Anna Jean Mayhew

I received this as a giveaway but after it was published - the book is not an advance reader copy. Thank you Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

This is my first time reading anything by this author. The book takes place in the 1960s in Charlotte, North Carolina. Specifically, in a neighborhood of Charlotte called Brooklyn. There is wealth and poverty in Brooklyn, like any other area. Brooklyn is a predominantly black neighborhood.

Loraylee Hawkins shares a home with her son, Hawk, her Uncle Ray and her grandmother, Bibi. Loraylee works at a cafeteria in Brooklyn and she is in love with the cafeteria's manager, Archibald Griffin, who is not only Hawk's father but a white man.

The city has plans to bulldoze her neighborhood and is sending out letters to residents giving them a timeframe to relocate. This means not just houses but also the churches and a cemetery are being demolished.

This is a well-written book and draws you in to the story of Loraylee and the other members of Brooklyn. You want them to succeed in finding a new place to live. You cry with them and you laugh with them.… (meer)

“You repent. God forgives you. But the Lord don’t work in advance. He don’t pardon sins you fixing to commit.”
― Anna Jean Mayhew, The Dry Grass of August

3.5 stars.

This was a beautiful tale of a family in the south during the days of Segregation. The writing was quite lovely and the story itself quite sad. But that being said, I did not love it.

This is the type of book I should have adored. It was for a book group and it looked to be great. And it is in a way. The writing, the moodiness, the atmosphere. Dry Grass of August is not a bad book and I think most fans of Historical Fiction would like it. And yet..

I think I'd have enjoyed it more had I not read several similiar books around the same time. That may have interfered a bit. I know sometimes if I read to many mysteries that do not differ all that much my enjoyment goes down a bit.

But also.and this is not a spoiler because it is from the beginning of the book...the book TELLS you from the beginning who is going to meet a cruel fate and I prefer it (usually) when we do not know that from the beginning. As a result, I was kind of turning the pages in dread of an event I knew was around the corner.

Also for me, I felt it was a bit to long. I was becoming exhausted toward the end. Also at one point it did seem every time I turned the page there was another death. I had a tough time. I will say.

I have liked other books dealing with this subject much better including "The Invention of Wings" , "Flowers in the snow", and let's not forget "The Color Purple".

But I still enjoyed it. The writing is evocative and lovely and really succeeded in capturing that time period and making the reader think of what life was like during those days. I think a three is a perfect rating.

I may at some point read this again as I think there are some books I tend to enjoy more the second time around and this strikes me as possibly one of them.… (meer)