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Quilly
What was it like to be biracial in the early 1900’s in a small white southern town where the division between black and white was wide, and you fell through that crack. The subjects are abandonment, near death experience, ambition, charges of attempted murder and incest. Hers is a thrilling life story and one that you’re unlikely to forget any time soon. A young black woman finds life both difficult, unexpected, sometimes rewarding, and strange and terrifying.
223 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 29, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
October 4, 2022
I enjoyed reading this book. The author told the truth about life as a mixed person in the south. I would recommend this book. Attention some language may offend some
February 7, 2023
Great
What A Painfully Beautiful Story. Quilly was a Beautiful Soul that Suffered & Persevered through so much. She would have been a wonderful Mom to Her Own..Even now it's not easy being Lighter skinned Among Our Own.. Colorisim...Prejudices.. Smh.. Will it ever Change? My Skin is Lighter than My Mother's..I have struggled with That lifelong..smh..
What A Painfully Beautiful Story. Quilly was a Beautiful Soul that Suffered & Persevered through so much. She would have been a wonderful Mom to Her Own..Even now it's not easy being Lighter skinned Among Our Own.. Colorisim...Prejudices.. Smh.. Will it ever Change? My Skin is Lighter than My Mother's..I have struggled with That lifelong..smh..
March 9, 2022
I really enjoy this book. It was a Good Read. I give it 5 stars ⭐️ 🌟🌟🌟🌟. I like the story and I would recommend this book.
March 8, 2024
Wonderful story.
February 5, 2024
I loved this story because Quilly is a real person. She has one year of classes in a "Colored" school for teachers, and has actually taught "childrens" in a school for "Colored" children. Without formal education , she is one of the most intelligent woman I have come across in a long time. This book is her story in her own words, using the language of "Colored" people in rural Arkansas. This makes the story very real. On a personal level, I did not attend school with a person on Color until I was a Sophomore in College. I did have one Hispanic boy in my graduating class of over 600 students. My mother did employ a lovely black women as a housekeeper. Mary lived in a mixed neighborhood, but told us stories about how frightened she was when she went o visit her sister who lived a totally "black" neighborhood When I got married , she was invited and since she would be the only person of color, my mom told her she could bring a friend. They came and had a ball sitting on the front rowand talking to the other 700 people in attendance. It was until 1980, when heard the dialect myself as teacher in a private school, I met and learned to respect the Nanny's who cared more about the children in their care than the high priced parents who worked on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. These women were the backbone of our nation as I learned from them while gaining respect for who they were and what they represented. I also taught with some of the finest women of color. When I became a Director of a another private school, i met some fantastic black Directors as well. Quilly would be one of these women and I wish I had known her and that she was my friend. READ THIS BOOK!!!
January 17, 2023
A Story To Tell
I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone that is into african american historical fiction. I would have liked to see more of what became of Quilly's son Laramie. But, he wasn't a main character so I guess that was to be expected.
The story line flowed easily and the character development was phenomenal. I think it taught us that things will happen in life to steer us off our course. But, if we have faith we can get through it. Quilly was a very strong woman with a good heart and passion for serving others.
It was sad what happened with Mr. Gottberg, but even with that she showed great strength and courage. I'd like to see a sequel as to what happened with her life after Anders.
But, I appreciated the read and would refer it to anyone. Kudos to Jan Strickland!!
I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone that is into african american historical fiction. I would have liked to see more of what became of Quilly's son Laramie. But, he wasn't a main character so I guess that was to be expected.
The story line flowed easily and the character development was phenomenal. I think it taught us that things will happen in life to steer us off our course. But, if we have faith we can get through it. Quilly was a very strong woman with a good heart and passion for serving others.
It was sad what happened with Mr. Gottberg, but even with that she showed great strength and courage. I'd like to see a sequel as to what happened with her life after Anders.
But, I appreciated the read and would refer it to anyone. Kudos to Jan Strickland!!
January 10, 2022
Insulting racist depiction of an African american
It is the language that the author gives all of the African Americans in her novel that I found so insulting. One cannot imagine that the writer has had any black acquaintances. She is writing about a woman who taught school and her daughter who attended school and yet she gives them the voices of the most racist stereotypes . The young woman grows up with the young whites in the story and they are her constant companions yet her speaking voice remains throughout as completely ignorant of the use of proper grammar. Her voice is as racist as Amos and Andy. I found this aspect of the book difficult to take and I done had to put it down.
