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The Good Negress
Harold D. Vursell Award, American Academy of Arts and Letters. The year is 1963 and young Denise Palms has rejoined her family in Detroit where she must work to make a place for herself and prepare for the arrival of her mother's new baby. The baby will mean the end of Denise's afterschool lessons with a stern teacher who insists that Denise learn to speak "proper" English to make herself heard. Verdelle's intuition and ear allow her to dramatize precise moments of Denise's self-recognition and, in the process, offer an inside look at a maturing intelligence. THE GOOD NEGRESS marks the arrival of an original voice in contemporary fiction. "Truly extraordinary."--Toni Morrison. A QUALITY PAPERBACK BOOK CLUB selection.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
October 30, 2014
More like 4.5 stars. Verdelle's prose is so full of soul and down home, country goodness. Reading this was like sitting at the foot of an elder, learning the good and rough things of life before bed, so it settles down and burrows into your dreams at night.
As a little girl, Denise is left down south with her grandmother, only to be sent back to Detroit once she has fallen in love with her caretaker and can't think of life anywhere else outside of her grandmother's country town. She is now her grandmother's child, but Denise's mother needs help because she has a new baby on the way with her new husband. Denise is thrust back in to the city life with no warning. School is somewhat torture (the kids make fun of her by calling her CakkyLakky), but she finds purpose through a willingness to learn proper English and study well enough to go back to her grandmother's Virginia and attend Hampton University. She is also thrown back into the lives of her older brothers, David and Luke edward, with Luke edward being the flashy, attention grabbing star of the family, and this book. I loved the passages about Luke edward, and how Denise adored his brash behavior and fearlessness.
This book is about family and migration and education and how all of it affects a little Black girl trying to steady herself in new worlds that are thrown at her at every turn, with very little warning. I would've given this 5 stars had the ending not thrown me for a loop. This is a great work, and I am so happy I finally picked it up.
As a little girl, Denise is left down south with her grandmother, only to be sent back to Detroit once she has fallen in love with her caretaker and can't think of life anywhere else outside of her grandmother's country town. She is now her grandmother's child, but Denise's mother needs help because she has a new baby on the way with her new husband. Denise is thrust back in to the city life with no warning. School is somewhat torture (the kids make fun of her by calling her CakkyLakky), but she finds purpose through a willingness to learn proper English and study well enough to go back to her grandmother's Virginia and attend Hampton University. She is also thrown back into the lives of her older brothers, David and Luke edward, with Luke edward being the flashy, attention grabbing star of the family, and this book. I loved the passages about Luke edward, and how Denise adored his brash behavior and fearlessness.
This book is about family and migration and education and how all of it affects a little Black girl trying to steady herself in new worlds that are thrown at her at every turn, with very little warning. I would've given this 5 stars had the ending not thrown me for a loop. This is a great work, and I am so happy I finally picked it up.
April 26, 2011
I could almost give this five stars, but the ending ticked me off. I don't want to spoil it, so I will just say the ending ticked me off because it came too soon, was rushed. I feel like I was cheated out of a little bit more of the story, not because something dreadfully unfair happened.
That being said, the language in this book was beautiful. Not beautiful in the way good prose is - but beautiful in that way that seems so ordinary that you have to make yourself listen close to find the gem within. Its almost seamless how a little more and a little more of Neesy's cakky lakky country talk fades as she learns proper english. It was not until the very end, I realize she has full sentences.
One of my very favorite passages, towards the end of the book "We are accustomed to separation, splitting up, losing members. Our families are the families that slavery made." I would hate to sound too lofty and call that profound.. and yet, in a small way it is. I often wonder how the culture of the African American was so shaped by slavery, that even now, what is expected or accepted is really something that came about from the injustices of slavery. So, is is the culture they made, or is is the culture they were given? Well, I suppose you make what you can out of what you are given.
I love books like this, books that make me think. Put me in a place so removed from where I am. Bless her heart, Denise trying to take care of everyone by cooking up a storm. But, she couldn't save a damn person. She just has to save herself. And, I hope she did.
I have a craving for collard greens after reading this.
That being said, the language in this book was beautiful. Not beautiful in the way good prose is - but beautiful in that way that seems so ordinary that you have to make yourself listen close to find the gem within. Its almost seamless how a little more and a little more of Neesy's cakky lakky country talk fades as she learns proper english. It was not until the very end, I realize she has full sentences.
