Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion

The Buddy Read for Africaville starts April 20th. Remember, if you can’t get a physical copy from the library, you still may get one from Scribd or Kindle Unlimited who last I heard are still offering 30 day free memberships.

Now, who's all in?

ok. I will continue reading.

I am, but I won't be able to start till probably around April 20th, so I might be running a little late, apologies in advance.

Lata wrote: "I am, but I won't be able to start till probably around April 20th, so I might be running a little late, apologies in advance."

That’s fine. That’s the date we planned to start.

How about this for a reading schedule:

Part 1: April 20-23
Part 1-2: Thru 26th
Part 1-3: Thru 29th
Part 1-5 Entire book open May 3rd

The free subscription to Scribd offers this book as both an ebook and audiobook for those who are without access to the local library.

Today is the 20th. Anyone ready to discuss Part 1 of AFRICAVILLE?

I haven't started yet, but hope to within a few days.

Lata wrote: "I haven't started yet, but hope to within a few days."

Ok, Lata. I finished it so just let me know when/if you’re able to start the discussion.

I'm ready for Part 1 and thanks for the schedule. Will gather my thoughts and share tonight (admittedly, my thoughts/comments are fleeting as I'm not really getting much *new* out of what I've absorbed thus far). I find the first part easily forgettable - I don't think I made many notes, if any.

Mocha Girl wrote: "I'm ready for Part 1 and thanks for the schedule. Will gather my thoughts and share tonight (admittedly, my thoughts/comments are fleeting as I'm not really getting much *new* out of what I've abso..."

I don’t mean to discourage you in any way but Part 1 is the section of the book that I enjoyed liked the most. (Insert The Scream painting here).

Part One Comments & SPOILERS!!!

Confession: Getting through Part One was a chore for me!! Perhaps it’s me - I am working long hours this week; however, I think it may be the manner in which the author chose to set the place, era, describe the events in his attempt to relay history in these carefully crafted inter-related families that are simply coming off a bit flat. I’m reading an ARC, so perhaps I’m missing a family tree diagram or cast of characters. I was attempting to keep up with family ties but quickly gave up as it seems like a lot of names and titles were mentioned, but have yet to circle back to any “connected” plotline.
The strength, determination, and perseverance of the early settlers are truly remarkable; however, I feel like I’ve read about these experiences before as they echo stories of similar circumstances.

At this point, I’m an uninspired reader.

Regarding the Characters:

- Kath Ella as a protagonist is doing nothing for me! While I admire(s) her determination to seek higher education, her journey, and collegiate experiences didn’t reveal anything new or enlightening. Even her “affair” with Oscar was “meh,” and she didn’t have the spunk to stand up to writing the letters to his wife.

- I’m not sure how/why everyone seems to the Kath Ellas was the bad influence on Kiendra - both had destructive, disobedient, rebellious spirits.

Part One closes with Kiendra, Omar, and Donnita’s passing. Were we supposed to be saddened at the loss of these characters? (yes, that was a bit mean). Honestly, it was hard for me to care about Kiendra because she came off as a bit unhinged and seemingly lived dangerously which contributed to her own demise. We only recently had “met” Omar, the tragic ‘orphan-of-sorts,’ and Donnita - either I missed reference of her in the early sections or it seems like she just appeared at the funeral and was then killed off a few pages later!

I end Part One hoping Kath Ella will grow up and we won’t have to see her mope around in the future!

I had some trouble keeping the people in the beginning of the book, except for Kiendra and Kath Ella, of course, straight. I’m listening to the book, and however wonderful Robin Miles’ narration is, my focus is shot this week.
And I also couldn’t understand why people kept assuming Kath Ella was the instigator of the pranks and misbehaviour. Nothing the author had told us to that point about her should have had Kath Ella’s parents and others repeatedly scold her, instead of Kiendra.

Hi Lata - I experienced the same challenges you mentioned. I kept waiting for more of a backstory (some type of explanation) for Kiendra's rebellious/eccentric behavior and why Kath Ella seemingly just followed along. It seemed like she (Kath Ella) received less harsh "punishment(s)" for her misdeeds than Kiendra.

I also found her antics of stealing her parents $ to purchase paint to honor Kiendra a bit much - it seemed like they'd been estranged for a while. There was no mention of her parents' reaction to the missing $ (maybe I missed it - I have been pushing myself to get through this).

Mocha Girl wrote: "Hi Lata - I experienced the same challenges you mentioned. I kept waiting for more of a backstory (some type of explanation) for Kiendra's rebellious/eccentric behavior and why Kath Ella seemingly ..."

There were a lot of holes in this section of the book. After a while I just stopped keeping count. The opportunity was there to make the Kath Ella character a great or good protagonist but the author just couldn’t seem to get it together.

This was only my second time listening to an audio book and I only listened to it 50% of the time with 25% each for the ebook and physical book, respectively. I had heard about the “legend” that is Robin Miles before listening to the book. I’ll just say I wasn’t really impressed with her in this book, particularly the younger and white characters. They all sort of sounded alike after awhile even though she was obviously attempting to change the accents. I was really disappointed after hearing so much about her.

Part Two - SPOILERS and Random Thoughts

Soooo...Kath has Omar’s son (no surprise there - I imagined her sexual escapades with no protection considering the era), secures a teaching position (despite being a single mother - which is somewhat unbelievable to me), enters into an interracial marriage...dies.

What I Liked (no surprise these parts did not include Kath!)

- We discovered the fate of a set of their ancestors - the tie to Sierra Leone is revealed. I appreciated the bit of closure; the mystery is solved. I would have liked to know a bit more about that aspect of history.

- To round out this section, their area of town is renamed/self-named Africaville. This seemed to be a uniting event for the community.

Feeling after reading Part Two: Yawn!

Another thing I had an issue with was how the author segued from one story or subject to another. I first noticed this in the sex scene between Kath Ella and Oscar Mislick. It seemed to just come out of nowhere. The sex scenes in general were not well done at all.

ColumbusReads wrote: "Another thing I had an issue with was how the author segued from one story or subject to another. I first noticed this in the sex scene between Kath Ella and Oscar Mislick. It seemed to just come o..."

I agree totally.

I am finding the author’s transitions between story sections difficult to follow. And yes, there were plot holes and insufficiently described motivations; e.g., the paint purchase?!

So far:
I liked
-how Africaville gets its name
-the connection to Sierra Leone

I didn’t like
-the sex scenes! Nope, not written well, they seemed to come from nowhere, and just as quickly disappeared. They were also awkwardly written!
-I want to like or empathize with Kath Ella, but I’m finding it hard to get a handle on her character. I feel like there were paragraphs that got excised from the narrative that we needed.

And it must be how I’m feeling (this social isolation thing, which has been tougher than I imagined it would be emotionally) is really affecting my ability to read, in the sense that I have a lot less patience for plot holes or lack of character development, etc.
Is it just me? I’m struggling at the halfway point with this book. I need good character development to sustain me through a narrative, and I feel like this author has given me primarily the “surface”, so to speak.

Lata wrote: "And it must be how I’m feeling (this social isolation thing, which has been tougher than I imagined it would be emotionally) is really affecting my ability to read, in the sense that I have a lot l..."

Same here, Lata. I thought it was just me. I’m having very little patience for some of these books I’ve read since Covid-19 hit. I’m talking about award-winning authors too. Most recently it was J. Woodson.

I think we must all be getting a little frayed emotionally. I find myself unable to sustain my attention for anything for very long. And all I want to do is watch mindless tv and eat chocolate.
And yeah, Columbus, I know what you mean about books becoming more miss than hit lately.

Lata wrote: "I think we must all be getting a little frayed emotionally. I find myself unable to sustain my attention for anything for very long. And all I want to do is watch mindless tv and eat chocolate.
An..."

Yep, i read 20/25 pages and then hit the internet or tv. Lol

I've had success with some new debuts (really enjoyed them): These Ghosts are Family by Maisy Card, Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore, Pale by Edward A. Farmer, Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang.

ColumbusReads wrote: "Lata wrote: "I think we must all be getting a little frayed emotionally. I find myself unable to sustain my attention for anything for very long. And all I want to do is watch mindless tv and eat c..."

Understood and this novel is NOT a 'page-turner,' in the least!!!

ColumbusReads wrote: "Lata wrote: "And it must be how I’m feeling (this social isolation thing, which has been tougher than I imagined it would be emotionally) is really affecting my ability to read, in the sense that I..."

For me, it was Deacon King Kong by James McBride. I was expecting so much more....I was very disappointed (but I'm in the minority).

Oddly, it’s been nonfiction that’s elicited the more positive response from me lately. I read a memoir recently, and plan to check out a collection of essays about various authors’ thoughts about Octavia Butler. Don’t remember if it was well-reviewed, but it’s not about epidemiology or economics (I get enough of that on the news).

Lata wrote: "I am finding the author’s transitions between story sections difficult to follow. And yes, there were plot holes and insufficiently described motivations; e.g., the paint purchase?!"

I agree....and at that point, I just let it go (didn't think about it too hard) and pushed through.

Mocha Girl wrote: "ColumbusReads wrote: "Lata wrote: "And it must be how I’m feeling (this social isolation thing, which has been tougher than I imagined it would be emotionally) is really affecting my ability to rea..."

What!!! I’m shocked and shook! I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Deacon. Like from everyone....that just shows you every book is not for everyone.

10 questions with the author:

https://www.pw.org/content/ten_questi...

Thank you for sharing that interview with us, Columbus.

I pushed through and finished the novel - whew! It wore me out! I definitely need a "rebound" read after this - something guaranteed to be a winner!

Sadly - I don't know what else to say about this book without complaining, something I really don't want to do; but it's difficult to cite anything that was really noteworthy or enlightening. It was a noble effort, great premise, but the execution fell short for me.

Hmmm, I might try to get through the remainder of the book, though your reaction doesn’t give me great hope that the book improves in the 2nd half.

Lata wrote: "Hmmm, I might try to get through the remainder of the book, though your reaction doesn’t give me great hope that the book improves in the 2nd half."