It is the language that the author gives all of the African Americans in her novel that I found so insulting. One cannot imagine that the writer has had any black acquaintances. She is writing about a woman who taught school and her daughter who attended school and yet she gives them the voices of the most racist stereotypes . The young woman grows up with the young whites in the story and they are her constant companions yet her speaking voice remains throughout as completely ignorant of the use of proper grammar. Her voice is as racist as Amos and Andy. I found this aspect of the book difficult to take and I done had to put it down.
June 28, 2020
I enjoyed reading this book. Quickly is such a good person and I love her character. Lots of different emotions experienced while reading this book. From anger, despair, tears of joy, melancholy and of disgust. The book was fast paced but it covered so much history. I would recommend any person who enjoys reading historical fiction would enjoy reading this book.
I enjoyed reading this book. Quilly is such a good person and I love her character. Lots of different emotions experienced while reading this book. From anger, despair, tears of joy, melancholy and of disgust. The book was fast paced but it covered so much history. I would recommend any person who enjoys reading historical fiction would enjoy reading this book.
I enjoyed reading this book. Quilly is such a good person and I love her character. Lots of different emotions experienced while reading this book. From anger, despair, tears of joy, melancholy and of disgust. The book was fast paced but it covered so much history. I would recommend any person who enjoys reading historical fiction would enjoy reading this book.
October 6, 2022
Hmmmm I guess.....ending was stupid and unbelievable.
I enjoyed this book until the end which made no sense to me. I get the forgiveness part but Jesus said to forgive not be stupid. And the fact that her father
had money and didn't try to save her at all was a bit much. Definitely was not written from the perspective of anyone with Black blood. Sorry as a black woman hmmm mmm no! I know no one who would have returned back to that life with that much talent and the advantage of her skin color. She could have owned her own restaurants and sent for her family. She was strong but the author seemed to want to make her weak and not very bright. However up until the ending it was okay.
I enjoyed this book until the end which made no sense to me. I get the forgiveness part but Jesus said to forgive not be stupid. And the fact that her father
had money and didn't try to save her at all was a bit much. Definitely was not written from the perspective of anyone with Black blood. Sorry as a black woman hmmm mmm no! I know no one who would have returned back to that life with that much talent and the advantage of her skin color. She could have owned her own restaurants and sent for her family. She was strong but the author seemed to want to make her weak and not very bright. However up until the ending it was okay.
March 1, 2023
Well Written
This was a beautiful, well written story marred by the overuse of dialect, especially with the daughter. This was a story about a woman who grew up around people who spoke perfect English. True, she and her mother had also grown up around others who might have spoken in a thicker dialect, and they both probably went to substandard schools, but they had at least finished high school. Black or white, that wasn't always the case during the Great Depression. Today, well educated people may choose to speak in their native dialect on occasion, but this was a time when many poor people of whichever race were trying to learn to be correct. No points subtracted because of the overdone "done".
This was a beautiful, well written story marred by the overuse of dialect, especially with the daughter. This was a story about a woman who grew up around people who spoke perfect English. True, she and her mother had also grown up around others who might have spoken in a thicker dialect, and they both probably went to substandard schools, but they had at least finished high school. Black or white, that wasn't always the case during the Great Depression. Today, well educated people may choose to speak in their native dialect on occasion, but this was a time when many poor people of whichever race were trying to learn to be correct. No points subtracted because of the overdone "done".
July 22, 2023
A good read
The book was a good for the most part,but the way the characters acted,reacted,etc was off. Which lead me to believe that the writer was white,which she is(I googled her) It has to be hard to write about another race that you might just know a little about. During slavery til recently being light,bright,damn near white was coveted. Not looked down on as the book portrays it. Blacks are more accepting ,the mother would never had been looked down on for having a daughter who was biracial,not with how white men still thought they could have their way with them. The black church would never look down on them either. With that said,I enjoyed the book and its fast pace story of their lives
The book was a good for the most part,but the way the characters acted,reacted,etc was off. Which lead me to believe that the writer was white,which she is(I googled her) It has to be hard to write about another race that you might just know a little about. During slavery til recently being light,bright,damn near white was coveted. Not looked down on as the book portrays it. Blacks are more accepting ,the mother would never had been looked down on for having a daughter who was biracial,not with how white men still thought they could have their way with them. The black church would never look down on them either. With that said,I enjoyed the book and its fast pace story of their lives
July 9, 2023
Angry, happy, sad, great ending
It is sad but true, some truths are better left unsaid. Quilly, takes you through all of the emotions of love, kindness, thoughtfulness, anger and truth. This is a story of black and white forbidden love, but love conquers all in the end. Papa Otto, Anders loved Quilly and she loved them and loved to cook for those she loved. Once she found out they were family it was hard but that's the way love goes. I really enjoyed the ups and downs and adventures of Quilly. It was hard reading the grammar but it told the story of the times and of a mulatto woman in the south. Would definitely read more by this author.