One of my very favorite passages, towards the end of the book "We are accustomed to separation, splitting up, losing members. Our families are the families that slavery made." I would hate to sound too lofty and call that profound.. and yet, in a small way it is. I often wonder how the culture of the African American was so shaped by slavery, that even now, what is expected or accepted is really something that came about from the injustices of slavery. So, is is the culture they made, or is is the culture they were given? Well, I suppose you make what you can out of what you are given.
I love books like this, books that make me think. Put me in a place so removed from where I am. Bless her heart, Denise trying to take care of everyone by cooking up a storm. But, she couldn't save a damn person. She just has to save herself. And, I hope she did.
I have a craving for collard greens after reading this.
January 25, 2008
I know, she was my adviser, but I just had to see if she writes like she talks... and she does. This book is beautiful, I can't recommend it enough.
May 28, 2020
Eh. Well written book, but not a lot happens, no real plot. I prefer books where there is a plot and things happen. Good book, just not for me.
Read
November 23, 2016Algonquin Books has brought this stunner–originally released in 1995– back in paperback. Set in the 1960s, it’s the story of a teenage black girl named Denise, who is sent from her grandmother’s rural Virginia home to live with her estranged mother in Detroit, where she is expected to do chores and help care for her mother’s new baby. But when a teacher opens Denise’s eyes to the possibilites of the world outside her new home, she is torn between responsibility and independence. This finalist for the PEN/Faulkner award is a beautiful, necessary addition to any library.
Backlist bump: Caucasia by Danzy Senna
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/listen/shows/allt...
Backlist bump: Caucasia by Danzy Senna
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/listen/shows/allt...
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August 18, 2016It was well written but I feel like nothing really happened in this book. It was not supposed to be action packed and I get that, but Denise didn't really have her own goals. She was just pushed around among the people she was related to and her teachers, and made to conform to their goals for her and so it felt like things were happening to other people but not really her. If that makes sense. And even that said, I felt like there wasn't a lot of plot for the other characters either.
January 22, 2017
The ending felt like a non-ending. I'm still puzzled.
March 23, 2011
Can't wait for A.J.'s new book to come out. She is a fabulous writer and this new book is going to take the literary world by storm. It is amazing! I carried The Good Negress around like the bible when it launched and I already covet this book in the same way and it hasn't even hit the stands yet. Look for it from Random House soon.
October 11, 2018
Toni Morrison said this was "truly exraordinary" but I did not feel the same. Toni, I'm sorry! This was confusing. I felt that there weren't any conclusions to any of the storylines. I kept pushing through thinking there was something just around the corner, but it never happened.
January 7, 2022
"Decisions belong to the feet, and only much later to the face." (167)
I usually scoff when I read a blurb that heralds a book or character as having a 'wholly original voice' but in this instance I understand and wholeheartedly regret my skepticism. Verdelle's ear and eye for language feels wholly original and deliciously new. Deneesy's voice is so strong, so evocative of Southern rural Black communities. I loved the many axioms that peppered her speech, most derived from Grandma'am, that made it very clear that she wasn't from Detroit. It brought a sense of place, of Virginia to this migration novel that primarily takes place in Detroit. The way Deneesy/Denise's name and language shift and expand as she studies 'proper' English in school was so smoothly and subtly done that it was dazzling to behold once I realized what was happening. And while Neesy is mocked as 'country' by her classmates she has a gorgeous way of describing herself and the world around her, to describe her discomfort at a family party she describes how "I imagined I was a lace curtain, hung quiet and still. The breeze of people's comments made me swing, but just a little. I could see, and was see-through, but mostly I was fixed in my window" (100). The book also relies on non linear timelines to provide backstory on each character, we start with Neesy before she moves back to Detroit but bounce throughout different points of time in her life, although most still revolve around her childhood. It can be confusing but the language evolving helped me personally maintain a sense of how old Neesy was and when the story was taking place. This novel does show what can happen when one teacher singles you out and helps you to grow and realize your potential, but I did wish we got to see Neesy mature enough to push back more on Ms. Pearson and her harmful spouting of respectability obsessed viewpoints. I wanted Neesy to realize that she didn't have to give up all her childhood learnings and traditions in order to succeed although we do see her start to grasp an inkling. I echo everyone else's disappointment at the ending, I even went to look at my original vintage copy to see if something was unintentionally missing or had been changed but that's not the case. It's an ending made even more confusing by having '1994' at the bottom, written as if in a letter or note from the author. But no context is offered and the ending is frustratingly open ended and abrupt. I suppose that's typical for ~literary fiction~ but I was so swept up in the story that I had hoped for me.
