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The Sweetest Hallelujah
An unforgettable story of two courageous women brought together by one extraordinary little girl Betty Jewel Hughes was once the hottest black jazz singer in Memphis. But when she finds herself pregnant and alone, she gives up her dream of being a star to raise her beautiful daughter, Billie, in Shakerag, Mississippi. Now, ten years later, in 1955, Betty Jewel is dying of cancer and looking for someone to care for Billie when she's gone. With no one she can count on, Betty Jewel does the she takes out a want ad seeking a loving mother for her daughter. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, recently widowed Cassie Malone is an outspoken housewife insulated by her wealth and privileged white society. Working part-time at a newspaper, she is drawn to Betty Jewel through her mysterious ad. With racial tension in the South brewing, the women forge a bond as deep as it is forbidden. But neither woman could have imagined the gifts they would find in each other, and in the sweet young girl they both love with all their hearts. Deeply moving and richly evocative, The Sweetest Hallelujah is a remarkable tale about finding hope in a time of turmoil, and about the transcendent and transformative power of friendship.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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About the author
Elaine Hussey
10 books27 followersElaine Hussey is a writer, actress and musician who likes to describe herself as “Southern to the bone.” She lives in Mississippi, where her love of blues and admiration for the unsung heroes of her state’s history served as inspiration for The Swe etest Hall elujah . Visit her at www.ElaineHussey.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews
January 18, 2014
The blurb on the front which said ‘for fans of The Help’ almost put me off reading this book. I hate being told a book is like another. This is not The Help but it is a very good book.
I was into this story from the first sentence. Billie is a child that eavesdrops on conversations and doesn’t always tell the truth, but she is a delight. She is so full of spunk. She captures your heart, especially given the circumstances she has in her life, which consist of a mother who is dying of cancer and a father who is conspicuous by his absence. Queen, Billie’s grandmother and Betty Jewels' mother, is a great character. But strong as she is, Betty Jewel knows Queen cannot raise Billie alone. So Betty Jewel puts an ad in the paper.
On the other side of town, Cassie Malone who works for local newspaper The Bugle lives. She is still trying to come to terms with the death of her husband Joe. She is drawn to Betty Jewel's plight and goes to visit her despite it being in the poor Negro part of town where most white people would never go. What she finds is a lot more than she bargained for.
This is a story of love and forgiveness, of friendship and of staying true to yourself. It is set against the racial tensions of the 1950s. If you can read this story without anger and tears, you are better than me. I adored this book and initially gave it five stars. But then the more I thought about it, I dropped it back to four and a half, only because I thought the ending was perhaps a little too neat. The racial tensions and associated problems evident earlier just disappeared as though all society had changed when in reality only some people had changed. Still that little quibble aside this is a great read and a real feel good book.
four and a half stars.
I was into this story from the first sentence. Billie is a child that eavesdrops on conversations and doesn’t always tell the truth, but she is a delight. She is so full of spunk. She captures your heart, especially given the circumstances she has in her life, which consist of a mother who is dying of cancer and a father who is conspicuous by his absence. Queen, Billie’s grandmother and Betty Jewels' mother, is a great character. But strong as she is, Betty Jewel knows Queen cannot raise Billie alone. So Betty Jewel puts an ad in the paper.
On the other side of town, Cassie Malone who works for local newspaper The Bugle lives. She is still trying to come to terms with the death of her husband Joe. She is drawn to Betty Jewel's plight and goes to visit her despite it being in the poor Negro part of town where most white people would never go. What she finds is a lot more than she bargained for.
This is a story of love and forgiveness, of friendship and of staying true to yourself. It is set against the racial tensions of the 1950s. If you can read this story without anger and tears, you are better than me. I adored this book and initially gave it five stars. But then the more I thought about it, I dropped it back to four and a half, only because I thought the ending was perhaps a little too neat. The racial tensions and associated problems evident earlier just disappeared as though all society had changed when in reality only some people had changed. Still that little quibble aside this is a great read and a real feel good book.
four and a half stars.
December 23, 2014
Predictable and trite. All of the racial problems of the 50's in the South are evident throughout the book but seem to just vanish at the end of the story.
September 3, 2013
This is an entertaining, although unrealistic book. In 1955 there was a law that made possible for a white person to legally adopt a black child, so that's perfectly fine. No problems there.
What is hard to believe however, even for a work of fiction, is how Cassie breezed through everything... Really??? This is Mississippi in the 50s!! And the worst that happened to Cassie was a racial slur on her immaculate front porch?! It's ludicrous. That was the time of the Emmett Till murder; the KKK was the law of the land... and still the adoption was a breeze. As easy as cake.
Historical fiction? Nahh, more like science fiction.
What is hard to believe however, even for a work of fiction, is how Cassie breezed through everything... Really??? This is Mississippi in the 50s!! And the worst that happened to Cassie was a racial slur on her immaculate front porch?! It's ludicrous. That was the time of the Emmett Till murder; the KKK was the law of the land... and still the adoption was a breeze. As easy as cake.
