by: James McBride
Goodreads description:
The new novel from the bestselling, National Book Award-winning, Oprah Book Club-picked, Barack Obama favourite James McBride.
In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighbourhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows.
As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community-heaven and earth-that sustain us.
Helen says: 🤓🤓🤓 3/4
My opinion of this book totally changed as I read it. In the beginning, I felt it was disjointed with a million characters and side stories. It grew on me though! All of the loose threads of the story come together neatly. There is a magical realism element to this novel and I would compare it to The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption in some ways…Very creative!
Holly says: 🤓🤓🤓🤓1/4
In a month of great reads, this one was probably my favorite. Again, just excellent writing, and so very original! The characters are wonderful, and the story is so moving. It has been a long time since I have cried while reading a book – and this one made me cry, but not in a bad way. It takes a little while to meet and get to know all the characters, so be patient in the beginning, believe me, it will take off. The New York Times called this book “heart-healing” – I would agree.
Helen and Holly Hit the Books 
Excellent book!
Ginny
Sent from my iPhone
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