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Things Past Telling
The author of The Secret Woman tells the story of a brave and enduring woman as indomitable as Ernest Gaines' legendary Miss Jane Pittman, in a breathtaking novel that combines the epic romance and adventure of Outlander, the sweeping drama of Roots, and the haunting historical power of Barracoon.
Things Past Telling is a remarkable historical epic that charts one unforgettable woman's journey across an ocean of years as vast as the Atlantic that will forever separate her from her homeland.
Born in West Africa in the mid-eighteenth century, Maryam Prescilla Grace--a.k.a "Momma Grace" will live a long, wondrous life marked by hardship, oppression, opportunity, and love. Though she will be "gifted" various names, her birth name is known to her alone. Over the course of 100-plus years, she survives capture, enslavement by several property owners, the Atlantic crossing when she is only eleven years of age, and a brief stint as a pirate's ward, acting as both a spy and a translator.
Maryam learns midwifery from a Caribbean-born wise woman, whose "craft" combines curated techniques and medicines from African, Indigenous, and European women. Those midwifery skills allow her to sometimes transcend the racial and class barriers of her enslavement, as she walks the razor's edge trying to balance the lives and health of her own people with the cruel economic mandates of the slave holders, who view infants born in bondage not as flesh-and-blood children but as investment property.
Throughout her triumphant and tumultuous life Maryam gains and loses her homeland, her family, her culture, her husband, her lovers, and her children. Yet as the decades pass, this tenacious woman never loses her sense of self.
Inspired by a 112-year-old woman the author discovered in an 1870 U.S. Federal census report for Ohio, loosely based on the author's real-life female ancestors, spanning more than a hundred years, from the mid-eighteen-century to the end of America's Civil War, and spanning across the globe, from what is now southern Nigeria to the islands of the Caribbean to North America and the land bordering the Ohio River, Things Past Telling is a breathtaking story of a past that lives on in all of us, and a life that encompasses the best--and worst--of our humanity.
Things Past Telling is a remarkable historical epic that charts one unforgettable woman's journey across an ocean of years as vast as the Atlantic that will forever separate her from her homeland.
Born in West Africa in the mid-eighteenth century, Maryam Prescilla Grace--a.k.a "Momma Grace" will live a long, wondrous life marked by hardship, oppression, opportunity, and love. Though she will be "gifted" various names, her birth name is known to her alone. Over the course of 100-plus years, she survives capture, enslavement by several property owners, the Atlantic crossing when she is only eleven years of age, and a brief stint as a pirate's ward, acting as both a spy and a translator.
Maryam learns midwifery from a Caribbean-born wise woman, whose "craft" combines curated techniques and medicines from African, Indigenous, and European women. Those midwifery skills allow her to sometimes transcend the racial and class barriers of her enslavement, as she walks the razor's edge trying to balance the lives and health of her own people with the cruel economic mandates of the slave holders, who view infants born in bondage not as flesh-and-blood children but as investment property.
Throughout her triumphant and tumultuous life Maryam gains and loses her homeland, her family, her culture, her husband, her lovers, and her children. Yet as the decades pass, this tenacious woman never loses her sense of self.
Inspired by a 112-year-old woman the author discovered in an 1870 U.S. Federal census report for Ohio, loosely based on the author's real-life female ancestors, spanning more than a hundred years, from the mid-eighteen-century to the end of America's Civil War, and spanning across the globe, from what is now southern Nigeria to the islands of the Caribbean to North America and the land bordering the Ohio River, Things Past Telling is a breathtaking story of a past that lives on in all of us, and a life that encompasses the best--and worst--of our humanity.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published March 15, 2022
253 people are currently reading
9197 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 303 reviews
February 17, 2023
A beautifully written reflection of a life not belonging to oneself.
This story is segmented into the Before and After. Little Bird was taken from her village when she was 10. From Somewhere in Africa, where the slave traders raped the women, burned the villages and shackled those they thought would bring them an income.
Given the name Maryam by the white man, she learned languages by listening, was a healer and midwife. A skill that paid off and protected her but never gave back the life that once belonged to her.
The writing: exquisite. This character: strong, brave and smart. The hardships: brutal. The relationships and children who were lost in the slave trades: Heartbreaking.
Another reminder of an ugly period in history and the shameful behaviour of the white man. BUT, this was also a powerful one; rich with the memories of culture, family and traditions. Of story telling to her children so those memories would move forward and ancestors would never be forgotten.
I dare you not to shed a tear for this one.
5⭐️
This story is segmented into the Before and After. Little Bird was taken from her village when she was 10. From Somewhere in Africa, where the slave traders raped the women, burned the villages and shackled those they thought would bring them an income.
Given the name Maryam by the white man, she learned languages by listening, was a healer and midwife. A skill that paid off and protected her but never gave back the life that once belonged to her.
