3 out of 4 stars
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Water Thicker Than Blood by Saundra Terrell is a historical fiction novel that follows the lives of various people, concentrating each person's family history, character, the choices they make and their trials and tribulations as they navigate the murky waters of life.
The main protagonists are Martha, Johnny Mae, Martha's granddaughter, and Pearl. (Yes, Johnny Mae is a girl). We are introduced to Johnny Mae who at the time is just a little girl but is abandoned by her irresponsible father and left to live with strangers as her father works on the railroad. Martha's story begins when she is a young woman coming of age. As she grows older, an unfortunate event befalls her and she decides to put her dreams aside and get married. Pearl on the other hand lives in Philadelphia with her hardworking mother, her two siblings and her father who is a serial gambler. Although she takes after her mother's nurturing and caring traits, her sister on the other hand is irresponsible and selfish just like their father. Against all odds, Pearl manages to accomplish her dream of becoming a successful singer thus amassing wealth and she is both envied and admired by most of the people she interacts with.
The story is set in the mid 19th century to the mid 20th century. This is during and after the abolition of slavery in America where racism is rife and colorism is even stronger. In this era, a woman's place is predominantly the kitchen and educated women, especially educated women of color are a rare breed. What these three women have in common is that they are women of color, brilliant, hardworking and well educated, with Johnny Mae graduating form college. The major themes tackled in this book are adultery, rape, racism, family values, hard work, education, kindness and family integration.
I must admit that form the moment I started reading this book, I was engrossed in the story. It is well paced and I didn't feel like I was missing any bit of relevant information. The epub version I received is 280 pages long and I took the time to devour every bit of the story. It felt like I was right there in the middle of the action. The characters are relatable, well developed and each one stood out. It was easy to like, dislike or empathize with any character as soon as they were introduced. Although the book's main focus is on the female characters, the male characters also play an important role in shaping the women's lives.
Besides being an inspiring and entertaining read, the story was mostly predictable. I came across a few typos and missing words like on page 6 which reads, "Let them see your put your hands..." Instead of "Let them see you put your hands..." The first few words of each chapter are also written in uppercase. Given that the story is about black Americans, some slang used and this could be challenging for people who are not familiar with that kind of language. It is a relief that the story is told from the third person point of view because the slang only appears in dialogue. A few sex scenes popped up and this makes the book inappropriate for younger readers. This however did not diminish my enthusiasm for the story.
Water Thicker Than Blood conveys important life lessons on human interaction that are very much applicable in today's modern society. I would recommend it for feminists, anyone in a difficult relationship and anyone who desires a leap back in time. I therefore rate this book 3 out of 4 stars and I look forward to reading more works from this author.
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Water Thicker Than Blood
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