Historical fiction? Nahh, more like science fiction.
September 5, 2013
After thinking about this over the night I decided that I needed to do a much more detailed review. When I first started reading this I thought ahh To Kill A Mockingbird, but no, then as I moved on I equated it with The Help--but no. This is not a bad book, it is a nice read, BUT it lacks the detail and "rounding" of characters that would make it a GREAT book. The timeline brings up all sorts of unaddressed questions; the abrupt acceptance of the principle issue seems false and the ignorance of the prevailing issue of the day seems more than Pollyannish. I encourage you to read this book and see what you think. It is a sweet story but it could have been a profound story.
January 22, 2014
I found the characters engaging and interesting but the writing was just not very good. Particularly annoying was the forced "magical realist" element--did you know every time something bad or ominous is about to happen, people hear blues music and smell barbecue? It got to be tedious.
The story was a little too neat for my liking too. The resolution was far too easy. The story takes place in the south during a racially charged time of the 1950s, yet the racial divide seems a little too easy to cross here. I kept waiting for worse and more realistic repercussions to happen, but they just never came. The author played it too safe here.
Like I said, I thought the characters were interesting and read on simply because I wanted to know what happened to them, but this was pretty mediocre and the writing felt flat and awkward.
The story was a little too neat for my liking too. The resolution was far too easy. The story takes place in the south during a racially charged time of the 1950s, yet the racial divide seems a little too easy to cross here. I kept waiting for worse and more realistic repercussions to happen, but they just never came. The author played it too safe here.
Like I said, I thought the characters were interesting and read on simply because I wanted to know what happened to them, but this was pretty mediocre and the writing felt flat and awkward.
June 19, 2017
While unrealistic about the racial tension throughout the United States and more specifically Mississippi, I found The Sweetest Hallelujah to be a good story and adored Billie for her spunk, Betty Jewel for her courage and Cassie for thinking four women could start making a change. "The simple gestures - water when you're fain, blankets when you're cold, a hand when you're falling - tell of friendships so strong they could withstand anything, even long-held secrets.
September 23, 2020
I’m giving this 4 stars bc I truly enjoyed this story. I enjoyed the character studies & situational challenges in an historical racially toxic environment. I loved that the story acknowledged the historical events, but did not make those events the central focus.
I loved the strong relationship between the dying Betty Jewel and her two lady friends. Their boldness, honesty with each other, and fierce energy. They were not victims. They decided their lives.
Queen, Betty Jewel’s mother, was the typical older Black woman in the Black Family. The author didn’t do anything new here. Nevertheless, Queen was a delight.
Billie, the daughter was not realistically developed. She never questioned her appearance, or her differences. How could that not have occurred? I wish the author had done more with her, especially after she met Saint, her mother’s ex husband.
The white woman, Cassie, was the most unrealistic of all the characters, yet even she, was an enjoyable character. As her character was talking, a lot of the anger & fear & uncertainty that should normally be there was absent. She was too unreal. Just too unreal. Yet, the story needed someone as bold to move along the projected path.
Yes, the story is unbelievable, but because we R so hopeful as to the common decency of ALL peoples, I found it enjoyable. Even fantastical. It’s like make a wish, & watch it come to reality.
My big problem is with the final chapters, the end of the book as they lived happily ever after. It was very abrupt and sterile. It was almost as if she got tired of telling the story & wanting it to end. So she rushed to wrap it up and did so in a most unbelievable way.
I loved the strong relationship between the dying Betty Jewel and her two lady friends. Their boldness, honesty with each other, and fierce energy. They were not victims. They decided their lives.
Queen, Betty Jewel’s mother, was the typical older Black woman in the Black Family. The author didn’t do anything new here. Nevertheless, Queen was a delight.
Billie, the daughter was not realistically developed. She never questioned her appearance, or her differences. How could that not have occurred? I wish the author had done more with her, especially after she met Saint, her mother’s ex husband.
The white woman, Cassie, was the most unrealistic of all the characters, yet even she, was an enjoyable character. As her character was talking, a lot of the anger & fear & uncertainty that should normally be there was absent. She was too unreal. Just too unreal. Yet, the story needed someone as bold to move along the projected path.
Yes, the story is unbelievable, but because we R so hopeful as to the common decency of ALL peoples, I found it enjoyable. Even fantastical. It’s like make a wish, & watch it come to reality.
My big problem is with the final chapters, the end of the book as they lived happily ever after. It was very abrupt and sterile. It was almost as if she got tired of telling the story & wanting it to end. So she rushed to wrap it up and did so in a most unbelievable way.
January 13, 2019
WOW!!! This is a story that reaches your heart and leaves an imprint for sure!