The writing: exquisite. This character: strong, brave and smart. The hardships: brutal. The relationships and children who were lost in the slave trades: Heartbreaking.
Another reminder of an ugly period in history and the shameful behaviour of the white man. BUT, this was also a powerful one; rich with the memories of culture, family and traditions. Of story telling to her children so those memories would move forward and ancestors would never be forgotten.
I dare you not to shed a tear for this one.
5⭐️
June 7, 2022
In 1870 Ohio a census taker really doesn’t care where this old black woman was born or where she was from, makes no difference to him. Momma Grace, though, at 112 years old sees it very differently. “ Virginia.” “No, I’m not ! But I am speaking only to myself. But yes I am from Virginia, lived there many years. But no I'm not. Not from there. That Virginia is like Ohio, home but not home. Only my lives there… and the lives I lost, made it familiar, the crops I planted, the babies I helped into the world, the earth where... seeds and sins … Virginia is familiar and I know it. But it's not …where I’m from.”
It is from here that Maryam Prescilla Grace begins to tell her story and where she was from. At ten years old, “Little Bird” has an affinity for learning languages by listening. This saves her life after being taken from Africa by slave traders. She eventually becomes a healer and a midwife, but her fate changes throughout the years. Her name changes. The places she lives change. She knows freedom where she was born. She knows horrific confinement. She knows the loathsome cruelty of slavery. Maryam also knows of love, of motherhood, of friendship, what it means to heal and help both the physically ailing and the spirt of those she helps to freedom. And she always knows where she is from and who she is no matter what she endures.
This is an extraordinary journey through decades of an extraordinary woman’s life reflecting on a horrific past of slavery. Yet, it is also a reflection of resilience and strength. Little Bird, Maryam, Momma Grace is a character I’ll remember. I found it so meaningful to know that the author’s inspiration was an entry in the 1870 census of a 112 year old black woman. An emotional read that made me cry multiple times, both because of her sadness and her joy. Excellent historical fiction.
I received a copy of this book from Amistad/HarperCollins through Edelweiss.
It is from here that Maryam Prescilla Grace begins to tell her story and where she was from. At ten years old, “Little Bird” has an affinity for learning languages by listening. This saves her life after being taken from Africa by slave traders. She eventually becomes a healer and a midwife, but her fate changes throughout the years. Her name changes. The places she lives change. She knows freedom where she was born. She knows horrific confinement. She knows the loathsome cruelty of slavery. Maryam also knows of love, of motherhood, of friendship, what it means to heal and help both the physically ailing and the spirt of those she helps to freedom. And she always knows where she is from and who she is no matter what she endures.
This is an extraordinary journey through decades of an extraordinary woman’s life reflecting on a horrific past of slavery. Yet, it is also a reflection of resilience and strength. Little Bird, Maryam, Momma Grace is a character I’ll remember. I found it so meaningful to know that the author’s inspiration was an entry in the 1870 census of a 112 year old black woman. An emotional read that made me cry multiple times, both because of her sadness and her joy. Excellent historical fiction.
I received a copy of this book from Amistad/HarperCollins through Edelweiss.
April 1, 2022
What an emotional book. After reading this, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. I can’t give the author enough accolades as to how well-written this book is. Lots of historical background and human emotions are played out around the life of Maryam Precilla Grace.
(Maryam’s life was inspired by a 112-year-old woman that Sheila Williams discovered in an 1870 Ohio census report.)
This story follows “Little Bird,” born in 1758 in her homeland of West Africa, who’s stolen at the age of 10 and put in shackles on the slave ship ‘Martinet.’ Fortunately before the ship reaches it’s American destination, she’s rescued and freed by Caesar, a pirate captain of the ‘Black Mary.’ She is given the name Maryam. From there she travels through the Caribbean to many ports, is captured and sold again, ending up in Savannah, the ‘Martinet’s’ original destination. Decades pass, white owners and locales change, and through it all Maryam remains a strong believer in her ethics and values. She helps all women, black or white as a midwife, helps everyone good or bad as a knowledgeable healer, and helps slaves through the Underground Railroad. A heartaching, very telling book I highly recommend.
A well-deserved 5 stars! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
(Maryam’s life was inspired by a 112-year-old woman that Sheila Williams discovered in an 1870 Ohio census report.)
This story follows “Little Bird,” born in 1758 in her homeland of West Africa, who’s stolen at the age of 10 and put in shackles on the slave ship ‘Martinet.’ Fortunately before the ship reaches it’s American destination, she’s rescued and freed by Caesar, a pirate captain of the ‘Black Mary.’ She is given the name Maryam. From there she travels through the Caribbean to many ports, is captured and sold again, ending up in Savannah, the ‘Martinet’s’ original destination. Decades pass, white owners and locales change, and through it all Maryam remains a strong believer in her ethics and values. She helps all women, black or white as a midwife, helps everyone good or bad as a knowledgeable healer, and helps slaves through the Underground Railroad. A heartaching, very telling book I highly recommend.
