A highly engaging story with well-fleshed-out characters and flawless prose. The author combines a page-turning story with deep characterisation and an exploration of important themes—primarily how ignorance creates social divisions and leads to misunderstandings in race relations.
Though billed as a love story, this is not a romance novel. The romance is very light and though the love story runs through the book, it is only one of the story threads. The other is Dori’s quest to discover the truth about her family, and it was this mystery thread that kept me turning pages late into the night.
Ms Hutchison writes this very real story with such depth and insight that I found it every bit as engaging as my usual reading diet of speculative fiction.
Highly recommended. 5 stars.
Description
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO LEAVE HOME TO FIND IT. Dori Bardwell’s father was the white Southern author of THE novel about slavery, a man who settled his large family up north in a replica of a plantation house and never spoke of his past. A tragic accident pulled Dori from college to care for her only remaining brother, but now the money is running out, her ex-boyfriend appears intent on revenge, a media baron has designs on her father’s last, unfinished manuscript, and her own thoughtless blackface joke is about to go viral and turn her life upside down.
With a new, media-savvy African American friend, Dori embarks on a voyage into her family’s secret history that might just lead her right back to where she started.
If you like humorous, heartfelt book club fiction with a strong romantic thread, a love of literature, and a sharp eye for race and class in America, you’ll love BARDWELL’S FOLLY. Pre-order it today and enjoy special pre-publication pricing.
I’m so sorry that I didn’t notice this was here before today! This is the first official review that I know of. Makes my day!
(But oops, I should also warn your readers that the special prepub pricing is over.)