Black Coffee discussion

Dosha and I will be reading Sweetsmoke for the month of January.

I have Sweetsmoke on my bedside table. At the top of my list.

You're more than welcome to join in. :)

Hi Diane,
We begin on January 1. You are welcome to join in with us.

I hope you enjoy Sweetsmoke as much as I did.

I'm looking forward to it Beverly. Glad to know you enjoyed it.

Dosha, I'm waiting for this to arrive in the mail. I probably should have just gotten the kindle edition. Anyhoo...it should arrive any day now.

I just started it today. Only a few pages have been read, after all of the holiday festivities are over I'll buckle down with it.

This book has been sitting on my bookshelf since December of 2013. I've been sitting on a gem! I'm glad to be reading it now.

aww...now I'm upset! I'm still waiting on my copy. lol. I guess that's what I get for trying to save a few dollars. lol

I'm sorry. I thought you already had the book. No worries, I have to read it slow (I have 2 others in progress too).

Lol. I'm just picking! It's ok.

Dosha!!! I finally got my book in the mail! I'm gonna start this evening! Have you finished?

Lulu wrote: "Dosha!!! I finally got my book in the mail! I'm gonna start this evening! Have you finished?"
No my dear I have not finished. I'm almost 1/3 of the way through it. I have a f2f book discussion of Americanah on the 23rd, so I've been going back and forth between the 2.

Ok! I'm gonna catch up so we can discuss.

Hi Lulu, how is it going, I'm at the halfway mark.

I'm still on the early stages. I haven't had a chance to read as much as I've wanted to. Cassius was just sent to fix the main gate because some bad news has arrived.

OK good. I need to pay a bit more attention to Americanah and then I can focus on Sweetsmoke.

This book is off to a slow start. I hope it picks up soon. lol

I thought it started out better in the beginning than it is here at halfway.

I've heard wonderful things about this book, so..... let us trudge along and see what will be.

It does have an interesting hook - murder investigator that also happens to be a slave - never came across that angle before, lol.

Yes! It is an interesting concept.

ok....i'm reading. lol

I got half way through the book two years ago lol

Jane wrote: "I got half way through the book two years ago lol"

Did you finish it?

No I never did finish it that often happens when I stop reading

I mean I can t get back into it

I just noticed...why are the slave speaking part not in quotations, but the free people are?

I did not notice that. I thought it was written in the same style as Kent Hanuf. Very interesting.

oh wow! I didn't know that Cassius Marcellus Clay (Muhammad Ali) shared his name with an abolitionist from Kentucky!!! WOW!!!!

you read fast. I think you have passed me.

Lol. It's starting to pick up for me.

Good. I'm going to pay more attention tomorrow. I wasn't too thrilled with the Greek mythology, maybe I'll get back into the spirit.

Reading it too. lol

Great, welcome aboard. How far along are you? I'm just cruising past the halfway mark.

p. 100

I am having a really hard time finishing this book. :(

I'm on page 196. what page are you on?

213

I'm gonna try to catch up to you tonight.

Now that it has been brought to my attention, I'm rather insulted at the lack of quotations for the Black people. WTF? I'm on page 205 and it is annoying as hell. I'm going to try my best to get to chapter 15 and then "let's talk".

Lol!!! Ok

Now that it has been brought to my attention, I'm rather insulted at the lack of quotations for the Black people. WTF? I'm going to try my best to get to chapter 15 (pg. 224), and the. "Let's talk", okay?

LOL!!! I'm just now seeing this updated message. LOL!!!

it seems to me that Cassius has it too freely to be believed. How can he get away with being gone for two days realistic ly? I don't like Pet and Mam Rose.

I'm done.

This book could have been summed up in the last few chapters.

Very unrealistic.

I should be done by the weekend. I had a summons for jury duty and ended up on a case which has just killed my freedom more than I expected.

I have read a lot of fascinating books that take place during slavery and this one, so far, does not seem realistic. But, as I'm learning as one of the ladies and gentlemen of the jury: I don't want to make to a premature decision.....lol

LOL!

No worries. We will discuss when you're done. I'm sure it will still be fresh on my mind.

well, I'm finished and although it was good enough for 3 stars I am disappointed.

I don't remember reading any reference to the Cassius in this book being linked to the boxer Cassius Clay. Where did you read that?

There was a reference to Cassius Clay an abolitionist from Kentucky. I just googled it. Lol.

I don't know. I just feel like there was a lot of time wasted on irrelevant things in this book. Like the whole Shakespeare thing and the gate and Tempie. I don't see how it tied in to the overall picture.

And before we got Shakespeare, I suffered through the Greek mythology. Why was that necessary? I think the scenes with Temple are there to make sure everyone remembers how precarious the lives of slaves are at this time. There is not a lot of evidence by the comings and goings of Cassius and Emoline, so we need to see the jealousy, backstabbing, and the inhumane consequences of this behavior with Temple as the example. The sale on the auction block was more real to me than most of this story. What did you think of Big Gus?

I enjoyed learning about the different crops grown in the states and the connection to the auction block. What stuck with me was when they talked about being sold from a tobacco state to a cotton state and the chances of seeing your family again are next to none.