A well-deserved 5 stars! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
November 22, 2023
4 stars = Fantastic and easy to recommend.
There were so many stories that I could tell. And there were many for which I had to read between the lines to extract what was too painful, brutal, private, or treasured to relate directly. These were the things past telling.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable, well written historical novel that starts with an elderly woman, over 100 years old, reflecting back on her life. A difficult life where the world tried to beat her down in as many ways as it could, but her fierceness and strength kept her moving forward down the next unexpected road.
It never take long for a lie to travel. The truth, with its layers and colors, take its time.
From being stolen from her family in Africa and sold into slavery while prepubescent, to working alongside a pirate in the Caribbean, to being a slave under a few different masters in the colonies while risking her life to assist runaway slaves, the story moves along at a quick pace. It is rich both in plot and character growth and development as you are with the heroine from the time she is a child until she is a centenarian. There is an abundance of quotable prose and it gradually transforms as the polyglot main character’s grasp on languages evolves as she ages.
Was only with him long enough to miss him for the rest of my life.
A few relationships are covered over the decades, but the one man she married was a touching romance that will break the reader’s heart. The ending is happy and also brought a couple of tears to my eyes. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it to anyone else that likes historical fiction or well written stories in general. This was the first book I have read by the author, but I will be seeking out more of her books.
Then I go to hell. If you there, no heaven can hold me.
-------------------------------------------
First Sentence: I sit in the sun.
Favorite Quote: History is what’s left after the lies are taken out.
There were so many stories that I could tell. And there were many for which I had to read between the lines to extract what was too painful, brutal, private, or treasured to relate directly. These were the things past telling.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable, well written historical novel that starts with an elderly woman, over 100 years old, reflecting back on her life. A difficult life where the world tried to beat her down in as many ways as it could, but her fierceness and strength kept her moving forward down the next unexpected road.
It never take long for a lie to travel. The truth, with its layers and colors, take its time.
From being stolen from her family in Africa and sold into slavery while prepubescent, to working alongside a pirate in the Caribbean, to being a slave under a few different masters in the colonies while risking her life to assist runaway slaves, the story moves along at a quick pace. It is rich both in plot and character growth and development as you are with the heroine from the time she is a child until she is a centenarian. There is an abundance of quotable prose and it gradually transforms as the polyglot main character’s grasp on languages evolves as she ages.
Was only with him long enough to miss him for the rest of my life.
A few relationships are covered over the decades, but the one man she married was a touching romance that will break the reader’s heart. The ending is happy and also brought a couple of tears to my eyes. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it to anyone else that likes historical fiction or well written stories in general. This was the first book I have read by the author, but I will be seeking out more of her books.
Then I go to hell. If you there, no heaven can hold me.
-------------------------------------------
First Sentence: I sit in the sun.
Favorite Quote: History is what’s left after the lies are taken out.
February 14, 2022
“Blessed is she who remembers when all have forgotten.…” - Maryam
The opening scene of Things Past Telling is set in the Ohio Valley where a census taker asks (in a rather condescending manner) an elderly black woman’s name, age, and place of birth. He arrogantly implies she was born enslaved, but it is here in mere seconds for her, but an entire novel for the reader, that more than a century of experiences (inspired by real events) are revealed in her “remembering.”
Beginning with her origins as a young girl lovingly called “Little Bird” she trails behind her father regularly in the marketplace in the land of Edo (in a place called Africa) where she learns a variety of languages and is exposed to many cultures before capture. After a dispiriting First Passage, and a hellish and heart-breaking Middle Passage crossing before arriving in the Caribbean where she learns healing and midwifery - a skill that proves to be most beneficial for the rest of her life. Most readers who are familiar with stories surrounding the slave trade will find nothing new here; however, I think the book really hones in on the relationships, bonds, and tight-knit communities that are formed between disparate, displaced, and marginalized people. It is within these settings and communities – the hull of the slave ships, Island Maroon villages, slave plantations, freedman townships - that the author expands the depth and importance of these relationships and the roles they play on the central character whose name changes symbolically at each major shift in her life. Equally disturbing is what is lost when those relationships are destroyed by separation whether by death, sale, or unfortunate circumstance because in this world, happiness is both rare and fleeting.
The author takes care to include tidbits of American history and the circumstances surrounding lesser-known events such as the Igbo Landing Mass Suicide, the challenges and consequences of supporting the Underground Railroad, the impact of the Fugitive Slave Law on freedmen and women of color in border states, and the constant threat of rape/sexual abuse and servitude that enslaved children and women endured.