Set in Mississippi in the late 50's/early 60's when racial tension over segregations and whites helping blacks to register to vote, is the story of a 30-something white woman journalist who reads an ad in the paper about a black woman who is dying and is asking for help for her 10-yr-old daughter.
A great cast of characters, a great story that I'll remember for a very long time.
If you've read The Help, I think you'd really enjoy reading The Sweetest Hallelujah. I HIGHLY recommend it!!! I really look forward to reading more by this author.
Set in Mississippi in the late 50's/early 60's when racial tension over segregations and whites helping blacks to register to vote, is the story of a 30-something white woman journalist who reads an ad in the paper about a black woman who is dying and is asking for help for her 10-yr-old daughter.
A great cast of characters, a great story that I'll remember for a very long time.
If you've read The Help, I think you'd really enjoy reading The Sweetest Hallelujah. I HIGHLY recommend it!!! I really look forward to reading more by this author.
May 29, 2021
Unexpected friendship, the power of women pulling together, and the grace of forgiveness. I loved this book.
February 14, 2019
A really beautiful story. I loved the friendship that blossomed between Cassie and Betty jewel. Brought me to tears but and the same time made me feel so happy.
July 11, 2014
I'm a sucker for any book that tackles race relations, especially in America in the South before or during the civil rights movement. Some have compared this book to the immensely popular book "The Help" and I did see many similarities. Some have also called this another "white savior" book, which was a complaint that was made about "The Help". African Americans, poor and mistreated, come to rely on an angel in the form of a white woman who breaks racial barriers and risks her life, limb and social standing to perform her angelic and somewhat unbelievable miracles. The Sweetest Hallelujah revolves around an African American, Bettie Jewel, a former blues singer, Bettie's mother "Queen" and Bettie's 11 year old daughter, Billie. Tragically, Bettie Jewel has terminal cancer and decides to take out an ad in a local newspaper for someone to care for Billie after she succumbs to the cancer. Enter Cassie Malone, a young childless widow who sees the ad and drives to Bettie's home in Shakerag, Mississippi to do a story on this woman who would place such an ad. From here on, cans of worms are opened left and right. Bettie, Queen, and Bettie's friends don't trust and don't like Cassie.
****************SPOILER ALERT BELOW******************
Cassie discovers that Billie is tbe illegitmate daughter of her dead husband, Joe. Joe and Bettie's one-night stand resulted in this child, a biracial child who believes that her father is a once-famous trumpet player, Saint Hughes. Why does she believe that? She is led to believe that because her mother never told her the truth, which leads Billie to idolize this "father", who is really a washed-up, drug abusing womanizer who treated Bettie terribly.
When Cassie discovers that her husband fathered Billie, she is enraged, but eventually decides to befriend Bettie and Billie and help them. Bettie and Cassie becomes best friends who have bonded over the welfare of Billie, who Cassie feels she must protect. After all, what woman doesn't want to help the woman who had an affair with her husband AND the child that was produced? To add salt to Cassie's wounds, she was infertile and could not conceive.
Billie, who still believes that Saint Hughes is her father, runs away in attempt to find him so that he can help finance Bettie's medical care. Billie believes that Saint can pay for the best doctors so that her mother will not die.
In the end, everyone finds out the truth, Bettie does indeed die and Cassie legally adopts Billie to live happily ever after in white privilege.
I gave this book 3 stars because I had to suspend my disbelief too often for my liking. I also felt that the author relied too heavily upon stupid metaphors and overused phrases. Why do all of the women in this book walk with "arms linked?" Why are house numbers and stains on tables both "tattooed?" It almost felt as if the author was trying too hard to draw us a picture. However, where she failed is in the development of the characters. Billie could have been so much more interesting and Bettie Jewel was so boring I wondered why it took her so long to finally die. Queen was forever baking and her dialogue was over the top with her dialect. Cassie seemed likable; however, she also seemed like somewhat of a wimp.
****************SPOILER ALERT BELOW******************
Cassie discovers that Billie is tbe illegitmate daughter of her dead husband, Joe. Joe and Bettie's one-night stand resulted in this child, a biracial child who believes that her father is a once-famous trumpet player, Saint Hughes. Why does she believe that? She is led to believe that because her mother never told her the truth, which leads Billie to idolize this "father", who is really a washed-up, drug abusing womanizer who treated Bettie terribly.
When Cassie discovers that her husband fathered Billie, she is enraged, but eventually decides to befriend Bettie and Billie and help them. Bettie and Cassie becomes best friends who have bonded over the welfare of Billie, who Cassie feels she must protect. After all, what woman doesn't want to help the woman who had an affair with her husband AND the child that was produced? To add salt to Cassie's wounds, she was infertile and could not conceive.
Billie, who still believes that Saint Hughes is her father, runs away in attempt to find him so that he can help finance Bettie's medical care. Billie believes that Saint can pay for the best doctors so that her mother will not die.
