This book was pushed at one of the websites I go to for reading idea and because of that and all the stars it garnered on two different websites, I thought it would be a great book. What a disappointment! The basic idea for the story sounded great but the way it was delivered was terrible. I found the writing to be banal and tedious. No one ever walked anywhere, it was always racing, jumping, bouncing, moving as “quick as a firefly”. There are other examples but you get the idea. And, oh my gosh, how many times was she going to tell us about the aroma of barbeque or the blues playing in the night or Queen baking biscuits. I am amazed at the people who gave it 4 stars or better; it just wore me out. Most of the story was about Billie and was written as a child would think but then parts of it were written about adults and it still sounded somewhat childish and just got confusing. Her description of Cassie could have been Skeeter in “The Help” and I could see Emma Stone playing the part if this was ever made into a movie (Please no!) – that’s how close the two characters are.Because of all of my complaints I couldn’t really get into the story much at all. I recommended it to my book club and am rather sorry I did but, maybe they won’t be as discouraged about it as I was.I did find out after I was almost done reading it that it was published by some offshoot of Harlequin (MIRA); if I had known that in the beginning, I may have never read it.I also think it was too long; could have been tied up much sooner than it was.Now having said all that, there was one sentence that I really liked…page 235 when Billie comes in and puts a blanket on the sleeping Cassie…”Sometimes, suddenly, there was mercy.” The premise of this beautiful story unfolds when a dying woman from Mississippi takes out a want ad seeking a loving mother for her ten year old daughter. The story takes place back in 1955 during the Civil Rights Era. I thought this was an amazing book filled with pageantry, heartbreak and hope! I loved the cast of strong female characters roaring with spunk, feist and will power that defied societal norms! After reading "The Invention of Wings", I became hooked on historical black non-fiction. The characters in both books are endearing and memorable. I got swept away in the possibilities of love and friendship that allowed these brave women to cross the "color lines"!
Do You like book Sweetest Hallelujah, The (2013)?
Enjoyed the development of the characters. Loving generations and friendships.
—robbie
Dec. 19th - Two discs in. Putting it aside. Bad writing; bad narrating.
—drabdulsattar