It is sad but true, some truths are better left unsaid. Quilly, takes you through all of the emotions of love, kindness, thoughtfulness, anger and truth. This is a story of black and white forbidden love, but love conquers all in the end. Papa Otto, Anders loved Quilly and she loved them and loved to cook for those she loved. Once she found out they were family it was hard but that's the way love goes. I really enjoyed the ups and downs and adventures of Quilly. It was hard reading the grammar but it told the story of the times and of a mulatto woman in the south. Would definitely read more by this author.
September 23, 2023
Good Story, terrible depiction of an African American dialect
A very interesting story. Pretty well told. But I knew after reading a few pages that the author had to be white. The dialect is so stereotypical and just off. African American dialects are influenced by region, class ,economic standing and education. It’s a language and like most languages have rules. The dialect in this book doesn’t follow any of them. Furthermore Quilly and her mother are not uneducated. I doubt very highly that they would have spoken like they were just released from enslavement.
,
A very interesting story. Pretty well told. But I knew after reading a few pages that the author had to be white. The dialect is so stereotypical and just off. African American dialects are influenced by region, class ,economic standing and education. It’s a language and like most languages have rules. The dialect in this book doesn’t follow any of them. Furthermore Quilly and her mother are not uneducated. I doubt very highly that they would have spoken like they were just released from enslavement.
,
November 23, 2024
I'll start off by saying I really liked the story. Now I'll continue with what I didn't like about this book. In my opinion the author would have been better served to tell the story from the third person with touches of dialogue. The first-person storytelling, in dialect, sometimes read like a school essay. It went in and out of this dialect with not-so-good use of punctuation and not-so-good editing. This is why I can give it only 3 stars. Otherwise it would have been a 4-star review for the compelling storyline.
March 4, 2021
Great Historical Fiction
First book I have read by this author and I LOVED it. Quilly is a coming of age story and also a family saga that continues. I am sure there were a lot of people that didn't feel like they belonged to any race, tho no fault of their own. This book is an eye opener and as humans we need to see beyond skin color and just see people for who they are. I really hope this author writes more books in this genre.
First book I have read by this author and I LOVED it. Quilly is a coming of age story and also a family saga that continues. I am sure there were a lot of people that didn't feel like they belonged to any race, tho no fault of their own. This book is an eye opener and as humans we need to see beyond skin color and just see people for who they are. I really hope this author writes more books in this genre.
June 9, 2022
Quilly
Great book. You never know with life how we may be related to someone you least expect due to circumstances from our parents. Quilly’s mother never expected to return to her home town and end up working in his home. I am sure she thought her secret was safe and Quilly and Andres would not develop a relationship. But as with everything in life we never know what the future holds
Great book. You never know with life how we may be related to someone you least expect due to circumstances from our parents. Quilly’s mother never expected to return to her home town and end up working in his home. I am sure she thought her secret was safe and Quilly and Andres would not develop a relationship. But as with everything in life we never know what the future holds
June 8, 2024
The struggle...
I enjoyed reading this story about Quilly. But as usual it's sad to read about the struggle people had to endure during those earlier years. Especially women even if they were not slaves. So much was required of them just to put a roof over their heads and food on the table. Even though Quilly knew her place she still had a mind of her own and she made the best of the life she had to live.
I enjoyed reading this story about Quilly. But as usual it's sad to read about the struggle people had to endure during those earlier years. Especially women even if they were not slaves. So much was required of them just to put a roof over their heads and food on the table. Even though Quilly knew her place she still had a mind of her own and she made the best of the life she had to live.
October 31, 2021
Love, it's beautiful sometimes.
Could hardly put book down. We've all heard about the earlier era between blacks and whites. To bad it had to be this way, because we are equal and there would have not been all the sneaking around between two races. There will always be prejudice, but we have come aways.
Could hardly put book down. We've all heard about the earlier era between blacks and whites. To bad it had to be this way, because we are equal and there would have not been all the sneaking around between two races. There will always be prejudice, but we have come aways.
