Dollbaby: A Novel (original 2014; edition 2014)

by Laura Lane McNeal

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Fiction. Literature. HTML:A Top Ten Finalist for Best Historical Novel, Goodreads Choice Awards, and a LibraryReads and Okra Pick A big-hearted coming-of-age debut set in civil rights-era New Orleans�??a novel of Southern eccentricity and secrets When Ibby Bell�??s father dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1964, her mother unceremoniously deposits Ibby with her eccentric grandmother Fannie and throws in her father�??s urn for good measure. Fannie�??s New Orleans house is like no place Ibby has ever been�??and Fannie, who has a tendency to end up in the local asylum�??is like no one she has ever met. Fortunately, Fannie�??s black cook, Queenie, and her smart-mouthed daughter, Dollbaby, take it upon themselves to initiate Ibby into the ways of the South, both its grand traditions and its darkest secrets. For Fannie�??s own family history is fraught with tragedy, hidden behind the closed rooms in her ornate Uptown mansion. It will take Ibby�??s arrival to begin to unlock the mysteries there. And it will take Queenie and Dollbaby�??s hard-won wisdom to show Ibby that family can sometimes be found in the least expected places. For fans of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and The Help, Dollbaby brings to life the charm and unrest of 1960s New Orleans through the eyes of a young girl learning to understand race for the first time. By turns uplifting and funny, poignant and full of verve, Dollbaby is a novel read… (more)

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Member:	cassie.peters1
Title:	Dollbaby: A Novel
Authors:	Laura Lane McNeal
Info:	Pamela Dorman Books (2014), Edition: 1ST, Hardcover, 352 pages
Collections:	Books, Your library, Currently reading, To read, Read but unowned, Favorites
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Dollbaby by Laura Lane McNeal (2014)

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The Help by Kathryn Stockett (BookshelfMonstrosity)
BookshelfMonstrosity: These portraits of friendships that reached across the color line in the segregated South balance sweetness, sensitivity, and the serious topics of their time. Each character-driven tale explores racial upheavals and personal loyalty, and offers strongly depicted Southern settings.… (more)

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Showing 1-5 of 41 (next | show all)

This was such a chill and comforting book. I enjoyed reading about the characters day to day lives. It was heartwarming and humorous, while also not shrinking away from the gritty reality of being black in the South during the 1960s. (

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LynnMPK | Apr 13, 2024 |

If you'd like to be planted in New Orleans (a place I need to visit!) and experience the sights, scents, feel of the 1960's-early 70's, this is the book to read! I loved the ties between the owner of the home, Fannie, her granddaughter, Ibby, and the "help" - Queenie and Dollbaby, who were really brought to life in these pages. Loved their sense of humor, their heart, and the care they had for everyone.

The only thing I didn't like was my initial idea that Frannie was "old" in the first pages, and then to realize she was younger than me! ;) Okay, I'm over that I guess! (

)

JillHannah | Nov 20, 2023 |

Not what I expected, it was much, much better.
You aren’t preached to and forced to learn a lesson, you get a small taste of what life was like in New Orleans in the 60’s, but that isn’t the main point of the story.
This is a funny, tender story about a 12 year old girl dumped at her very eccentric grandmother’s house and what her life was like being raised by said grandmother and her black help.
There are even a few surprises in the book. (

)

zmagic69 | Mar 31, 2023 |

I liked this story. I give it 3.5 stars. (

)

dmurfgal | Dec 9, 2022 |

It is 1964 in New Orleans, Ibby Bell's dad has died after a fall. Her mother brings her to her grandmother's, Fannie's, house to live, along with his ashes in an urn. This starts Ibby and Frannie's life together. Queenie, the maid, along with her daughter, Dollbaby take Ibby under their wing. The civil rights act gets signed by LBJ and there is some racial tension in the community, which is portrayed in the novel.
Frannie has seen a lot of tragedy in her life, and her story is told to Ibby by Queenie and Dollbaby. As her story is revealed over the years, Ibby understands Frannie's connection to Queenie, Dollbaby, and well as to others in the town. Ibby learns so much about her grandmother's past and how she touched so many.
A beautifully told story of a tumultuous time in our history. (

)

rmarcin | Oct 8, 2022 |

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Dollbaby

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2014

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Fiction. Literature. HTML:A Top Ten Finalist for Best Historical Novel, Goodreads Choice Awards, and a LibraryReads and Okra Pick
A big-hearted coming-of-age debut set in civil rights-era New Orleans�??a novel of Southern eccentricity and secrets

When Ibby Bell�??s father dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1964, her mother unceremoniously deposits Ibby with her eccentric grandmother Fannie and throws in her father�??s urn for good measure. Fannie�??s New Orleans house is like no place Ibby has ever been�??and Fannie, who has a tendency to end up in the local asylum�??is like no one she has ever met. Fortunately, Fannie�??s black cook, Queenie, and her smart-mouthed daughter, Dollbaby, take it upon themselves to initiate Ibby into the ways of the South, both its grand traditions and its darkest secrets.

For Fannie�??s own family history is fraught with tragedy, hidden behind the closed rooms in her ornate Uptown mansion. It will take Ibby�??s arrival to begin to unlock the mysteries there. And it will take Queenie and Dollbaby�??s hard-won wisdom to show Ibby that family can sometimes be found in the least expected places.

For fans of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and The Help, Dollbaby brings to life the charm and unrest of 1960s New Orleans through the eyes of a young girl learning to understand race for the first time.

By turns uplifting and funny, poignant and full of verve, Dollbaby is a novel read

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