Penny Mickelbury

This book is about several generations of two families, one Black and the other White, from the beginning of World War One into the 1990s. There is no spoiler here, as this information can be found on the cover of the book – the two families are actually one.

The Black side of the Thatcher family is filled with good, honest, hard-working, mistreated people. Yes, they are good, in spite of the fact that several of them have committed murder, although seemingly justified murder, and one of show more them dies a drug addict. If you read the book, you’ll understand and will probably feel sympathy for the murderers.

The White side of the Thatcher family is filled with mean, racist, dishonest people, with the exception of the boy, Jonas. He is friends with some of the children of the Black Thatchers and can’t understand why the fathers in both families don’t want their children to be friends. Of course, the children sneak off and play together, anyway.

The story follows Ruthie, a Black Thatcher about the age of Jonas, and Jonas throughout their lives, which are filled with both joy and tragedy. The biggest tragedy in Ruthie’s life is when her mother is killed. The biggest tragedy in the life of Jonas is that he can’t marry Ruthie. Later in life other tragedies strike – boys killed in the war, to name just one.

A book about this time period wouldn’t be complete without the involvement of the dreaded
Ku Klux Klan. I’ll let you guess who some of the members of the Klan are, and who warns the Black Thatchers about certain about-to-happen activity.

The story starts out in Carrie’s Crossing, Georgia; parts of it move over to Belle City, Georgia; and the story then moves between the two locations. Carrie’s Crossing was named after a real person. Belle City is a town where Black folks can, for the most part, have a better life. They can own businesses and have a decent house but still must be careful when in certain parts of town and usually don’t roam around much after dark.

Ms. Mickelbury has done an excellent job of making you care about her characters and of keeping your interest throughout the novel. She is such a talented author that I found myself crying during certain parts of it. It was almost as if I were living the moment.

This is an outstanding work of historical fiction, and I highly recommend it. show less

Alert! Fine new series character is born! This is not Micklebury's first book but it is the first in this series featuring Black, criminal defense attorney, Carol Ann Gibson. Carol Ann and her husband, Al, have a fabulous life under control. They are both crack attorneys in highly successful careers but nearly simultaneously they realize that something is missing. It's time to reevaluate and make some life changes. They both decide to quit their jobs. And the next day, Al is brutally show more murdered on the street. Carol Ann's life change turns into finding out why. The plot is good but the characters are marvelous. I cannot wait for the second of this series and hope there are many more. show less

Perhaps too much happens in Belle City. Fewer incidents combined with a deeper understanding of the large cast of characters would have helped to make the novel resonate more....It may be somewhat surprising to finish a 300-plus page novel wanting more, but Belle City did leave me hungry for a more focused story and a richer engagement with the characters. There is indeed an epic story to be told about the lives of average southerners of said era as it moves from rural to urban, from show more post-Reconstructionist “Redemption” and the “New South,” to our so-called “post-racial” moment. Belle City skims many of the highpoints, but one wished that it delved deeper into the tangles of race and change. - See more at: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/reviews/09/01/belle-city-by-penny-mickelbury/ show less

This review is based upon the unproofed copy I received from LibraryThing. The premise of the story was very interesting and included no less than three murders and lots of historical detail. However, the actual writing stretched the book out to close to 500 pages (I found myself greatly anticipating its conclusion). Editing is definitely in order before first printing as the author had a great tendency to overemphasis ever statement, expression, and occasion. For instance, many statements show more or expression were delivered with AT LEAST 3 conflicting "mixtures" or "combinations " of emotions ("Her expression was a mixture of fear, joy, relief").

Although the two main protagonists in the story, Ruthie and Jonas, were likable, I found Jonas a much better drawn, well rounded character. There was no complexity to Ruthie; she was very one dimensional. Jonas, however, was more complex and not "perfect". I found myself skipping ahead at times to get back to Jonas' story where there was a more intriguing storyline and humorous and not so humorous relationships he was involved in (ie. Archie Bunker-like father-in-law).

Overall, the book was a decent, meaning it will remain on my bookshelf. show less