In the end, everyone finds out the truth, Bettie does indeed die and Cassie legally adopts Billie to live happily ever after in white privilege.
I gave this book 3 stars because I had to suspend my disbelief too often for my liking. I also felt that the author relied too heavily upon stupid metaphors and overused phrases. Why do all of the women in this book walk with "arms linked?" Why are house numbers and stains on tables both "tattooed?" It almost felt as if the author was trying too hard to draw us a picture. However, where she failed is in the development of the characters. Billie could have been so much more interesting and Bettie Jewel was so boring I wondered why it took her so long to finally die. Queen was forever baking and her dialogue was over the top with her dialect. Cassie seemed likable; however, she also seemed like somewhat of a wimp.
December 28, 2020
This was a simple heartwarming story about family bonds and strong friendship. It follows the story of a white woman keeping a promise to adopt a black girl in the 1950s. To be honest, I can’t help but thinking this will never happened that easily in real life. But overall, this was readable.
October 31, 2013
La 4ème de couverture m’a de suite intriguée. Cette histoire de petite fille qui part à la recherche de son papa dans les difficultés raciales que connait l’Amérique des années 50 m’a titillée. Autant parce que je suis curieuse de cette époque qui dépasse mon entendement autant parce que j’aime les histoires familiales.
Billie est une petite fille de 10 ans qui a la fâcheuse habitude d’écouter aux portes. C’est comme ça qu’elle apprend que sa maman va mourir et qu’elle se met en tête de retrouver son papa, qui, elle en est sure, pourra guérir sa maman. Sauf que le monde est loin d’être aussi parfait que celui dans lequel évolue une adorable petite fille têtue de 10 ans, et que rien ne se passe comme prévu.
Je suis friande de ce genre de livres. Ils ne sont pas une histoire vraie mais dépeignent très bien les conditions de vie dans laquelle leur décors s’implante. Le Mississippi des années 50 n’est pas un endroit où il fait bon vivre quand on est noir ou quand on est un blanc militant pour les droits des noirs. Je suis fascinée par ces gens qui ont eu le courage de braver les interdits de cette époque et qui ont, à leur manière, lutter pour les droits de l’homme. Ces personnes restées dans l’ombre qui ont pourtant tant fait pour que tous aient les mêmes droits.
Ce livre ne narre pas l’histoire d’un personnage qui a marqué son époque en changeant les choses, non, juste la vie quotidienne de femmes unies pour essayer de faire le bonheur d’une petite fille bientôt orpheline.
Dire que ce livre est touchant serait une euphémisme, il est plus que ça. Il montre que la vie est loin d’être facile, et ce quelque soit sa couleur de peau, mais qu’en s’unissant, en s’entraidant, elle est de suite plus facile.
Un peu dans la lignée de « La couleur des sentiments » ce livre est pour moi une belle leçon. Il me fait me sentir plus humble, limite toute petite à côté de ce que certaines personnes sont capables de faire.
La galerie de personnages haut en couleur que nous présente l’auteure est un condensé des différents types de pensées de l’époque, mais ce n’est pas ce qui est le plus notable dans ce récit. La force de ce roman, ce sont ses femmes et cette petite fille qui font front ensemble face à la mort et aux préjugés.
Nous avons ici trois narratrices : la petite Billie, sa maman Betty Jewel et Cassie, la femme qui va représenter leur salut. Ce changement de narrateurs nous permet d’aborder l’histoire sous tous les points de vue et d’en comprendre toute la portée. Même si l’auteure aborde le sujet de la haine raciale à cette époque elle veut surtout mettre l’accent sur la vie de ses femmes qui se voient chamboulée par le même événement et leur façon d’y faire face.
Comme vous l’aurez compris, j’ai adoré ce livre, d’ailleurs si vous en avez dans le même style à me conseiller, je suis preneuse !
Billie est une petite fille de 10 ans qui a la fâcheuse habitude d’écouter aux portes. C’est comme ça qu’elle apprend que sa maman va mourir et qu’elle se met en tête de retrouver son papa, qui, elle en est sure, pourra guérir sa maman. Sauf que le monde est loin d’être aussi parfait que celui dans lequel évolue une adorable petite fille têtue de 10 ans, et que rien ne se passe comme prévu.
Je suis friande de ce genre de livres. Ils ne sont pas une histoire vraie mais dépeignent très bien les conditions de vie dans laquelle leur décors s’implante. Le Mississippi des années 50 n’est pas un endroit où il fait bon vivre quand on est noir ou quand on est un blanc militant pour les droits des noirs. Je suis fascinée par ces gens qui ont eu le courage de braver les interdits de cette époque et qui ont, à leur manière, lutter pour les droits de l’homme. Ces personnes restées dans l’ombre qui ont pourtant tant fait pour que tous aient les mêmes droits.
Ce livre ne narre pas l’histoire d’un personnage qui a marqué son époque en changeant les choses, non, juste la vie quotidienne de femmes unies pour essayer de faire le bonheur d’une petite fille bientôt orpheline.