We get to know Neesy's innermost thoughts, she's a highly observant and thoughtful narrator. She doesn't offer us much though when it comes to other characters, some more well developed than others. Through her eyes we see Luke Edward, her favorite older brother who receives a great deal of attention from everyone in the family. Her brother David on the other hand, probably due to him moving out and being much older, remains a mystery, inscrutable to Neesy and subsequently the reader. Similar for Big Joe, who I only understood in relation to his disgust at Luke Edward and some old fashioned gender role viewpoints. Neesy's strained relationship with Margarete also receives a good deal of attention in the novel and drives much of the action, particularly when it comes to Neesy's schooling. But even before they clash over school versus her familial obligations lines are being drawn even as Neesy seeks to understand where they might be able to compromise, "and that is how I knew that we agreed on a few things: the power of changing subjects, the serious significance of the wearing of clothes, the control we have over the naming of names, and how in truth the change of name can change the person, even if the change is done in secret, or is done by somebody else. And how in the light of day nothing can be done to change the person back, there is no return to the prior name" (40). Both she and her mother astutely pick their battles both in the household and with each other. There is a quietly ferocious battle between Margarete and Ms. Pearson as they clash repeatedly throughout and while neither character is likable you are hoping Ms. Pearson wins for the sake of Neesy's happiness.
THE GOOD NEGRESS is an impressive coming of age migration novel about a resolute and perceptive young woman struggling to find her place at home and in the world. It's also a novel about mother-daughter relationships, gender roles in families, grief and loneliness, with racism hovering as the ever constant shadow in the background. The novel's originality and strength primarily revolves around Verdelle's various uses of diction and idioms, she sets a vibrant scene based on speech patterns and language. Like Morrison every word and reference feels well thought out and intentional, not a word out of place. The author's next book is about her relationship with Toni Morrison and I'm curious to see what her non fiction writing is like. Regardless Neesy is a character that will stay with you and your book will be covered in highlights/tabs/underlining because you'll be enthralled by the beauty of each sentence.
Additional favorite lines:
"by the time it was time to cook dinner, the panes in the window were dark. So most of the time when I looked there, my face stared back from the glass. Over time I began to witness to this window, and to imagine that the window witnessed me. I watched myself grow in the black night reflections. I tried to ease the sadness I had noticed from my face. I saw the inches of maturity gain on me, as I grew up over the bottom panes, and up toward the top ones. I mouthed words to Granma'am as I faced the window that faced south." (101)
"I watched as many men as I could, as I grew, looking for the man my daddy was. Eventually, my life caught up with his. As he stared back at me from his frozen age of dying, the loss in me would chant" he was a young man, he was a young man." (151)
I usually scoff when I read a blurb that heralds a book or character as having a 'wholly original voice' but in this instance I understand and wholeheartedly regret my skepticism. Verdelle's ear and eye for language feels wholly original and deliciously new. Deneesy's voice is so strong, so evocative of Southern rural Black communities. I loved the many axioms that peppered her speech, most derived from Grandma'am, that made it very clear that she wasn't from Detroit. It brought a sense of place, of Virginia to this migration novel that primarily takes place in Detroit. The way Deneesy/Denise's name and language shift and expand as she studies 'proper' English in school was so smoothly and subtly done that it was dazzling to behold once I realized what was happening. And while Neesy is mocked as 'country' by her classmates she has a gorgeous way of describing herself and the world around her, to describe her discomfort at a family party she describes how "I imagined I was a lace curtain, hung quiet and still. The breeze of people's comments made me swing, but just a little. I could see, and was see-through, but mostly I was fixed in my window" (100). The book also relies on non linear timelines to provide backstory on each character, we start with Neesy before she moves back to Detroit but bounce throughout different points of time in her life, although most still revolve around her childhood. It can be confusing but the language evolving helped me personally maintain a sense of how old Neesy was and when the story was taking place. This novel does show what can happen when one teacher singles you out and helps you to grow and realize your potential, but I did wish we got to see Neesy mature enough to push back more on Ms. Pearson and her harmful spouting of respectability obsessed viewpoints. I wanted Neesy to realize that she didn't have to give up all her childhood learnings and traditions in order to succeed although we do see her start to grasp an inkling. I echo everyone else's disappointment at the ending, I even went to look at my original vintage copy to see if something was unintentionally missing or had been changed but that's not the case. It's an ending made even more confusing by having '1994' at the bottom, written as if in a letter or note from the author. But no context is offered and the ending is frustratingly open ended and abrupt. I suppose that's typical for ~literary fiction~ but I was so swept up in the story that I had hoped for me.
