Charmaine Wilkerson's 'Good Dirt': A Blend of History & Mystery | Book Review

Hi bookaholics, this is Deirdre Pippins, and I was just sitting here reading the reading the book Legendborn Let me know down below if any of you have read this book and what you think but without good spoilers So I basically I'm just like 25% into it anyway so far so good But I did want to bring you this quick Impromptu book review of a long-awaited book To most fans and it is not the follow-up, but it is the sophomore effort of Arthur Charmaine Wilkerson Good Dirk, and if you don't remember she is the author of Black Cake So let's get into her newest book published Year and I think it was published maybe in February by Ballantyne books Yeah, Ballantyne books But anyway, this is of course a first edition. But as you can see, I got it at my local library Okay Since the pandemic I upped my game Okay, whenever I'm recording a video Stuff messes up So anyway, I'm just going to do it holding with my phone with my hand Okay. So anyway, so we were talking about Good Dirk by Charmaine Wilkerson. So Anyway, let me talk about we'll get into the my book review the book But first let me go into her first book Black Cake. I Was excited for Black Cake. It was everywhere But it took me and I'm not exaggerating. It took me a few months to read now I'm not sure if I was really busy or whatever But I had to put it down for a minute And then I was like I'm bound and determined to read Black Cake because by then It was a limited series on one of the streaming services and which one it deludes me. But anyway So I was like I want to hurry up and finish this book before somebody spoils it for me or I somehow look at the Series and then just say oh, I'm just gonna watch the series. But anyway, I did finally finish that book and It was a lot it was a lot that went on in that book It's a lot that went on that book. Remember you had the present time and you'd go back in the past With that main character and so it is the same with Good Dirt That's something that Charmaine I think she does she likes the present and then she takes you to the past Maybe just to give you a historical perspective maybe to help you learn something, but she does do that So she did the same thing in Good Dirt Now as far as I can tell and know she's an african-american writer and these are african-american Stories and I am all for that and she is telling told two very different stories about some of the african-american ways of life and She did that excellently in both books both Black Cake and in Good Dirt I love the way she tells our history because she puts history in there. She has rich characters So, yes, I really like that about her writing the thing about Good Dirt is that I did Stop that as well for a little while So I'm not know I don't know if this is a trend that I'll pick up a Charlene Charmaine, excuse me Wilkerson book and Buy it or check it out of the library But I do put it down I do put it down and I've got to go back and see if I'm overwhelmed But what I've read to the point or what? I'm not sure. I'm not sure because she's an excellent writer So, let me just get to it with Good Dirt Again, you have very rich characters. You will learn History You will learn African history you'll learn black history You'll of course American history because those all those things are wrapped up in there, too And she does a great job of that but there's a few unnecessary characters in the story I say and it's one of those journeys to where you're moving along the characters learning some lessons and I don't know. I just feel like Good Dirt was well rich characters historical perspective I give an A-plus I give D for characters because there were too many in my opinion because she had the Historical characters then you had the present-day characters and the present-day characters were three and four generations D So you had to keep up with a lot of people and I just do believe a character was in the book that just did Not have to be in the book and as a matter of fact not to do a spoiler One of the person's else to say betrayed her retreat our main character Abby in the book that person just could have been written as a past person They didn't have to really be there either So I feel like she threw the kitchen sink at this novel because it was not only Women's fiction it had a little bit of mystery to it because you're trying to guess what's gonna happen The is this mystery and I'm gonna let you know that mystery will not be solved until the very last page Just tell you You won't be learning it anytime soon. I think that's another criticism. I have about the book I think what she said is still the last page. She could have pulled it into the 75% point and Displayed that and then made the story even more richer to a close to come to a close. I Think some of the characters, although they were well-rounded rich characters a couple of them Them not mentioning things and walking on eggshells because of what happens in the book, I guess that's why they do it So I've never been in that position So it's unimaginable to me but as I was reading I was like can't y'all just tell the person this supposedly secret anyway, so I will say Charmaine Wilkerson is a great writer and she brings about historical and black perspective Black stories is our stories. It's wonderful. So yay for that but This one. I just feel like even though I finished it. I was like when am I gonna finish this book? It's not bad at all. No, we're near bad But I was just like when am I gonna finish this book? But anyway, and I think that the ending of it tried to cram in all the answers that you had all along To the book, I think that's always very I don't think that's always good. But anyway, I read it I'm glad I checked it out from the library and Did not purchase Although it would be a first edition It's a black authors that yeah But I say if you want to read this book check it out at the library Okay, that's all I have to say I hope I don't want Charmaine mad at me I love her writing, but I don't know. I just think this one was just a little too much But anyway, that's just my opinion. Hey, let me know what you think This description box below. Thanks for listening