And The Ancestors Sing

And the Ancestors Sing gives a view of Chinese culture through three families and how their lives intersect over many years. 

One thread is the story of Lei, who marries a stranger and navigates a new way of life, and makes sacrifices to ensure the well-being of her children. 

Lulu expects that when she arrives in Shanghai, she’ll be working in a factory, but instead becomes a prostitute. She has no choice but to be resilient in the face of this unexpected turn of events. 

Farmer Master Wang enjoys the best of both worlds, but life has a way of turning the tables and creating problems that money cannot solve. 

Survival, family obligations, mental health issues, and difficult choices bind the lives of the main characters together. None of them escapes without sacrificing their dreams or giving up something of value. 

The descriptions of the settings are well written, as well as the movement of time and the accompanying changes. The characters were many but distinct from one another. A good story that offers an inside view of China and the changes that unfold over the decades covered.

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC. 

Where The False Gods Dwell

Where the False Gods Dwell takes the reader on a voyage of discovery (physical and personal) from Chicago to Jamaica, as experienced by three women. The story follows a young con artist who can’t seem to avoid trouble, a well-to-do wife and anthropologist, and the labor union activist they meet on the island. 

All three have a variety of issues and are brought together by Katherine Dunham, whose expedition is focused on studying the dance and customs of the people in the Cockpit Country. Accompong, specifically. 

Each woman faces unique issues. Othella can’t shake the seedy characters who follow her from Chicago. Vivian Jean has marital issues and believes all will be well if she can reach the sacred silk cotton tree and pour out her heart. Zinzi believes in the trade union movement and faces danger when she falls in love with the son of a devious plantation owner. 

As they work together, the women’s lives are intertwined, and they come to depend on each other. Their destinies intertwine during a hurricane as they lean on each other for survival. 

The characters in this story made me chuckle, fume, and yes, shed a few tears. I read one chapter several times in disbelief about that character’s outcome. 

In Where The False Gods Dwell, the writer brought 1935 society to life with great descriptions and colorful characters. I was particularly interested in the history, settings, and the culture of the Maroons, and was not disappointed. 

The story flowed well, and every time I thought my favorite character, Othella, was safe, something happened to keep me turning the pages. The end was poignant, and I wished for another ending for Othella, but understood how and why her story ended as it did. For the other characters, the novel came to a satisfying close.

If you enjoy historical fiction with complex characters, this book is for you. 

A Poignant, Impactful Tale

Fallen Grace by Sadeqa Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Love can convince us to throw caution to the wind, and that's exactly what happens to Bubbles. She ends up disgraced and is sent away to have her baby and then give it up for adoption. But she wants something different. Bubbles will not submit to the future charted for her and she will not be a hypocrite.

Fallen Grace is a gripping, suspenseful, and poignant tale about a young woman who takes back her power and refuses to be shamed. The author deftly conveys the fact that courage is important and forgiveness is freeing.

One thing I wondered about was whether she called the mother of the girl who gave her the note at the start of the story. Knowing Bubbles, she likely did.

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