We get to know Neesy's innermost thoughts, she's a highly observant and thoughtful narrator. She doesn't offer us much though when it comes to other characters, some more well developed than others. Through her eyes we see Luke Edward, her favorite older brother who receives a great deal of attention from everyone in the family. Her brother David on the other hand, probably due to him moving out and being much older, remains a mystery, inscrutable to Neesy and subsequently the reader. Similar for Big Joe, who I only understood in relation to his disgust at Luke Edward and some old fashioned gender role viewpoints. Neesy's strained relationship with Margarete also receives a good deal of attention in the novel and drives much of the action, particularly when it comes to Neesy's schooling. But even before they clash over school versus her familial obligations lines are being drawn even as Neesy seeks to understand where they might be able to compromise, "and that is how I knew that we agreed on a few things: the power of changing subjects, the serious significance of the wearing of clothes, the control we have over the naming of names, and how in truth the change of name can change the person, even if the change is done in secret, or is done by somebody else. And how in the light of day nothing can be done to change the person back, there is no return to the prior name" (40). Both she and her mother astutely pick their battles both in the household and with each other. There is a quietly ferocious battle between Margarete and Ms. Pearson as they clash repeatedly throughout and while neither character is likable you are hoping Ms. Pearson wins for the sake of Neesy's happiness.
THE GOOD NEGRESS is an impressive coming of age migration novel about a resolute and perceptive young woman struggling to find her place at home and in the world. It's also a novel about mother-daughter relationships, gender roles in families, grief and loneliness, with racism hovering as the ever constant shadow in the background. The novel's originality and strength primarily revolves around Verdelle's various uses of diction and idioms, she sets a vibrant scene based on speech patterns and language. Like Morrison every word and reference feels well thought out and intentional, not a word out of place. The author's next book is about her relationship with Toni Morrison and I'm curious to see what her non fiction writing is like. Regardless Neesy is a character that will stay with you and your book will be covered in highlights/tabs/underlining because you'll be enthralled by the beauty of each sentence.
Additional favorite lines:
"by the time it was time to cook dinner, the panes in the window were dark. So most of the time when I looked there, my face stared back from the glass. Over time I began to witness to this window, and to imagine that the window witnessed me. I watched myself grow in the black night reflections. I tried to ease the sadness I had noticed from my face. I saw the inches of maturity gain on me, as I grew up over the bottom panes, and up toward the top ones. I mouthed words to Granma'am as I faced the window that faced south." (101)
"I watched as many men as I could, as I grew, looking for the man my daddy was. Eventually, my life caught up with his. As he stared back at me from his frozen age of dying, the loss in me would chant" he was a young man, he was a young man." (151)
August 5, 2008
a great book, but disappointing ending
July 15, 2018
Repetitive
Just too much of the same thing. Did not keep my interest. Being in Denise's head for 300 pages + was painfully one dimensional.
Just too much of the same thing. Did not keep my interest. Being in Denise's head for 300 pages + was painfully one dimensional.
October 17, 2020
A 4.5 for me, but rounding up cause I think it's a book very much worth reading and I hate that it has below a 4 stat rating.
August 28, 2021
Recently came across this book on Instagram as an under-rated book for Black people. And I luckily found it at my library. But I have mixed feelings on this book, and can see why it is not more widely known.
The Good Negress is a debut novel which is told from the perspective of Denise Palms from age 7-18. It has a non-chronological and stream of consciousness style of writing. So it takes a while to get into the frame of this narrative. The Southern dialect whilst authentic may be difficult for some readers to understand. Denise has been sent to live with her grandmother from age 7 to 12. But then her mother who lives in Detroit sends for her as she is pregnant and needs help at home. Once I got into the style of writing I could enjoy this book. It was surprisingly a dense read. The themes covered are well written and slowly unraveled so that you walk away knowing more about life for black girl in the 1960s. It speaks to education, disparities between North and South (aka urban and rural life), religion, family dynamics and role models all rolled somewhat comfortably together.
I never thought I would make such a comment, but the Southern American dialect was a personal distraction and tended to pull me out of the narrative. So that by the time this quote appears, I was agreeing adamantly:
‘ “Nobody who sounds dumb will ever be important, “ she says, “no matter how much potential they have. Nobody will ever understand you, nobody can help you rise, unless you speak the language of the nation.” ‘
And yet this comment also makes me angry. And there are more moments like this in this book. Which made me understand why others want it read and discussed. By the ending is a doozy and I felt like a few ideas were never fully explored such as the comment about the Negro male or even the discovery and identity of Denise herself.