Dire que ce livre est touchant serait une euphémisme, il est plus que ça. Il montre que la vie est loin d’être facile, et ce quelque soit sa couleur de peau, mais qu’en s’unissant, en s’entraidant, elle est de suite plus facile.
Un peu dans la lignée de « La couleur des sentiments » ce livre est pour moi une belle leçon. Il me fait me sentir plus humble, limite toute petite à côté de ce que certaines personnes sont capables de faire.
La galerie de personnages haut en couleur que nous présente l’auteure est un condensé des différents types de pensées de l’époque, mais ce n’est pas ce qui est le plus notable dans ce récit. La force de ce roman, ce sont ses femmes et cette petite fille qui font front ensemble face à la mort et aux préjugés.
Nous avons ici trois narratrices : la petite Billie, sa maman Betty Jewel et Cassie, la femme qui va représenter leur salut. Ce changement de narrateurs nous permet d’aborder l’histoire sous tous les points de vue et d’en comprendre toute la portée. Même si l’auteure aborde le sujet de la haine raciale à cette époque elle veut surtout mettre l’accent sur la vie de ses femmes qui se voient chamboulée par le même événement et leur façon d’y faire face.
Comme vous l’aurez compris, j’ai adoré ce livre, d’ailleurs si vous en avez dans le même style à me conseiller, je suis preneuse !
June 27, 2013
*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book on Netgalley from the publisher in return for an honest review*
Author
Elaine Hussey is a writer, actress and musician who likes to describe herself as “Southern to the bone.” She lives in Mississippi, where her love of blues and admiration for the unsung heroes of her state’s history served as inspiration for The Sweetest Hallelujah.
Review
I enjoyed reading this book but it failed to leave a big emotional impression though all the ingredients where there. But there where so many situations to take in that the speed of the story did not really allow me to drown in the sadness of it all. In a way this was pleasant, I do not really like books that make me cry every other page on the other hand I did feel like I missed out on something.
This is a book about strong woman. All of them learn to survive in their own way. I for sure would not want to be a man in their life because the pictures I got from the men involved was not really nice. Only Tiny Jim could get some credit but not to much. I really loved how all the characters had their own thing that made them stand out. Queen is the person gluing all the other characters together with food, prayer and wise lessons. I really loved her and was really able to connect with her. Betty Jewel and Cassie felt the same to me, both convinced the world is supposed to be a better place. For me they where a bit too alike to see them as really separate characters. With Billy I had some trouble with her age against her behavior she did not always feel as a ten year old but mostly younger. What I did like was that while the story was developing she was changing which became more clear in her behavior towards her best friend Lucy. She already had more spunk that her best friend but at the end of the story it was clear she had been trough much more emotionally than Lucy and that made her a bit older.
I need to give Elaine Hussey a compliment for not letting the many situations she touched in her story distract her from her main story.
Author
Elaine Hussey is a writer, actress and musician who likes to describe herself as “Southern to the bone.” She lives in Mississippi, where her love of blues and admiration for the unsung heroes of her state’s history served as inspiration for The Sweetest Hallelujah.
Review
I enjoyed reading this book but it failed to leave a big emotional impression though all the ingredients where there. But there where so many situations to take in that the speed of the story did not really allow me to drown in the sadness of it all. In a way this was pleasant, I do not really like books that make me cry every other page on the other hand I did feel like I missed out on something.
This is a book about strong woman. All of them learn to survive in their own way. I for sure would not want to be a man in their life because the pictures I got from the men involved was not really nice. Only Tiny Jim could get some credit but not to much. I really loved how all the characters had their own thing that made them stand out. Queen is the person gluing all the other characters together with food, prayer and wise lessons. I really loved her and was really able to connect with her. Betty Jewel and Cassie felt the same to me, both convinced the world is supposed to be a better place. For me they where a bit too alike to see them as really separate characters. With Billy I had some trouble with her age against her behavior she did not always feel as a ten year old but mostly younger. What I did like was that while the story was developing she was changing which became more clear in her behavior towards her best friend Lucy. She already had more spunk that her best friend but at the end of the story it was clear she had been trough much more emotionally than Lucy and that made her a bit older.
I need to give Elaine Hussey a compliment for not letting the many situations she touched in her story distract her from her main story.
November 3, 2014
I didn't find this book "trite" or predictable, except the fact that Betty Jewell is going to die. Her desire to place her daughter Billie with someone after she's gone is the impetus for placing an ad in the local Tupelo Mississippi paper pleading for someone willing to raise her daughter which sets off a racist backlash against the women in the story. Cassie Malone a reporter for the paper, and grieving childless widow decides to do a story about Betty Jewell and Billie. She ends up friends with Betty Jewell, Queen, and eventually Billie. I suppose this is where the novel probably suspend belief. Could a white woman and an African American family join forces in 50's Mississippi at a time of great racial hatred and where the rule was to "keep to your own"?