How far have you gotten? Are you in Part 3 yet?

I’m in part 3, section Two Hundred and Forty Months.

I liked the fact that the author chose Nova Scotia as his setting - a place that I read very little about or really nothing about in the past. As Lata said, I also liked how Africaville got its name and the information on Sierra Leone. But then I read somewhere where his historical information about that period and how it came to be was inaccurate. If I can find it I’ll let you know. This was really disappointing to me. If you’re going to write some historical piece on a place you need to get the particulars right. Even in a work of fiction. You may play fast and loose with names and maybe take literary license with some aspect of it but it’s important -in my opinion- to get the historical part correct and then work around it for entertainment reasons.

Lata wrote: "I’m in part 3, section Two Hundred and Forty Months."

Ok, when you complete Part 3 let me know and we can discuss. That’s if you decide you want to continue. Sounds like Mocha Girl has thrown up the white flag. Lol no mas, no mas!

Oh dear, I hope the Sierra Leone info isn’t as poor as you say, Columbus! I expect good quality research for historical fiction.

And sadly, even though I live in Canada, I don’t know that much about Nova Scotia, beyond the little we learned in school in geography class. Each province concentrates pretty heavily on its self as far as schooling goes. I imagine it’s similar in the US in each State.
Part of my hubby’s family emigrated to NS from Ireland, while others went there from the States, in the early 1800s, and he’s been to Halifax some years ago. Apparently, the people are super friendly, and if you like seafood, it’s pretty amazing there.

Mocha Girl wrote: "I've had success with some new debuts (really enjoyed them): These Ghosts are Family by Maisy Card, Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore, Pale by Edward A. Farmer, Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, H..."

Thank you for the book recommendations. I immediately purchased Valentine and I am listening to it now. Although I am not reading Africaville, I am following the discussion by the three of you. I, like you guys, am having difficulty with reading selections during this quarantine. Valentine is already holding my interest. Thank you.

ColumbusReads wrote: "Mocha Girl wrote: "ColumbusReads wrote: "Lata wrote: "And it must be how I’m feeling (this social isolation thing, which has been tougher than I imagined it would be emotionally) is really affectin..."

I'd be interested in hearing your take on Deacon King Kong. I have loved all of McBride's work up until this release! :-) It's not a "bad" book and included all the McBride trademarks - colorful, quirky characters, humor, nod to history, etc...but it fell flat for me and the "reveals" were contrived and unoriginal. Again, I know I'm in the minority on that one.

ColumbusReads wrote: "But then I read somewhere where his historical information about that period and how it came to be was inaccurate. "

WHAT?!?! If true, that's terribly disappointing. If I cared enough, I would google it...but I'm still exhausted from the reading experience. LOL! I'll research later because I'm curious re: which specific aspects of the story were incorrect.

Mocha Girl wrote: "ColumbusReads wrote: "But then I read somewhere where his historical information about that period and how it came to be was inaccurate. "

WHAT?!?! If true, that's terribly disappointing. If I car..."

I’m gonna look for it too. It infuriated me to no end.

Lata wrote: "I am finding the author’s transitions between story sections difficult to follow. And yes, there were plot holes and insufficiently described motivations; e.g., the paint purchase?!"

I read Africaville a little while ago so was interested in what others thought about this book.

While there several aspects of the book that just did not work for me, I would say that the most frustrating aspect was the jerky/jarring transitions between storylines.

Also I wanted more history on the Canadian side.

Mocha Girl wrote: "I've had success with some new debuts (really enjoyed them): These Ghosts are Family by Maisy Card, Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore, Pale by Edward A. Farmer, Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, H..."

So agree on:
These Ghost are Family
Valentine
How Much of These Hills is Gold.

Currently reading Hurricane Season and it is goos.

Mocha Girl wrote: "ColumbusReads wrote: "But then I read somewhere where his historical information about that period and how it came to be was inaccurate. "

WHAT?!?! If true, that's terribly disappointing. If I car..."

I believe the essence of what he wrote is mostly true but the timing of some of the historical events against the action in the book do not match up.

Beverly wrote: "Lata wrote: "I am finding the author’s transitions between story sections difficult to follow. And yes, there were plot holes and insufficiently described motivations; e.g., the paint purchase?!"

..."

I would have loved more of the Canadian history side, too, Beverly. I love finding out about all the actually interesting bits of Canadian history that tend not to make it into the provincial curriculums; oddly enough, these invariably involve people of colour.

I think there were a number of points, during the Kath Ella parts of the book, when Colville could have written more about what was going on in between her neighbours and the surrounding population and the political incidents that would have affected her neighbours. While fleshing out Kath Ella and her family.

And I think I’m throwing in the towel and DNFing. I just don’t have the energy for this book.

Lata wrote: "And I think I’m throwing in the towel and DNFing. I just don’t have the energy for this book."

Lata, I do understand.

You tried and gave it a shot - that's what matters, Sis!!!

Thanks, Columbus Mocha Girl. :)

I had read a few good reviews for this when the book came out, so I was looking forward to this. Oh well, not every book works out.