Overall, it has great themes but suffers from too many ideas not well fleshed out, the usual debut fault. Still worth the read and for discussion.
The Good Negress is a debut novel which is told from the perspective of Denise Palms from age 7-18. It has a non-chronological and stream of consciousness style of writing. So it takes a while to get into the frame of this narrative. The Southern dialect whilst authentic may be difficult for some readers to understand. Denise has been sent to live with her grandmother from age 7 to 12. But then her mother who lives in Detroit sends for her as she is pregnant and needs help at home. Once I got into the style of writing I could enjoy this book. It was surprisingly a dense read. The themes covered are well written and slowly unraveled so that you walk away knowing more about life for black girl in the 1960s. It speaks to education, disparities between North and South (aka urban and rural life), religion, family dynamics and role models all rolled somewhat comfortably together.
I never thought I would make such a comment, but the Southern American dialect was a personal distraction and tended to pull me out of the narrative. So that by the time this quote appears, I was agreeing adamantly:
‘ “Nobody who sounds dumb will ever be important, “ she says, “no matter how much potential they have. Nobody will ever understand you, nobody can help you rise, unless you speak the language of the nation.” ‘
And yet this comment also makes me angry. And there are more moments like this in this book. Which made me understand why others want it read and discussed. By the ending is a doozy and I felt like a few ideas were never fully explored such as the comment about the Negro male or even the discovery and identity of Denise herself.
Overall, it has great themes but suffers from too many ideas not well fleshed out, the usual debut fault. Still worth the read and for discussion.
July 10, 2016
Not finished yet, but this is a touching story that has a lot of truth woven in. Denise is an inspiration- despite being treated as a maid/babysitter in her family, she has a strong resolve to learn, to move above & beyond her current station.
After finishing the book, I still think it's great. My only complaint for lack of a better word is that the ending seems rushed without resolution. That's very much how life is though, there isn't always a happily ever after. I hope Neesey went to Hampton & became a writer....any profession as long as she took Ms. Pearson's advice.
Third point--I appreciate Ms. Verdelle's handling of classism within the African American community, which at that time was divided among city vs rural, educated vs not as educated. I agree with people attaining an education regardless of age. At the same time, not everyone is designed to study humanities & liberal arts at a four year college. I think it was necessary for Ms. Pearson to be hard on Neesey in order for her to see there's life beyond babies & marriage.
Overall my 4 star rating is because I love the story. I didn't quite like the ending because of the abruptness & not knowing what will happen-but that's life. I kind wish Neesey had an upfront rebellious scene with Margarete though...
After finishing the book, I still think it's great. My only complaint for lack of a better word is that the ending seems rushed without resolution. That's very much how life is though, there isn't always a happily ever after. I hope Neesey went to Hampton & became a writer....any profession as long as she took Ms. Pearson's advice.
Third point--I appreciate Ms. Verdelle's handling of classism within the African American community, which at that time was divided among city vs rural, educated vs not as educated. I agree with people attaining an education regardless of age. At the same time, not everyone is designed to study humanities & liberal arts at a four year college. I think it was necessary for Ms. Pearson to be hard on Neesey in order for her to see there's life beyond babies & marriage.
Overall my 4 star rating is because I love the story. I didn't quite like the ending because of the abruptness & not knowing what will happen-but that's life. I kind wish Neesey had an upfront rebellious scene with Margarete though...
July 25, 2020
This was my first book from Page One book subscriptions. I'm typically a very plot-based reader, and this was not that kind of book--it focuses on the development of the main character over key experiences across time. The jumping timeline did confuse me from time to time, because it would happen with no warning (no spaces, special characters, chapter breaks, etc.). It was also hard for me to accept a teacher who was so rigid in teaching Denise (Deneese) "proper English" in a way that seemed demeaning. (I got mad that the teacher insisted on changing the spelling of her name, but at the same time, studies continue to prove that alternative or "foreign" spellings of names affect job candidates, so even names hold social capital). The persistence of the teacher to change Denise's language reflected (and still reflects) reality and the judgment attached to non-standard English. "Code-switching" is barely a validated practice now, nevermind in the 60s. This book continues to remind me that I have so much to learn about the experiences of others, especially historically.