August 2, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I remained intrigued by all of the characters in this novel. “Quilly” was one of the main characters. I found her to be a very loving, understanding, thoughtful, sincere, helpful, strong, and resilient woman with a passion for cooking. However, there were so many times I felt horrible for Quilly. She experienced many hardships, including discrimination, death, incest, and unfairness; she was convicted of murder and sent to prison for several years. However, I was happy that she found out who her birth father was. To sum things up in one word about the novel, I would say it was bittersweet.
November 10, 2022
The story's voice was enchanting!
The in and out of faith, trust and anger with GOD was thought provoking and caused considerable self reflect ion. Then struggle with right and wrong as well as what resentment and forgiveness can do to your heart over a lifetime made the story worth the read!
The in and out of faith, trust and anger with GOD was thought provoking and caused considerable self reflect ion. Then struggle with right and wrong as well as what resentment and forgiveness can do to your heart over a lifetime made the story worth the read!
March 30, 2023
ended Quickly
This book explores the in bred of racial. In the early 1900s. I appreciate the referrals to God and scripture. The storyline was good Altho it changed people quickly. A bit hard to follow that. But interesting book and I liked it ok. It did get a bit deep in racial mixes and that part was good.
This book explores the in bred of racial. In the early 1900s. I appreciate the referrals to God and scripture. The storyline was good Altho it changed people quickly. A bit hard to follow that. But interesting book and I liked it ok. It did get a bit deep in racial mixes and that part was good.
May 15, 2023
Captivating!
I loved this book! It kept my attention and was so hard to put down! Set in the south In the early 1900, it tells the story of a young black woman and a young white man. It follows their lives and the lives of their families. What does one do when their love is forbidden? I recommend this book!
I loved this book! It kept my attention and was so hard to put down! Set in the south In the early 1900, it tells the story of a young black woman and a young white man. It follows their lives and the lives of their families. What does one do when their love is forbidden? I recommend this book!
November 24, 2023
Stamina and the will to be gracious
Quickly is a young black girl in the early 1900's living in a small town in Texas. She and her mother are both fair skin. Quickly is bullied throughout her young life because of her complexion.However, her greatest joy is on cooking. There is serious parts of the book but also there is temerity.
Quickly is a young black girl in the early 1900's living in a small town in Texas. She and her mother are both fair skin. Quickly is bullied throughout her young life because of her complexion.However, her greatest joy is on cooking. There is serious parts of the book but also there is temerity.
January 8, 2024
Love is colorblind
I loved this family story from beginning to end.
Childhood innocence develops into a strong bond that cannot be broken, even though challenges in life may try to break those bonds. Eventually, everything will come together.
This novel kept me thoroughly engaged to the last word.
Thank you Jan
I loved this family story from beginning to end.
Childhood innocence develops into a strong bond that cannot be broken, even though challenges in life may try to break those bonds. Eventually, everything will come together.
This novel kept me thoroughly engaged to the last word.
Thank you Jan
February 19, 2024
This is a great story with lots of potential. I just had a hard time getting past the way Quilly spoke. To me it sounded like a white person trying to sound like a biracial person being raised as black. It didn’t ring true. I loved Quilly’s story and the way it showed her difficult times because of her skin color. I pray we do better today treating all persons with dignity and kindness.
October 27, 2020
This was such a great book. I really enjoyed all the characters and the way the story was told.
Would recommend this book to all my special friends that read. Look forward to reading other books you have written
Would recommend this book to all my special friends that read. Look forward to reading other books you have written
January 1, 2022
Great personal account of our society, history and culture
Great writing. Kept me engaged with the workings of how things used to be. Kudos for the research that must’ve gone into this.
Great writing. Kept me engaged with the workings of how things used to be. Kudos for the research that must’ve gone into this.
May 20, 2022
I love the book. The characters were great. Quill had the same problem that a lot of people face today . Who was she and why do people treat you like they do . The book was entertaining and your heart went out to her also. Great read for me .
August 17, 2022
Good people
Wonderful story ,human situations that cause sadness and anger. Set in texas,thru wars and the depression, the characters survive and somehow make it thru their troubles.
Wonderful story ,human situations that cause sadness and anger. Set in texas,thru wars and the depression, the characters survive and somehow make it thru their troubles.
October 11, 2022
Disapointed
The beginning was a little slow and disjointed. The last ten to fifteen chapters flowed better. At times I felt I was reading someone's diary that needed a writer to tell the story.
The beginning was a little slow and disjointed. The last ten to fifteen chapters flowed better. At times I felt I was reading someone's diary that needed a writer to tell the story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews