Belle City

by Penny Mickelbury

This interracial, intergenerational saga of love, land and loss is told from the disparate perspectives of Ruth Thatcher, who is Black, and Jonas Thatcher, who is White, and spans nearly a century. The story begins in 1917 when Ruth and Jonas are farm children and ends in 2005 as their descendants struggle to unravel and understand the legacies of this star-crossed pair. During the course of their lifetimes, Ruth and Jonas-- and their respective families-- have evolved and ultimately have prospered, but it is left for their descendants to come to grips with the long-unacknowledged truth that the two families are actually one.

Genres: Historical Fiction

ebook

First published August 11, 2014

About the author

Mickelbury is a former newspaper, radio and television reporter based primarily in Washington, D.C. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, she lives in Los Angeles. The novelist and former journalist also is an accomplished playwright whose work has won awards. Two of her Mimi Patterson/Gianna Maglione novels are Lammy finalists. She is the recipient of the Audre Lorde Estate Grant, and she had a residency at the Hedgebrook Women Writers colony.

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Belle City by Penny Mickelbury is a historically rich interracial intergenerational saga of love, loyalty, family dynamics and the vicissitudes of everyday life. I looked forward to reading this book as I am a fan of family sagas and history. The book follows two characters from two different branches of the same family tree, Jonas Thatcher who is white and Ruth Thatcher who is black from when they are twelve-years old in 1917 until their dying many decades later both leaving wills that their relatives in 2005 do not quite understand. I enjoyed how Mickelbury skillfully threw unexpected curveballs into the storyline occasionally that allowed some of the secondary characters, such as Beau, to outshine the main characters. These sections provided the tension and excitement to keep the reader focus and to showcase the author’s mystery writing skills. While the even flowing plot nicely sets the tone of the eras and the character’s motivations, I thought some editing could have avoided the story dragging in places. The value of the story is the feeling that this could have been every family’s story and will have readers thinking how their families fared during times of historical upheavals and change.

[Emma B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Met the author last December at the Decatur Library at a Book Club Conference. There were four authors there, none of which I'd read any of their books. I couldn't get into the book at first because there was a type of fear of what I expected to happen between Jonas, a young white boy, and Ruthie, a young colored girl. It is a page turner, but I felt lots of details were skimmed over. The book is definitely set in Atlanta, as two of the most prominent African-American churches are mentioned. The families on both sides, White and Colored, are shown to be quite prosperous in wealth, and on the colored side in education and professions, and some not so pretty realistic and disfunctional situations are interspersed. And, It showed close extended family ties in a positive manner (Sunday Extended Family Dinners). I was disappointed that the author skipped from 1945 to 2005, even though the story is told through Jonas' diaries and Ruthie's confessions to her favorite granddaughter on her death bed. Perhaps, she left those years out to come back with a saga (or sagas) of those years.

[Carol Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Belle City is an excellent Black family generational saga set in Georgia that also follows a white boy with a brutal father who wants to be their friend and be like them.

The family undergoes many tribulations, including murder and an attack from the Ku Klux Klan. Young men of different generations fight in the World Wars. But its members have great love for one another.

Ruthie, who we meet as a little girl, writes a journal that is interwoven in the story. So is the journal of Jonas, the white boy. Both are moving.

I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't want to read this book.

[Meredith McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story. A window into another time.

Like Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple”, “Belle City” is a window into an earlier time, one that was much harder in many ways. Where The Color Purple was a slice of life in a certain time and place, this book is a larger wedge-telling the story of more people-villains as well as heroes, victims and predators.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won Belle City as a good reads first Read give away and I was pleasantly surprised to find that once I got past the first chapter the book really kicked into high gear.the story chronicles the lives of 2 families with the same name but on opposite ends of the racial spectrum living in th deep south where prejudice,Jim Crow laws and the KKK are the scourge of prejudice at its worst;That said the two main characters of the book meet as children and don't understand why this prejudice exists and the ultimate irony is in the hopes and dreams of Ruthie she tells of a desire for education and getting ahead in life through education while Jonas who is allowed to attend a local school is discouraged from reaching for the same thing by his father who claims education is a waste. this book takes you from world war 1 to the middle of the first decade in the 21st century.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves history but be prepared to feel shame and anger along with joy at the triumph reached along the way. This book is well written and will hold your interest.

[Lois BL · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Belle City” is a story of intergenerational love and loss that interweaves the lives of the black Thatcher and white Thatcher families over a span of a century. Carney Thatcher, a Georgia plantation owner, is their shared relative.

The black Thatcher family was an accurate depiction of the African American experience. Although some details may vary from family to family, the roots most often began in the South. Our ancestors were continuously confronted with significant barriers in their everyday lives that they had to overcome in order to make a better life for themselves and their decedents.

I found myself looking forward any free time I had during my day to read another chapter (or two or three…) of the book. Thank you Penny Mickelbury for such a great read.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently read "Belle City" as the book of the month for my book club. All the book club members loved this historical fiction with its story told from deep within the South during the period of post Emancipation Proclamation. The story paints a vivid picture of the horrors, the struggles, and success of a determined African American family and their relationship with their White relatives. This novel is a page turner with back to back events that will make you cry and sometimes cheer. I would recommend it to all of my friends. I would also enjoy seeing the story unfold in the big screen.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kudos to Ms. Mickelbury. Masterfully written.

No book has ever moved me more. As I read I felt tears streaming down my cheeks and the next minute I was laughing out loud.

A MUST READ for every American ESPECIALLY NOW considering the climate in our country. Evokes feelings that force one to question their attitude toward
racism and bigotry.

Should be required reading for High school and college English students not only for the story but for the writing as well.

Thank you for your writing skill and picking me as a winner.

[Felecia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story that was told in a very captivating manner. I felt like I knew the characters, and was a part of the Thatcher family and was a close friend of Jonas. I enjoyed the Georgia references, being a Georgia resident and all. Great storytelling!!!

[Em. · Rating 4 out of 5]

~ review coming shortly!

[Susan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a multi generational story set over the course of many decades. It is a rich novel with interesting characters. A great read for all.