I loved the characters of Queen, Betty Jewell's strong mother and Billie, the feisty 10 year old who is struggling with grief and wanting her missing father whom she idolizes. Queen is wonderful. Strong, courageous and full of love for her family and especially her only child Betty Jewell who is dying of cancer. Queen has very strong faith and believes in the power of prayer, and she knows just where her daughter is going. Betty Jewell is not sure where she's going. Sometimes she thinks she's going to hell because of mistakes she's made in her life. I found these characters more real than the white folks and enjoyed the interaction of Betty Jewell, her two girlfriends, and her mother. That's why I gave this 3 stars instead of the two that others gave.
I loved the characters of Queen, Betty Jewell's strong mother and Billie, the feisty 10 year old who is struggling with grief and wanting her missing father whom she idolizes. Queen is wonderful. Strong, courageous and full of love for her family and especially her only child Betty Jewell who is dying of cancer. Queen has very strong faith and believes in the power of prayer, and she knows just where her daughter is going. Betty Jewell is not sure where she's going. Sometimes she thinks she's going to hell because of mistakes she's made in her life. I found these characters more real than the white folks and enjoyed the interaction of Betty Jewell, her two girlfriends, and her mother. That's why I gave this 3 stars instead of the two that others gave.
July 10, 2013
THE SWEETEST HALLELUJAH by Elaine Hussey
Betty Jewel, dying of cancer, is looking for someone to care for her 10 year old daughter, Billie. Someone who is NOT the child’s father. Shakerag, Mississippi, in the middle 1950’s, is a hotbed of racial unrest. When a white journalist hears Betty Jewel’s story and appears to want to raise the black child, both women are in danger.
This is a wonderful story with plenty of twists and turns to keep the plot moving along. The characters are real, speak truly and in character and are people you want to know. This story will live with you long after you finish the book. Friends are a vital part of the tale for both women, both those who stand by them and their decisions and those who vehemently voice their opposition.
Book groups will find this a great book to spark a discussion of racism, friendship, marriage, trust, adoption, journalism, community, illness and hope. A minor theme is music and its ability to heal and support both the music makers and the hearers.
Betty Jewel, dying of cancer, is looking for someone to care for her 10 year old daughter, Billie. Someone who is NOT the child’s father. Shakerag, Mississippi, in the middle 1950’s, is a hotbed of racial unrest. When a white journalist hears Betty Jewel’s story and appears to want to raise the black child, both women are in danger.
This is a wonderful story with plenty of twists and turns to keep the plot moving along. The characters are real, speak truly and in character and are people you want to know. This story will live with you long after you finish the book. Friends are a vital part of the tale for both women, both those who stand by them and their decisions and those who vehemently voice their opposition.
Book groups will find this a great book to spark a discussion of racism, friendship, marriage, trust, adoption, journalism, community, illness and hope. A minor theme is music and its ability to heal and support both the music makers and the hearers.
June 23, 2015
This was an excellent book. The setting, dialect and themes of racial unrest were all very reminiscent of The Help, but easily stood alone inside this story. The added emotional pull that came from the tale of a dying mother, Betty Jewel, who desperately wanted to find the best life possible for her little girl, Billie, was both heart-wrenching and thought-provoking. The third point to the triangle of main characters came in the form of spunky widow Cassie Malone, who unknowingly stumbled upon this mother-daughter pair and became a crusader on their behalf.
The cast of supporting characters was just as entertaining. And the hope that was built by this story of people coming together from both sides of the tracks, especially during a time of such uncertainty and turmoil, was incredibly uplifting. When I read this book, I ran the full gamut of emotions - I laughed, I cried, I got angry. To me, that's the true test of a good work of fiction. It made me feel and I love that about this book.
The cast of supporting characters was just as entertaining. And the hope that was built by this story of people coming together from both sides of the tracks, especially during a time of such uncertainty and turmoil, was incredibly uplifting. When I read this book, I ran the full gamut of emotions - I laughed, I cried, I got angry. To me, that's the true test of a good work of fiction. It made me feel and I love that about this book.
May 5, 2014
I didn't really like my bookclub's last pick, so I was dreading reading this one.
However, I was hooked within the first couple of pages!
This is the story of a little black girl, Billie, whose single mother is dying from cancer (most people would say the story is about the mother, Betty Jewel, but the whole story revolves around Billie, so I see it a little differently). The year is 1955 and the place is the South; so racial tensions are very high.
Billie's mother places an ad in the paper for someone to take care of Billie, and that is where the fun starts.
We get to know Cassie Malone, a stalwart and rich white widow, who sees the ad and goes to investigate (she is a sometime reporter for a local paper).
The story revolves around Billie, Betty Jewel, Cassie, and a host of friends and family and their love for each other and for Billie.