Recommended for fans of historical fiction and those interested in the African Diaspora. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Amistad, for a chance to review!
The opening scene of Things Past Telling is set in the Ohio Valley where a census taker asks (in a rather condescending manner) an elderly black woman’s name, age, and place of birth. He arrogantly implies she was born enslaved, but it is here in mere seconds for her, but an entire novel for the reader, that more than a century of experiences (inspired by real events) are revealed in her “remembering.”
Beginning with her origins as a young girl lovingly called “Little Bird” she trails behind her father regularly in the marketplace in the land of Edo (in a place called Africa) where she learns a variety of languages and is exposed to many cultures before capture. After a dispiriting First Passage, and a hellish and heart-breaking Middle Passage crossing before arriving in the Caribbean where she learns healing and midwifery - a skill that proves to be most beneficial for the rest of her life. Most readers who are familiar with stories surrounding the slave trade will find nothing new here; however, I think the book really hones in on the relationships, bonds, and tight-knit communities that are formed between disparate, displaced, and marginalized people. It is within these settings and communities – the hull of the slave ships, Island Maroon villages, slave plantations, freedman townships - that the author expands the depth and importance of these relationships and the roles they play on the central character whose name changes symbolically at each major shift in her life. Equally disturbing is what is lost when those relationships are destroyed by separation whether by death, sale, or unfortunate circumstance because in this world, happiness is both rare and fleeting.
The author takes care to include tidbits of American history and the circumstances surrounding lesser-known events such as the Igbo Landing Mass Suicide, the challenges and consequences of supporting the Underground Railroad, the impact of the Fugitive Slave Law on freedmen and women of color in border states, and the constant threat of rape/sexual abuse and servitude that enslaved children and women endured.
Recommended for fans of historical fiction and those interested in the African Diaspora. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Amistad, for a chance to review!
August 31, 2023
A wonderful story... highly recommend.
June 11, 2022
Warning: this review contains some spoilers.
As a little girl in eighteenth-century Africa, Maryam was called Little Bird. An undervalued middle daughter, she is allowed more freedom than her beautiful older sisters. She has the run of the village, listening to everything that goes on. Her father occasionally dresses her as a boy and takes her to bigger towns, where she also pays close attention. She knows people's secrets and she has an uncanny facility for picking up various languages, which will save her later.
At age ten, Little Bird is captured by slave traders. She endures a hellish march to the sea, the arduous Middle Passage, and the the death of her beloved sister. Over the course of her life, she will be a translator for a pirate and a midwife and "geechie woman". She will lose one family and start another. She will help slaves escape and be stalked by a slave catcher herself. She will live to see freedom and her own great-grandchildren.
This story was very moving, but I felt that it was poorly written. A competent editor and a rewrite or two would have improved it greatly. As it was, it reads like a first or second draft.
First, the voice is not consistent. Sometimes Maryam's voice is authentically hers, a Caribbean/American/African dialect. Other times, she lapses into the educated twenty-first century voice of the author.
Second, there are dumb mistakes that a good editor should have corrected. Like calling Pennsylvania a "colony" years after the American Revolution. Or the scene where Maryam describes herself as resisting learning midwifery, then later ON THE SAME page describes herself as "an eager pupil." Which is it? Or if she was reluctant and changed her mind, what caused that?
Later, the reader is shocked when Maryam goes into labor at age twelve. Turns out that she was brutally raped and, inexplicably, the author never wrote the scene. After the birth, Maryam remembers oh, yeah, I was raped. WHAT???!!! This had to have been a trauma at least equal to the Middle Passage. Readers deserved to share that trauma with the main character, not be clued in sort of by the way months later.
The novel carries themes of memory and loss throughout Maryam's life. But when a great-grandchild from the family she lost appears near the end of her life, it isn't as satisfying as it should be. We seldom see her really mourning that family. She seemed to have moved on. For the theme to be coherent, there should have been more about her longing for the family she lost. She should have at least tried to find them.
Maryam's story is moving and deserved to be better-told. Nothing wrong with it, though, that a better editor and at least one more rewrite couldn't have fixed.
Like my reviews? Check out my blog at http://www.kathrynbashaar.com/blog/
Author of The Saints Mistress https://camcatbooks.com/Books/T/The-S...
As a little girl in eighteenth-century Africa, Maryam was called Little Bird. An undervalued middle daughter, she is allowed more freedom than her beautiful older sisters. She has the run of the village, listening to everything that goes on. Her father occasionally dresses her as a boy and takes her to bigger towns, where she also pays close attention. She knows people's secrets and she has an uncanny facility for picking up various languages, which will save her later.
At age ten, Little Bird is captured by slave traders. She endures a hellish march to the sea, the arduous Middle Passage, and the the death of her beloved sister. Over the course of her life, she will be a translator for a pirate and a midwife and "geechie woman". She will lose one family and start another. She will help slaves escape and be stalked by a slave catcher herself. She will live to see freedom and her own great-grandchildren.
