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Title: Half a Heart by Rosellen Brown, Jayne Atkinson, Lisagay Hamilton, Brown Rosellen ISBN: 0-7435-0579-4 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio Pub. Date: May, 2000 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 4 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.26 (23 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: A disappointing book from a good writer.
Comment: This novel disappointed me deeply because it started out so good, with so much potential. A white woman gives birth to the child of a black man in 1960s Mississippi. She leaves the child to be raised by the father, but eighteen years later, still haunted by the daughter she lost, she goes looking for her. That premise has potential for melodrama, of course, but also for an interesting exploration of what it means to be a mother, as well as some complicated racial issues.
For the first hundred pages, I thought this novel would probe those issues in a sensitive and intelligent way. The two main characters Ð Miriam, the mother who left her daughter behind, and Ronnee, her bi-racial child Ð start out as intriguing characters. The pain of Miriam, who has a good life, but canÕt appreciate it because of the hole left by her absent child, is palpable. And Ronnee is a beautifully written character. We learn early on that she agrees to meet with her mother mainly because sheÕs hoping for some money to finance her way to college. And yet she doesnÕt come across as a greedy villain, but rather as an intelligent, ambitious and complex young woman.
But once Rosellen Brown goes into flashback to tell the story of MiriamÕs affair with RonneeÕs father, the novel goes astray. The biggest problem is that the author doesnÕt seem to know what to make of MiriamÕs lover, Eljay. She begins with a promising portrait of a charming and intelligent man, somewhat edgy and resentful because of all he has had to suffer to get where he is. But then, out of nowhere, he gets involved with a group of black separatists who seem to take over his personality. Suddenly heÕs a different, incomprehensible, man. Because we never get inside EljayÕs head, but only see him from MiriamÕs point of view, the change in him seems weird. I have the feeling Rosellen Brown was merely trying to make the point that black racism can be just as bad as white racism, but her political point gets in the way of the story. It would have been a lot more interesting to see what Afrocentrism meant to a man like Eljay. Dismissing his point of view seems like a betrayal of a potentially fascinating character.
And the novel goes downhill from there, with one clich after another. Almost all the characters, black and white, are bigots, and the bigotry is so blatant and obvious, so crude, that it makes the novel seem anachronistic. God knows racism has not disappeared, but the author seems unaware that it usually takes subtler forms than it did in 1960.
Rosellen Brown is obviously a talented writer, and this novel had a lot of potential, but unfortunately the promise remained unfulfilled.
Rating: 5
Summary: An emotionally rewarding answer to the question "what if?"
Comment: As the mother of several grown children, I've often wondered who my children would have been without my influence...who I would have been without them at the center of my life. This wonderful story explores those "What if" questions in an engrossing and authentic way. By creating a mother and daughter who are desperate to compensate for a lifetime of seperation, this book pays beautiful tribute to the amazing power of parenthood. As is always true of Ms. Brown's books, the writing is lush and lovely.
Rating: 5
Summary: Half a Heart
Comment: It's been a while since I've read a book that totally mesmerized me. I wanted it to go on and on. It is a beautiful story, yet does get ugly and strange at times. That's what makes it so special. You want to keep reading to find out what will happen next.I felt it was very realistic, considering the timing. I also enjoyed the way Brown let Ronnee and Miriam speak throughout the book.
I recommend this book and look forward now to reading Brown's other books
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Title: Machine Dreams by Jayne Anne Phillips, Jayne Anne Phillips ISBN: 0375705252 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 09 November, 1999 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd by Ana Menendez ISBN: 080213887X Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: May, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: The River Beyond the World : A Novel by Janet Peery ISBN: 0312169868 Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 15 September, 1997 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Barren Ground by Ellen Glasgow ISBN: 015610685X Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: November, 1985 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown ISBN: 0385504209 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 18 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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