The writing was wonderfully clear and evocative of southern charm and manners. It was a heart-rending story, and the author did not shy away from the difficulties of that era in the South, which was brilliantly and lovingly handled.
However, I was hooked within the first couple of pages!
This is the story of a little black girl, Billie, whose single mother is dying from cancer (most people would say the story is about the mother, Betty Jewel, but the whole story revolves around Billie, so I see it a little differently). The year is 1955 and the place is the South; so racial tensions are very high.
Billie's mother places an ad in the paper for someone to take care of Billie, and that is where the fun starts.
We get to know Cassie Malone, a stalwart and rich white widow, who sees the ad and goes to investigate (she is a sometime reporter for a local paper).
The story revolves around Billie, Betty Jewel, Cassie, and a host of friends and family and their love for each other and for Billie.
The writing was wonderfully clear and evocative of southern charm and manners. It was a heart-rending story, and the author did not shy away from the difficulties of that era in the South, which was brilliantly and lovingly handled.
August 21, 2013
With the many acknowledgements of the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, there are many books being released that address the atmosphere and the effects the movement had on people at the time. Author Elaine Hussey takes her readers deep into the heart of Mississippi through the story of one little girl and how a group of women, black and white, banded together to give her a home in her new book, “The Sweetest Hallelujah.”
Hussey creates a story that will resonant with readers long after the final page is turned. This novel serves as a strong reminder that women, in all their fragility, are made of sterner stuff. Women are made to endure great suffering and great joy regardless of the situations made by others and “The Sweetest Hallelujah” Is a wonderful testimony to that great strength.
I highly recommend it!
Hussey creates a story that will resonant with readers long after the final page is turned. This novel serves as a strong reminder that women, in all their fragility, are made of sterner stuff. Women are made to endure great suffering and great joy regardless of the situations made by others and “The Sweetest Hallelujah” Is a wonderful testimony to that great strength.
I highly recommend it!
Read
December 29, 2014"This novel could have easily spanned another hundred pages and readers would have willingly stayed along for the ride. The issue of race and the consequences of pursuing an interracial friendship are at times hard to stomach, but provide an accurate view of life in 1955 Mississippi. Hussey does a good job of speaking from the perspective of a dying African-American woman, an African-American child and a Caucasian woman; though different in background and circumstance, Hussey merges their stories together beautifully. Readers will yearn for a happy ending for them all." RT Book Reviews, rated 4 stars
August 26, 2013
Loved this book! I could feel the heat and the mosquitoes, smell the barbecue and fried chicken and see the town, the poor part and the rich part! The characters were interesting and fairly believable. The racial tensions just sort of simmered in the background but never boiled over. That is how it was in my hometown also. AS blacks and whites got to know each other, the tensions just eased away. IN the end we are all just people who care about our families.....I recommend this book!
August 6, 2014
Started out with good, interesting story line and strong characters BUT then it just fizzled. Not to spoil the plot or anything but due to the various circumstances they were facing, one in particular, the friendship between Betty Jewel and Cassie was too quick and too easy. From there on out just ribbons and fluff. Disappointing.
January 12, 2018
I really wanted to love this book, but it just lacked a depth that I was expecting. Many of the characters were not well developed. I also felt that the racial tension of Mississippi in the 1950's was just glossed over. If you were a fan of The Help of To Kill A Mockingbird, this book will unfortunately come up short for you.
November 15, 2018
There was a lot of skimming this one. It was far too long and dragged for most of the book. We understand that Betty is dying of cancer and needs to get someone to raise Billie. That shouldn’t take 300 pages. And the treatment of race relations in the south was more like an afterthought or an annoyance, not any kind of true representation of what was actually going on.
November 3, 2013
This books had a big helping of "Beaches", a heaping cup full of "the Help". a dash of "Dream with little Angels", and a light sprinkling of Steel Magnolias, garnished with some Fannie Flagg vernacular.
March 29, 2014
This is NOT like The Help in any way other than the time period and the number of women as main characters. It's a nice enough story, but very pat and completely predictable. It does save any literal images of the horrors that occured from appearing so it's a Disney version of racial tensions.
April 21, 2019
Yikes. Can't believe I stuck with this book just to see how it ended. There were parts I liked, and some concepts that were so repetitive that I tired of them and didn't want to see/hear them yet again.
August 5, 2013
This book had such potential, but fell short.
December 16, 2013
This book was not my favorite. Not that it didn't have a good plot, I just thought that the writing was not the best. Too many cliche sayings for my taste.
January 3, 2024
"The Sweetest Hallelujah" is a story about sisterhood, of women breaking down barriers of race and class by taking care of each other despite massive obstacles. The story takes place in the American south in the 1950s, in a society that is very segregated and very unequal. The only social encounters between black and white, it seems, is occasioned by love of blues music; which is how Cassie's late husband met a black woman, Betty Jewel, who as the book begins is living with terminal cancer.
Cassie is a local journalist, and a very caring person. When she sets out to investigate the story of Betty Jewel's search to find a new mother for her ten year old child, Cassie gets a shock which makes her re-evaluate her memories of her marriage. After a brief self-destructive period, which a woman friend of her own class helps her recover from, Cassie finds she can't get the Betty's charming daughter Billie out of her head. Despite the hostility of many people in both the black and white communities to her spending time in the black neighbourhood, Cassie does her best to help Betty. When the child runs away, seeking for her father (Betty had parted from her husband due to drinking and drug-taking which caused him to be abusive, and resulted in a spell in prison); Cassie and the seriously ailing Betty Jewel bond on a road trip to find the girl. Cassie is the one to take this trip on because she has a car. They embark on the trip in a situation in which they can't stay in a hotel together without subterfuge and can't eat together in a restaurant. They hear stories of lynching of black people and attacks on the property of white sympathisers.
Cassie's depressive episode and then her road trip must have meant that she stopped writing her feature articles for a time. There is no mention of her keeping a journal or writing anything during or after her trip; no mention of her or the newspaper editor worrying about this lapse in her work. The newspaper editor is concerned for her welfare, however, and albeit his liberalism warns Cassie not to get over-involved in dangerous association with the black community. I surmise that Cassie's house and car and well-kept garden was largely subsidised by her husband's life insurance, though that was not made explicit. At the same time, we know that Betty Jewel can no longer work but that her mother earns money by home baking for a local café cum bar.
Before Betty Jewel dies, a further rapproachment is made with other women in both Betty and Cassie's circle of friends and family. Cassie agrees to adopt Betty Jewel's daughter. Despite the upbeat mood of the final chapter, it is clear that the future is going to be full of difficulties. Billie and Cassie are going to divide their time between two households and two communities, and to attend school in the black community. The tensions of the inequality between Cassie's economic position and that of her new found friends, and the enmity of racists and segregationalists in her own community are sure to cause trouble. Would Cassie Malone and her adopted daughter eventually get involved in school desegration struggles and lunch counter sit-ins? What struggles with identity would Billie have as she matures?The book deserves a sequel, and I wouldn't be surprised if the family would end up migrating north for a time.
I was surprised when I realised that the book I was reading was a Harlequin publication. I associate Harquelin with romance stories, which The Sweetest Hallelujah is not. By the way, the book includes an appendix of nine questions for discussion. These would be useful when the book is read in an educational context or by members of a book club.
Cassie is a local journalist, and a very caring person. When she sets out to investigate the story of Betty Jewel's search to find a new mother for her ten year old child, Cassie gets a shock which makes her re-evaluate her memories of her marriage. After a brief self-destructive period, which a woman friend of her own class helps her recover from, Cassie finds she can't get the Betty's charming daughter Billie out of her head. Despite the hostility of many people in both the black and white communities to her spending time in the black neighbourhood, Cassie does her best to help Betty. When the child runs away, seeking for her father (Betty had parted from her husband due to drinking and drug-taking which caused him to be abusive, and resulted in a spell in prison); Cassie and the seriously ailing Betty Jewel bond on a road trip to find the girl. Cassie is the one to take this trip on because she has a car. They embark on the trip in a situation in which they can't stay in a hotel together without subterfuge and can't eat together in a restaurant. They hear stories of lynching of black people and attacks on the property of white sympathisers.
Cassie's depressive episode and then her road trip must have meant that she stopped writing her feature articles for a time. There is no mention of her keeping a journal or writing anything during or after her trip; no mention of her or the newspaper editor worrying about this lapse in her work. The newspaper editor is concerned for her welfare, however, and albeit his liberalism warns Cassie not to get over-involved in dangerous association with the black community. I surmise that Cassie's house and car and well-kept garden was largely subsidised by her husband's life insurance, though that was not made explicit. At the same time, we know that Betty Jewel can no longer work but that her mother earns money by home baking for a local café cum bar.
Before Betty Jewel dies, a further rapproachment is made with other women in both Betty and Cassie's circle of friends and family. Cassie agrees to adopt Betty Jewel's daughter. Despite the upbeat mood of the final chapter, it is clear that the future is going to be full of difficulties. Billie and Cassie are going to divide their time between two households and two communities, and to attend school in the black community. The tensions of the inequality between Cassie's economic position and that of her new found friends, and the enmity of racists and segregationalists in her own community are sure to cause trouble. Would Cassie Malone and her adopted daughter eventually get involved in school desegration struggles and lunch counter sit-ins? What struggles with identity would Billie have as she matures?The book deserves a sequel, and I wouldn't be surprised if the family would end up migrating north for a time.
I was surprised when I realised that the book I was reading was a Harlequin publication. I associate Harquelin with romance stories, which The Sweetest Hallelujah is not. By the way, the book includes an appendix of nine questions for discussion. These would be useful when the book is read in an educational context or by members of a book club.
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