This story was very moving, but I felt that it was poorly written. A competent editor and a rewrite or two would have improved it greatly. As it was, it reads like a first or second draft.
First, the voice is not consistent. Sometimes Maryam's voice is authentically hers, a Caribbean/American/African dialect. Other times, she lapses into the educated twenty-first century voice of the author.
Second, there are dumb mistakes that a good editor should have corrected. Like calling Pennsylvania a "colony" years after the American Revolution. Or the scene where Maryam describes herself as resisting learning midwifery, then later ON THE SAME page describes herself as "an eager pupil." Which is it? Or if she was reluctant and changed her mind, what caused that?
Later, the reader is shocked when Maryam goes into labor at age twelve. Turns out that she was brutally raped and, inexplicably, the author never wrote the scene. After the birth, Maryam remembers oh, yeah, I was raped. WHAT???!!! This had to have been a trauma at least equal to the Middle Passage. Readers deserved to share that trauma with the main character, not be clued in sort of by the way months later.
The novel carries themes of memory and loss throughout Maryam's life. But when a great-grandchild from the family she lost appears near the end of her life, it isn't as satisfying as it should be. We seldom see her really mourning that family. She seemed to have moved on. For the theme to be coherent, there should have been more about her longing for the family she lost. She should have at least tried to find them.
Maryam's story is moving and deserved to be better-told. Nothing wrong with it, though, that a better editor and at least one more rewrite couldn't have fixed.
Like my reviews? Check out my blog at http://www.kathrynbashaar.com/blog/
Author of The Saints Mistress https://camcatbooks.com/Books/T/The-S...
January 26, 2022
A beautifully written story of a woman once called little bird by her family in west Africa, but who was captured by slavers at age twelve and put on a ship for the Americas. She would be given different names throughout her long life, but Maryam is the name we will hear the most.
Maryam had quite a journey from Africa, to various Islands and eventually to the USA where she was bought by a Plantation owner in the south.
On her travels she was able to acquire a very needed skill, that of healing and midwifery. Because of her skill she was more of an asset to her owners and was allowed a bit more freedom than most.
Maryam is a very strong individual, who knew what she wanted and would do what it took to achieve that goal.
So many sad and happy moments throughout the story, where I rejoiced with her happy moments, and felt anger at her sad ones.
The author gave us a good look at what it was like to be a slave and the harsh conditions they were meant to endure, but also she gave us a lot of very strong characters that made changes in others lives.
I will have to read more by this author as she has a beautiful writing style.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Amistad for a copy of this book.
Maryam had quite a journey from Africa, to various Islands and eventually to the USA where she was bought by a Plantation owner in the south.
On her travels she was able to acquire a very needed skill, that of healing and midwifery. Because of her skill she was more of an asset to her owners and was allowed a bit more freedom than most.
Maryam is a very strong individual, who knew what she wanted and would do what it took to achieve that goal.
So many sad and happy moments throughout the story, where I rejoiced with her happy moments, and felt anger at her sad ones.
The author gave us a good look at what it was like to be a slave and the harsh conditions they were meant to endure, but also she gave us a lot of very strong characters that made changes in others lives.
I will have to read more by this author as she has a beautiful writing style.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Amistad for a copy of this book.
March 5, 2024
This book started off a little slow, and I was just starting to think that it wasn’t going to live up to my expectations when it grabbed my attention and sucked me in. It turned out to be an incredible teaching story for me. I thought I had a grasp on what the black slaves of America went through during the shameful years our country allowed this outrageous institution. Let me tell you, I learned otherwise! This is a story everyone should read. It will answer a lot of questions and raise many more. I don’t usually reread books, but I’m sure this one will demand to be read again.
July 18, 2022
This is the story of Maryam Priscilla Grace, born in Africa, captured by slavers while still a child, and eventually brought to the U.S.A. She is 112 years old when the story opens, but goes back to her earliest memories of the childhood and family in Africa, and then through all the tribulations and joys of her life since. This historical fiction seems like it surely grounded in thorough research by this author, but the true grip of the story is in the creation of this wonderful woman. 4.5 stars for this compelling read.
August 21, 2023
This book was an unexpected treasure, pulling me out of a reading slump.
Maryam, or Momma Grace tells her life story of decades being owned as another man’s property. She and her sisters are torn apart as a family and she is sent away from Africa on a slave ship. She’s only a child when a pirate takes her on as a translator and spy. She learns the ways of healing, herbs as medicine, and midwifery. Her journey takes her through the Carribean and finally to the United States.
I loved Maryam’s story, and admired her strength, trial after trial. I highly recommend this character driven novel.