June 8, 2017
I truly enjoyed this book. This story is written in such a convincing way - it's evocative of old memories that were brought back to life.
This is definitely a conversation piece about:
*black traditions
*black family diet
*grandmothers (back then)
*gender expectations
*marriage as a status symbol
*submissive (Southern women)
*a mothers love for her son vs loving her daughter
*a mothers love for her son vs the love of her husband
*teachers and promising students and the impact they make in their lives
There was so much more to this book than a girl moving from the South up North to care for her family. The ending was abrupt and left some emptiness (which is why I gave it 4 stars), but everything in front of that was illustrious and unforgettable.
This is definitely a conversation piece about:
*black traditions
*black family diet
*grandmothers (back then)
*gender expectations
*marriage as a status symbol
*submissive (Southern women)
*a mothers love for her son vs loving her daughter
*a mothers love for her son vs the love of her husband
*teachers and promising students and the impact they make in their lives
There was so much more to this book than a girl moving from the South up North to care for her family. The ending was abrupt and left some emptiness (which is why I gave it 4 stars), but everything in front of that was illustrious and unforgettable.
August 23, 2007
shows the effects of different family environments on a young girl's evolution... her persistence is amazing too...
June 9, 2017
As the story begins, little Denise is left down South with her grandmother while her mom, brothers and step-father are in Detroit. Denise is upset at first but soon falls in love with her grandma and her southern charms. Then Denise is uprooted once more and driven from Virginia back to Detroit to her estranged mom and she’s expected to take over the household chores and take care of the new baby her mom is expecting.
Denise soon starts school I believe she’s put in the 7th grade even though she’s 13 on account of not speaking English properly. A teacher took an interest in her, seeing that she’s intelligent but struggles with her Southern accent. The teacher takes the time to correct her English, encourage her to write things down, open her eyes to the possibility of a better life by pursuing her studies. This creates a conflict with the child who wants more and her responsibility at home. She’s not really given a choice; once the baby arrives she’s expected to give up school.
The story is told through flash back and can be confusing at times. You have to pay attention or you can get lost. The writing is beautiful but not everyone will like the writing style. The characters are real, flawed and funny at times. It did end abruptly, I turned the page and nothing, didn’t quite like that. Not every story needs or gets a happy ending but this left me hanging. Felt a bit unfinished, rushed.
Denise soon starts school I believe she’s put in the 7th grade even though she’s 13 on account of not speaking English properly. A teacher took an interest in her, seeing that she’s intelligent but struggles with her Southern accent. The teacher takes the time to correct her English, encourage her to write things down, open her eyes to the possibility of a better life by pursuing her studies. This creates a conflict with the child who wants more and her responsibility at home. She’s not really given a choice; once the baby arrives she’s expected to give up school.
The story is told through flash back and can be confusing at times. You have to pay attention or you can get lost. The writing is beautiful but not everyone will like the writing style. The characters are real, flawed and funny at times. It did end abruptly, I turned the page and nothing, didn’t quite like that. Not every story needs or gets a happy ending but this left me hanging. Felt a bit unfinished, rushed.
October 12, 2020
Another great "first novel" read. A.J. Verdelle--a teacher and writer--has created a brilliant story of family, loss, language, and education that touched me deeply (since I, too, am a teacher). Toni Morrison called the novel "Truly extraordinary". I wholeheartedly agree.
Denise Palms, her brothers and their mother are "country". After the death of her father, Denise's mother moves the family to Detroit, where she meets Big Jim and Denise meets her mentor/teacher, Gloria Pearson. "Missus Pearson" carefully and skillfully "elevates Denise above her country upbringing. Denise eventually excels in both language and education, in a way that separates her from both her mother and her brothers.
Verdelle's Denise (Nessey) represents a shift in 1950-1960's Negro culture. In many ways, Denise clings to her country upbringing--she cooks, cleans, and "manages" the household like "a Good Negress" should; and yet, her education is what ultimately separates her from her family and both the country and city lives they lead.
In our current world, where social justice is on nearly everyone's lips, Denise and her relationship with Missus Pearson make a powerful statement for people of color. Missus Pearson proves to Denise that her value exceeds even her own expectations.
I loved this book; it was the perfect read for the fall of 2020.
Denise Palms, her brothers and their mother are "country". After the death of her father, Denise's mother moves the family to Detroit, where she meets Big Jim and Denise meets her mentor/teacher, Gloria Pearson. "Missus Pearson" carefully and skillfully "elevates Denise above her country upbringing. Denise eventually excels in both language and education, in a way that separates her from both her mother and her brothers.
Verdelle's Denise (Nessey) represents a shift in 1950-1960's Negro culture. In many ways, Denise clings to her country upbringing--she cooks, cleans, and "manages" the household like "a Good Negress" should; and yet, her education is what ultimately separates her from her family and both the country and city lives they lead.
In our current world, where social justice is on nearly everyone's lips, Denise and her relationship with Missus Pearson make a powerful statement for people of color. Missus Pearson proves to Denise that her value exceeds even her own expectations.
I loved this book; it was the perfect read for the fall of 2020.
June 18, 2020
The ending is abrupt (as other have said), but since the narrative jumps back and forth in time, we are given glimpses of the plot beyond the ending.
The narrative voice is lovely, and the author takes care in later sections to begin to adapt her grammar and spelling to reflect the (black) teacher who is trying to give her student more options beyond cooking and cleaning at home. I found all of the characters to be believably written, with complex characters, especially Margarete and Grandma'am, and others (like David and Big Jim) left rather hazy, since Deneese rarely speaks to them, or they to her.
There is a lot of history and context written into the fiction, through the teacher's voice. I find I absorb history better through fiction than non-fiction.
I am glad to have this book in my library, and this is definitely one that I will keep on my shelves, rather than regifting to a Little Free Library. This is a book that will take several reads to capture all of the nuance hidden in plain sight in the narrative - as a white reader, I'm sure I'm missing whole levels of depth.
The narrative voice is lovely, and the author takes care in later sections to begin to adapt her grammar and spelling to reflect the (black) teacher who is trying to give her student more options beyond cooking and cleaning at home. I found all of the characters to be believably written, with complex characters, especially Margarete and Grandma'am, and others (like David and Big Jim) left rather hazy, since Deneese rarely speaks to them, or they to her.
There is a lot of history and context written into the fiction, through the teacher's voice. I find I absorb history better through fiction than non-fiction.
I am glad to have this book in my library, and this is definitely one that I will keep on my shelves, rather than regifting to a Little Free Library. This is a book that will take several reads to capture all of the nuance hidden in plain sight in the narrative - as a white reader, I'm sure I'm missing whole levels of depth.
January 1, 2021
The first-person narrator of this arrestingly original novel is a young African-American born in Detroit, raised in Virginia by her grandmother from age seven to twelve, and then returned to her mother in Detroit after her mother’s second marriage, primarily because her mother wants her help when her new baby arrives. The way that she tells her story, which is anything but linear, reflects her evolving sense of standard English rather than her own dialect, as she comes under the influence of a dedicated teacher in Detroit who takes a special interest in her. The very specific details of how she grows, learns, and changes through the critical years of later childhood and early adolescence ring true. I found the book to offer an unusually direct gaze at this industrious, articulate young character’s inner life, as well as at the world in its two different cultural milieus, rural Virginia and Detroit in the early 1960s, as it appears through her intensely observant eyes.
February 28, 2018
The book, set in the late1950s and 60s, tells the story of Denise Palms as she tries to figure out her place in the world. After her father dies, she goes to live with her grandmother, who teaches her the value of working hard, in rural Virginia. She is called back to Detroit, where her mother, two older brothers, and new step father live, when her mother becomes pregnant. Helping her mother cooking, cleaning, and taking care of a new baby compete with her school work and Missus Pearson, her demanding teacher, who believes she can move beyond her station in life. "Our families are the families that slavery made," says Missus Pearson. I spent a lot of time thinking about that statement and Denise's relationships with others in her life. Unfortunately, although I enjoyed the book and recommend it, I found the ending abrupt and lacking.
July 17, 2019
I loved the quality of the writing. It had a homey, familiar, just-regular conversational feel to it. Like a stream of thought. However, there were some aspects I didn’t quite love about this book. Some of the characters weren’t very well developed. I would have liked to learn more about the brother, David, and Margarete. Neecey just kind of seemed to go with the flow and just do what others told her to do, regardless of what she may have wanted. Her desires didn’t really seem to be explored very much. Some of the chapters just jumped back and forth between time and location, so I didn’t always realize there was even a switch.
And the ending left a lot to be desired. I wanted ... more. I wanted an ending! This book definitely didn’t tie up any loose ends. Overall it wasn’t bad. But closure would have been nice.
And the ending left a lot to be desired. I wanted ... more. I wanted an ending! This book definitely didn’t tie up any loose ends. Overall it wasn’t bad. But closure would have been nice.
