming she wanted to move closer to her mother (implying she might buy Wanda’s house) that doesn’t go anywhere. It’s all fodder that adds to the setting and gives you a very full picture of Georgia’s life, but I’m someone who wants everything to mean something. When McMillan did a virtual author visit with my local library, she showed us the massive filing system she has for all of her characters, including character sheets, which may be the culprits of these extra bits of information.

The full review is at Grab the Lapels: https://grabthelapels.com/2021/04/08/i-almost-forgot-about-you/

To keep her characters from crying all the time, Lackey would have done well to imagine some sort of therapist Gift. The trainees are almost all children, who can come from any background before being Chosen. Who are they talking to about their trauma, such as child abuse, starvation, and homelessness? Even the older Heralds would need a therapist. Instead, they seemingly “get over” witnessing violence on the battle field, death of family, rape, torture, and their own near-death experiences with time — and no lasting effects.

Full review at https://grabthelapels.com/2021/03/25/changes/

Perhaps it is because I am an American person reading a book set in and by a Zimbabwean author, but I found the "secret" of Dumi to be obvious. At every little turn the author gives us something undeniable, but the main character Vimbai, doesn't see it until the last twenty pages or so, and that's when she reads Dumi's confession written in his own hand. The end of the book was quite speedy, but again, that may be differences in culture and thus writing styles. However, I felt like the author taught me about the economy of Zimbabwe without giving a lecture on the subject. The fact that Vimbai is given a loan that will mean nothing in two years because the value of money changes constantly, the way cars are on the street or not based on gas production, how sugar is only purchased when you have a network of people giving you clues (like it's a band doing a one-time pop-up show), and that there is 90% unemployment.

Since I read The Descent series first, I really enjoyed getting into a book that has more supernatural creatures, especially angels. Reine never does what I expect she's going to do with a new character or plot point, so I'm always surprised. I especially enjoyed the way Nash demonstrated to Summer how the haven was a fabrication and she was able to touch and ring the stars. If you're not into insta-love, there is some of that in here. Summer's twin, Abram, was a nice addition because he didn't seem like a repeat of Abel or Seth.

 Meanwhile, the five friends talk about who has lost weight, gained weight, needs to “drop a few,” all couched with statements about health concerns, which is a type of trolling. And there is so much of it in It’s Not All Downhill from Here. Dump on judgments about how people are dressed and if they have on make up, and it gets rather exhausting.

What a bummer! It’s Not All Downhill from Here even had some great themes: aging, elderly folks having sex, LGBTQ+ acceptance, and openly talking about mental health issues, which is still taboo in black America. But the muddy characters, concern trolling, and repetitive narrator wore me out in the end. 

Full review here: https://grabthelapels.com/2021/04/01/its-not-all-downhill-from-here/

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience reading Moses, Man of the Mountain. I talked to several people, including a rabbi and a minister, about Exodus, gabbed about portrayals in film, like the famous Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston, and reflected a great deal on history and society. Hurston’s novel would make an excellent book club pick, too, for all the conversation it provides. While writing this review, I argued a good deal with myself and can hear the counterarguments already — likely the reason it took my so long to write all this.

My review is at https://grabthelapels.com/2021/03/30/moses-man-of-the-mountain/

I'm just not feeling any chemistry, either as romance or a reason for Maya and Law to be so mean to each other, and there's little from Maya's point of view. I enjoyed the female focus of the previous two novels.

The audiobook narrator really makes this novel come to life. I can't imagine if I had read the text version instead. An enjoyable listen with great characters.