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Red at the Bone

Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020

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About this listen

Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020

Brooklyn, 2001.

It is the evening of 16-year-old Melody's coming of age ceremony in her grandparents' brownstone. Watched lovingly by her relatives and friends, making her entrance to the music of Prince, she wears a special custom-made dress - the very same dress that was sewn for a different wearer, Melody's mother, for a celebration that ultimately never took place.

Unfurling the history of Melody's parents and grandparents - from the 1921 Tulsa massacre to post-9/11 New York - Red at the Bone explores sexual desire, identity, class and the life-altering facts of parenthood as it looks at the ways in which young people must so often make long-lasting decisions about their lives - even before they have begun to figure out who they are and what they want to be.

©2019 Jacqueline Woodson (P)2019 Orion Publishing Group African American City Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Urban
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This book for me was excellent, found it difficult at first to get into, but once I did, found I just wanted to get more. Loved how different reader’s expressed the characters of the book, which brought it to life.
Excellent read, excellent listening

Life

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It was difficult to grasp the characters in this story as it was so short. There are brilliant moments in the story and strong writing.

Captivating. Too short

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I enjoyed the interwoven family story of generational class and traditions. Also, the issues which challenge the status quo of social norms and gender roles and expectations. I would recommend this book.

The binds that tie together

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This book has received rave reviews but sadly I just didn’t get it... I found it slow, and the book jumped between characters and their different viewpoints within their own history, and I would often lost the thread.. it might be easier to follow if reading the actual book as opposed to audio, but for me I wouldn’t recommend.

Don’t believe the hype

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