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Comments (21)

Community comments are the opinions of contributing users. These comments do not represent the opinions of Omaha Public Library.
What did you think about this title?
1 to 21 of 21 items
Aug 11, 2022lilypad_1 rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
Ugh! Tedious. Too many plot lines going every which way. Unless you really like reading about slavery I would skip it.
Apr 29, 2020
slavery historical fiction :)
Feb 04, 2019firefly5 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Absolutely loved this book. The characters are so well written I can 'see' them and 'hear' them talk. I liked the way the author wrote the chapters, one in the 1800's and the next in present time. The cruelty of slavery is impossible for…
Jul 08, 2018happycanuck rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Fantasic book !!! So well written. Hope there are lots of others by this author.
Dec 27, 2017ArapahoeAnnaL rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Two engrossing plots, settings, and characters; 1850's Virginia and NYC in 2004. Confront the pathology inherent in the relationship between a house slave and the mistress; follow the life of a young black lawyer preparing a lawsuit…
Nov 10, 2017becker rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A good book that juggles a modern day story with a connected historical story. I found this really engaging right up until the end where I thought it lost focus a bit. Still a good read though.
Sep 10, 2016
Thornhill Village Evening Book Club Selection Thursday, October 13th, 2016. Time: 6:30 p.m.
Jun 10, 2016susan_findlay rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book was well written and kept me engaged throughout. Admittedly, I found Josephine's story much more compelling than Lina's, but I suspect that was intentional. I'm fairly certain that Lina was included as a way to give us…
Aug 30, 2015heinrij rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I thought this might be a rip-off of the help, but it isn't. It is a good story on it's own. Although it is hard to read about the way slaves were abused, this paints a realistic picture. I would rate it PG-13
Mar 10, 2015hunsister rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book, both for its modern storyline that involved a class action lawsuit and for the historical storyline involving a slave with artistic talent.
May 26, 2014
This book alternates between a tale of an antebellum south slave girl, the underground rail road and Dorthea Round (real person- activist with underground railroad) and Lina a fictional lawyer in modern day America who is working on a case…
BCD2013
May 12, 2014
NYPL Staff Pick Lena Sparrow, a lawyer in contemporary New York, finds secrets and questions in the art world and her family when she searches for a descendant of a pre-Civil War runaway slave. - Selection Team
May 04, 2014ryner rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The House Girl simultaneously tells the stories of two women separated by time, place and culture. Josephine is a house girl, a slave on a failing Virginia plantation. With her mistress in rapidly failing health, Josephine begins to…
Jan 22, 2014
"This debut novel offers the stories of two women - ambitious Lina Sparrow, a first-year law associate in Manhattan, and Josephine Bell, a house slave in pre-Civil War Virginia. Lina is looking for a poster-child plaintiff for a…
APlazek
Oct 03, 2013APlazek rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Carolina (Lina) Sparrow is a very ambitious young lawyer who is driven to achieve. She is thrilled when asked to take part in a lawsuit seeking reparations for descendents of slaves because she knows this could be just what her career…
Sep 09, 2013Bearwomyn rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
The root of this book is based on the beginnings of an American Reparations lawsuit being filed. From there the leaves of the story unfold. If you require your litigious tales to reflect reality and authority, like author John Grisham,…
Jul 17, 2013
The stories about two women- a slave girl in the 1840's in the Southern States and a young dynamic lawyer in contemporary New York City. Their stories intertwine in a somewhat contrived way, but an enjoyable read, providing insight into…
Dillondog_1
Jul 08, 2013
Just fair. Not well written even tho the story had potential.
May 04, 2013GLNovak rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This was a very readable book. The story is told in alternating chapters - first Josephine the house girl in 1852 and then Lina the lawyer in 2013. They are connected by an unlikely proposed legal case for reparations for slavery. This…
cm510
Apr 23, 2013cm510 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A very good story by a new author. It did drag just a little, but likeable characters and a believeable,mysterious plot.
nutty7688
Mar 25, 2013nutty7688 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Not a very good read. I could not get past reading all of the letters from the past.