Maryam, or Momma Grace tells her life story of decades being owned as another man’s property. She and her sisters are torn apart as a family and she is sent away from Africa on a slave ship. She’s only a child when a pirate takes her on as a translator and spy. She learns the ways of healing, herbs as medicine, and midwifery. Her journey takes her through the Carribean and finally to the United States.
I loved Maryam’s story, and admired her strength, trial after trial. I highly recommend this character driven novel.
June 7, 2022
This was one of my most anticipated books but unfortunately it just didn't do it for me at all. It's just a complete miss for me, which is really too bad because the synopsis checked all of my boxes and it should've been a win. I hate to only badger books in reviews, however I feel the need to be specific in this case to help other readers ascertain if it's something they would like to read.
There was a lack of depth and terrible pacing issues. We got like ONE story from when Maryam was a pirate. Otherwise, years of stories were just lumped together of just what they did generally during that time. During that same time frame, there was a big twist that surprised everyone, most of all the reader because we didn't get told things that were happening to the main character (and the book did not change perspectives, so this was especially bad in the context of this book). That is a huge pet peeve of mine in books...when we are reading books, we should be privy to that character's stories inner most thoughts and experiences. I get a main character having a hard time dealing with things and wanting to keep it from other characters, but to me, that is completely unacceptable to do to the reader. That was the biggest problem of that sort, but still it continued to just gloss over things. For example, her husband and sons got sold. We jump from the moment she realizes they're gone to her being pulled from the river in a suicide attempt. It just made it so hard to connect to Maryam and her actual feelings because it would just jump ahead in time like that and skip the pain and feelings that led her there.
However, my biggest qualm in this story was that it felt like sugarcoated slavery. I could go on and on with examples. I've deleted and retyped a few numerous times. It was just completely unbelievable to me, but based on how the worst thing that happened to the character (that I alluded to in the previous paragraph), we actually never even heard about until there was an unavoidable consequence of that event, maybe the author just didn't want to go too deeply in the heavy stuff. However, in a book about slavery, it just comes across all wrong. It didn't sit right with me.
There was a lack of depth and terrible pacing issues. We got like ONE story from when Maryam was a pirate. Otherwise, years of stories were just lumped together of just what they did generally during that time. During that same time frame, there was a big twist that surprised everyone, most of all the reader because we didn't get told things that were happening to the main character (and the book did not change perspectives, so this was especially bad in the context of this book). That is a huge pet peeve of mine in books...when we are reading books, we should be privy to that character's stories inner most thoughts and experiences. I get a main character having a hard time dealing with things and wanting to keep it from other characters, but to me, that is completely unacceptable to do to the reader. That was the biggest problem of that sort, but still it continued to just gloss over things. For example, her husband and sons got sold. We jump from the moment she realizes they're gone to her being pulled from the river in a suicide attempt. It just made it so hard to connect to Maryam and her actual feelings because it would just jump ahead in time like that and skip the pain and feelings that led her there.
However, my biggest qualm in this story was that it felt like sugarcoated slavery. I could go on and on with examples. I've deleted and retyped a few numerous times. It was just completely unbelievable to me, but based on how the worst thing that happened to the character (that I alluded to in the previous paragraph), we actually never even heard about until there was an unavoidable consequence of that event, maybe the author just didn't want to go too deeply in the heavy stuff. However, in a book about slavery, it just comes across all wrong. It didn't sit right with me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair review.
WHEW how do I unpack all of my feelings for this book? Spanning 100 years, we meet a young girl from Africa and follow her tale through the slave trade to her eventual emancipation and settlement in Ohio. Reading this book is like listening to your grandma tell the tales of her life. You can see it all in front of you, and you are rapt waiting for more. The way Ms Williams tells this tale is exactly what I hope for in a book: Long enough so the story stays with me, short enough to make me want for more. The characters were vibrant, the setting vivid before me. I really loved this book and messaged the author before I could review it. We will do this in book club and Ill tell everyone I know.
5*
WHEW how do I unpack all of my feelings for this book? Spanning 100 years, we meet a young girl from Africa and follow her tale through the slave trade to her eventual emancipation and settlement in Ohio. Reading this book is like listening to your grandma tell the tales of her life. You can see it all in front of you, and you are rapt waiting for more. The way Ms Williams tells this tale is exactly what I hope for in a book: Long enough so the story stays with me, short enough to make me want for more. The characters were vibrant, the setting vivid before me. I really loved this book and messaged the author before I could review it. We will do this in book club and Ill tell everyone I know.
5*
February 13, 2023
What starts as a normal day for Maryam Prescilla Grace (this is not her birth name, but her given name), ends with her being stolen from her home and sold into slavery. The events that follow are infuriating and sad with traces of hope sprinkled throughout.
