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May 13, 2017 Andy rated it it was ok

Ambitious story about slavery, with themes of finding one's voice, forgiveness, moving on, etc. The writing-style of jumping from continent to continent and era to era is not to my taste. I think there would have been a stronger novel just focusing on Marjorie, for example, perhaps with her inherited family stories and independent investigations and interpretations; that part felt authentic and interesting. As it is, there are too many shallow characters/vignettes that don't ring true.

Before yo ...more

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Apr 26, 2017 Linda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, audio, ohio-e-book-project, fiction

A story of generations starting in Asante. The story incorporates historical events with each descendent.
I think I'm finding a new love: reading about cultures that I know little to nothing about.

The narrator sounded as if he was a native which added to the enjoyment of the book. ...more

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Jan 20, 2019 Linda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 2019, ill-chcpl, book-discussion-read, large-print, paperback, historical-fiction, cultural

Was easier to keep together in my mind while enjoying the print version than what it was when I listened to it.

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Feb 08, 2018 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018

This was a hard read but the characters all draw you in so much I couldn’t put it down. It’s amazing that just 20-25 pages per generation can convey so much.

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Jun 25, 2017 Natalie rated it it was amazing

Unbelievably good, and my mind was blown when I found out Gyasi was only 26 when she wrote this. Can't wait to read more from her! ...more

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Aug 07, 2018 Letitia rated it liked it

Shelves: 2018-to-read

I have never been a fan of transgenerational, epic historical fiction. I don't feel connected to the characters or invested in their arc. This novel, while not being entirely an exception, adds the element of transatlantic, intercontinental lineage. I did not love it because I don't love novels on that scale, but I did come closer to loving it than I ever have any book of this kind, and vacillated between 3 and 4 stars.

The strongest elements are the Ghana sections, which present a Ghanaian fami I have never been a fan of transgenerational, epic historical fiction. I don't feel connected to the characters or invested in their arc. This novel, while not being entirely an exception, adds the element of transatlantic, intercontinental lineage. I did not love it because I don't love novels on that scale, but I did come closer to loving it than I ever have any book of this kind, and vacillated between 3 and 4 stars.

The strongest elements are the Ghana sections, which present a Ghanaian family legacy that hasn't appeared in Western literature on the same scale. The drama unfolding on the other side of the Atlantic (America) is one you've heard. While well-written, does not seem to add a strong new perspective or voice.

My favorite sections by far were the very first one, about Effia, the half-caste beauty who plants the roots of her slave-trading family in Africa, and Yaw, her great-great-great-great grandson, the scarred scholar. Yaw voices my favorite quote from the book: “This is the problem of history. We cannot know that which we were not there to see and hear and experience for ourselves. We must rely upon the words of others. Those who were there in the olden days, they told stories to the children so that the children would know, so that the children could tell stories to their children. And so on, and so on.” My second-favorite quote comes early in the novel and predicts what we all know is to follow: “You cannot stick a knife in a goat and then say, "now I will remove my knife slowly - so let things be easy and clean; let there be no mess." There will always be blood.”

This novel is strong in that it gives a sense of possible destinies that stemmed from two women with the same mother; one a slave, one marrying and birthing slave traders. It portrays the pain of the human condition regardless of culture, and of survival and post-colonial tragedy on two different continents. The language is both straightforward and beautiful. So it has a lot going for it. It's just a matter of preference that I don't enjoy this format. ...more

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Nov 25, 2016 Pang rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 2024

NYT 100 Notable Books of 2016

i did enjoy the book, and loved how the stories were all tied together to some extent. but it lacked something for me. maybe the timeline spanned a bit too long that the loop back felt less satisfying for me? i found myself wanting to know more about the characters, but their stories ended too soon. yeah, they got woven in to the main story, but it still left me wanting to know more.

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Dec 17, 2016 Eileen rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction-historic, fiction-family_saga

Very good! Story of two half sisters from Ghana. One marries a British officer and stays in Ghana, the other is transported to the United States to slavery. Parallel generational stories unfold from there up to the present. The chapters alternate from one side of the family tree to the other.

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Oct 21, 2017 Cecilia rated it really liked it

This a great book. Difficult to read and the family tree in the front of the book is mandatory. This writer illuminates some of the darkest times in history, and brings them to life. She shows how inhuman people can be to each other.

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