December 22, 2019
The voice and the prose was beautiful and tangled. The development of diction and syntax paralleled Neesey's growth and was so clever. This is a coming of age story that borders on literary fiction but isn't the same drab stuff I'm forced to read in school. I genuinely cared about Neesey and I'm thoroughly impressed by the writer's ability to mix the split timeline and all these characters.
I wasn't a huge fan at first; I wanted to stop reading it at page 103 (nothing special happened on this page, this is just where I put the book down after my first day trying to read it) but when I picked it back up I just couldn't stop. The ending is abrupt but like I said, this book is literary fiction-esque; I'm not surprised.
I wasn't a huge fan at first; I wanted to stop reading it at page 103 (nothing special happened on this page, this is just where I put the book down after my first day trying to read it) but when I picked it back up I just couldn't stop. The ending is abrupt but like I said, this book is literary fiction-esque; I'm not surprised.
October 5, 2020
I enjoyed this novel, which was so beautifully written...the language was absolutely exquisite. Denise’s journey from childhood to adulthood is a carefully woven story, with unforgettable characters, especially her grandma’am, and her teacher, Miss Pearson. I loved this book, but like other readers, I found the ending quite abrupt. I understood that Denise had grown into an independent woman, who had make a new life for herself, thanks to her wonderful teacher, but the ending was so sudden that it seemed like a mistake at first. Like something was missing. If that ending had been little slower and gentler, this could have gotten a five star rating from me. However, this still is a fabulous book and well worth reading.
August 8, 2022
**I would give this beautiful novel 10 stars if I could.**
"At the same time that all this present talk happened, history was reviewed in detail. If I didn't know the ways I was the same or different from Margarete Dambridge Palms Starks at any age, there was somebody round Patuski to tell me. It was repetition that lodged my mother in my backbone. I grew tall around her lore. But underneath how I walked there was drilling. It was as simple and as straight as that. Legend made her out like sky to me. I reached for her heights. But how we were and who we were was altogether different. We were less like two dream girls and more like fry cooks, flipping meat. Testy with each other in such a small, hot space. Mad and serving food."
"At the same time that all this present talk happened, history was reviewed in detail. If I didn't know the ways I was the same or different from Margarete Dambridge Palms Starks at any age, there was somebody round Patuski to tell me. It was repetition that lodged my mother in my backbone. I grew tall around her lore. But underneath how I walked there was drilling. It was as simple and as straight as that. Legend made her out like sky to me. I reached for her heights. But how we were and who we were was altogether different. We were less like two dream girls and more like fry cooks, flipping meat. Testy with each other in such a small, hot space. Mad and serving food."
March 15, 2019
"The Good Negress" is set in the 1960s. It is seen through the eyes of Denise Palms. When she is young she is sent to live with her grandmother in Virginia. She lives with her for five years. Her grandmother teaches her how to cook and keep house. When she is twelve her mother has her come back to Detroit. Her mother is pregnant, and Denise how has a step-father. She also has two older brothers. When she starts seventh grade she has a very strict teacher who pushes Denise to learn better grammar skills. This teacher tries to show her there is more out in the world than staying home and helping her mother take care of the household. Pretty good read.
April 28, 2020
The story was well written and the complexity in which the author uses to weave the life of Denise is admirable in some ways. The story could have gone on longer for me... I truly enjoyed the connections of the past to the present. A little disappointed that towards the end the details of obvious victories and achievements within Denise’s life were hurried over almost so quickly they could have easily been missed. How the story is translated is dependent on how the reader interprets the last paragraph...was the last described scene and actions in the past or present. The interpretation of the end determines whether the reader gets hopeful vs hopeless...
February 19, 2023
I was ready to give the book 4 stars until I finished it. The ending was too abrupt and left too much unsaid for my taste. You can read the ending as a sad departure from the main character's storyline or chalk it up to her being pulled, yet again, into other characters stories, which would be expected as the good negress. Or both.
It is hard to read this book as it is very colorist and discriminatory within the Black Community. During the time it was written (1990's), I believe many African-Americans probably felt the same way, but I believe (or am hopeful) we have grown a bit from these perspectives, and now it is truly a historical fiction. I hope.
It is hard to read this book as it is very colorist and discriminatory within the Black Community. During the time it was written (1990's), I believe many African-Americans probably felt the same way, but I believe (or am hopeful) we have grown a bit from these perspectives, and now it is truly a historical fiction. I hope.
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