Wow, was this hard to get through. I actually had to wash my makeup off in order to finish it because my eyes were on fire from crying so much. It makes me sick to my stomach to think that there were people who stole other PEOPLE and sold and treated them as if they were nothing. It’s unfathomable to think that there are still people to this day with this same level of hate and barbarism in their blood.
This one is really hard to talk about. All I can really say is read it. Read it. Read it.
Wow, was this hard to get through. I actually had to wash my makeup off in order to finish it because my eyes were on fire from crying so much. It makes me sick to my stomach to think that there were people who stole other PEOPLE and sold and treated them as if they were nothing. It’s unfathomable to think that there are still people to this day with this same level of hate and barbarism in their blood.
This one is really hard to talk about. All I can really say is read it. Read it. Read it.
February 7, 2022
An extraordinary book! A young girl, ripped from her family, home, and continent, forced to grow up fast.
I found this book to be compelling and thought provoking.
The writing is well done and the characters come to life.
Don’t miss this one.
Thanks to Amistad Press and NetGalley for the early copy.
I found this book to be compelling and thought provoking.
The writing is well done and the characters come to life.
Don’t miss this one.
Thanks to Amistad Press and NetGalley for the early copy.
October 28, 2021
Things Past Telling by Sheila Williams is a beautiful and touching historical fiction that is sweeping, epic, and quite unique in its content that it kept me enthralled from beginning to end.
What a beautiful and memorable story. I absolutely loved reading the epic life and experiences of Maryam Prescilla Grace. It was fascinating, gut-wrenching, and completely epic in so many ways.
Momma Grace experienced so much, but yet was so limited…it was truly humbling and inspiring to read a story about a strong woman…a fighter…and a woman with heart and soul. Through her life and story, we can learn so much. It was stunning, haunting, and emotional. Spanning a century across different lands, times, and continents, the author does an amazing job bringing this story onto pages for us to learn from, love, enjoy, and remember.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Amistad Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/15/22.
What a beautiful and memorable story. I absolutely loved reading the epic life and experiences of Maryam Prescilla Grace. It was fascinating, gut-wrenching, and completely epic in so many ways.
Momma Grace experienced so much, but yet was so limited…it was truly humbling and inspiring to read a story about a strong woman…a fighter…and a woman with heart and soul. Through her life and story, we can learn so much. It was stunning, haunting, and emotional. Spanning a century across different lands, times, and continents, the author does an amazing job bringing this story onto pages for us to learn from, love, enjoy, and remember.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Amistad Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/15/22.
September 22, 2022
"This may be the land of freedom for some, but it ain't for me..."
This book broke my heart too many times to count, it was honest and raw and emotional. I am destroyed. Of all the books I've read that take place during/before the civil war, this one felt the most realistic. "He like James and he like me and he try to get along with all the people, say he not more than they are. We know he mean well but he not like us. Two years, he his own man. Two years, twenty years. We do not belong to ourselves."
I appreciated the small attention to details. For example, when Maryam was in the Florida Keys, she meets a woman living in a building made entirely of shells, made by the people who lived there before. The Calusa are an extinct society that lived on Florida's southwest coast. They were the first shell collecters and made everything and anything out of shells. The fact that this detail was included really stood out to me. It didn't have to be there, but it was and it added more to the story.
This book should replace The Scarlet Letter in American highschools.
This book broke my heart too many times to count, it was honest and raw and emotional. I am destroyed. Of all the books I've read that take place during/before the civil war, this one felt the most realistic. "He like James and he like me and he try to get along with all the people, say he not more than they are. We know he mean well but he not like us. Two years, he his own man. Two years, twenty years. We do not belong to ourselves."
I appreciated the small attention to details. For example, when Maryam was in the Florida Keys, she meets a woman living in a building made entirely of shells, made by the people who lived there before. The Calusa are an extinct society that lived on Florida's southwest coast. They were the first shell collecters and made everything and anything out of shells. The fact that this detail was included really stood out to me. It didn't have to be there, but it was and it added more to the story.
This book should replace The Scarlet Letter in American highschools.
February 1, 2023
Born in West Africa in the mid-eighteenth century, Maryam Prescilla Grace--a.k.a "Momma Grace" will live a long, wondrous life marked by hardship, oppression, opportunity, and love. Though she will be "gifted" various names, her birth name is known to her alone. Over the course of 100-plus years, she survives capture, enslavement by several property owners, the Atlantic crossing when she is only eleven years of age, and a brief stint as a pirate's ward, acting as both a spy and a translator.
Let me say I love the stories of my people, this story gives the full account of a life not that she was just an enslaved person and her story from there. It gave her whole life how she was before what she missed and how some memories stay forever and some fade into the back ground. This story not only showed her persistence to build a life for herself but showed her brilliance how much she know, saw, and learned from her environment. This story gave an account of the knowledge of these people they knew and did so much more than they were given credit for.
Let me say I love the stories of my people, this story gives the full account of a life not that she was just an enslaved person and her story from there. It gave her whole life how she was before what she missed and how some memories stay forever and some fade into the back ground. This story not only showed her persistence to build a life for herself but showed her brilliance how much she know, saw, and learned from her environment. This story gave an account of the knowledge of these people they knew and did so much more than they were given credit for.
March 24, 2023
3.5 stars
Good story but sad. I read it quickly. I don't understand how people can be so horrible. How we were so horrible to each other. Just makes me sad. It was very well written, however, so my stars are probably based on the feeling I am left with more than anything.
Good story but sad. I read it quickly. I don't understand how people can be so horrible. How we were so horrible to each other. Just makes me sad. It was very well written, however, so my stars are probably based on the feeling I am left with more than anything.
November 15, 2025
3.5 stars. This one started so strong but I didn’t love the second half.
March 1, 2022
In the 1700’s Maryam is born in West Africa. We learn about her family and culture when she is captured by slave traffickers and put on a ship bound for the Caribbean.
I really enjoyed the breadth and span this book encompasses following Maryam over her 100+ years of life. Pirates, translator, midwife, slave, mother, wife, underground railroad helper and beyond this book covers beautifully.
This book didn’t show a lot of tragedy, and spoke of their troubles minimally. I didn’t connect well or closely with any of the characters, they were almost breezed over. Perhaps it was because the book was spanning 100+ years of Maryam’s life…it focused more on the places and people she met in her life rather than focusing on the trials and troubles she faced.
Published March 15.
Thank you to NetGalley and Amistad for the advance e-copy in return for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the breadth and span this book encompasses following Maryam over her 100+ years of life. Pirates, translator, midwife, slave, mother, wife, underground railroad helper and beyond this book covers beautifully.
This book didn’t show a lot of tragedy, and spoke of their troubles minimally. I didn’t connect well or closely with any of the characters, they were almost breezed over. Perhaps it was because the book was spanning 100+ years of Maryam’s life…it focused more on the places and people she met in her life rather than focusing on the trials and troubles she faced.
Published March 15.
Thank you to NetGalley and Amistad for the advance e-copy in return for an honest review.
May 30, 2022
Such a beautifully written book. The author made me feel like I was sitting down with the main character and listening while she told me her life story. A young girl kidnapped in Africa and trained as a midwife like her mother before her. A life filled with bravery, heartbreak and love too. Can’t wait to read more by this author.
March 30, 2022
Such a beautiful but heart-wrenching story that left me breathless at times. This story is somewhat based on the author’s ancestors and stories told by others. I plan on checking out other books written by this author. She is an exquisite storyteller.
November 4, 2021
A book about slavery. And the human condition. This is a thought-provoking, beautifully told story that I really enjoyed. I recommend it.
May 14, 2022
Excellent! Stirred so many emotions. I definitely will read this author again and would recommend this read!
July 7, 2022
All the feels and tears. This one was a hard one, but worth it.
September 22, 2022
Excellent read. Couldn't put it down. It's like a story being told to me by a Grandmother.
March 22, 2022
rating: 4.5/5
Things Past Telling is a story about a wowan's life story and how she ended up in Ohio. Maryam was born in West Africa when a slaver ship came to grab her people to bring them over to America. The slaver ship is then is taken over by pirates and Maryam works with the pirates for a stint. She learns so many things from them that she continues to carry with her when another slaver ship finally comes and grabs Maryam to America. She then lives as a slave on a plantation. She uses her skills that she learned from Marie Catherine to become a midwife and healer for people. This was an extraordinary tale of one woman's life story and what she had to do to survive. Maryam was an inspiration to read about. Thank you to Netgalley and Amistad Press for giving me a ARC of the book. This is definitely a story I will continue to think about.
Things Past Telling is a story about a wowan's life story and how she ended up in Ohio. Maryam was born in West Africa when a slaver ship came to grab her people to bring them over to America. The slaver ship is then is taken over by pirates and Maryam works with the pirates for a stint. She learns so many things from them that she continues to carry with her when another slaver ship finally comes and grabs Maryam to America. She then lives as a slave on a plantation. She uses her skills that she learned from Marie Catherine to become a midwife and healer for people. This was an extraordinary tale of one woman's life story and what she had to do to survive. Maryam was an inspiration to read about. Thank you to Netgalley and Amistad Press for giving me a ARC of the book. This is definitely a story I will continue to think about.
February 21, 2024
I listened to this on Audible and had a difficult time with the many dialects. I suppose that was a central theme of the book, but to me it was tedious. To be honest, I had to force myself to finish this one. I gave it 3 stars for the effort that must have gone into the historical detail.
June 9, 2022
Moving. Powerful. Incredibly well done. Having finished it, I need to sit and feel and just process for a while.
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