Some Sing, Some Cry

I finished reading 'Some Sing, Some Cry' four days ago, and it's been a sad four days. I was so involved with the characters and their lives, leaving them was a major loss. As another reviewer said, the book zooms along, almost too fast at some points -- but to cover 200 years of history in a reasonable amount of time and space these sister-authors must have felt it necessary. Yes, they could have lingered and gone into every character in greater depth -- but it would've been an entirely different book. I liked how they compressed their stories so that the people in each generation are seamlessly connected to those that came before; it's my guess the writers wanted to accomplish exactly that. They've given us a way of looking at the history of African-Americans from the end of slavery to the present day, making us feel how short this history really is, and how much the past informs the present.On a personal note, I'm curious as to how they wrote the book together, and wish they'd write about their process. At times I thought I could identify some of shange's passages, having read her before; particularly the way she weaves music into the narrative so it becomes as much a part of the story as dialog or events.I've loved the work of ntozake shange ever since "for colored girls who've considered suicide when the rainbow is enough." She isn't very prolific, but when she does write a play or a poem or a novel, it's well worth the wait. Still, this book has me hungry for more. I'd love it if the authors decided to focus in on one or a few of the characters from the book, and take them further. Can you writers hear me? Encore!

I am just about finished with this wonderful novel. It depicts the strength and grit of the Southern Black woman, and therefore is a tribute to women everywhere! This story started with Betty Mayfield, a slave, who has born her master's children. When she was emancipated, she took her granddaughter and fled to Charleston. Bette was a fotune- teller, and young Eudora (Dora) becomes an accomplished seamtress, only to marry a man who could never meet her needs. In his desperation to please her, and make a fortune, he abandones the family and heads West, never to be heard from again. Their property,now lost to debt,throws them into complete ruin. Whatever is to become of Bette, now old and bent, and Dora and her two girls?-- one a beautiful singer with so much promise and the other a spitfire, very much like her father in looks and temperment. The storyline continues all the way to New York and Paris. What lies between is for the reader to discover---what a treat in store!

I loved the timespan. I seldom read books that trace a family lineage through music and history. It wasn’t my choice, but my book club’s selection. I am sure our discussion will take more than an hour and a half!

I LOVED this book! I really just settled into it and lived this story during the month it took me to finally finish it. I was taking my time with it -- it's thick -- and I exceeded the checkout time limit for my public library. But I was enjoying it enough to want my own copy, so I bought one for myself! Unforgetable tale of perseverance, family and love.

I waited years for another book by Madame Shange, and I was not disappointed. Though very lengthy, the colorful, musical language immersed me in these characters, making and allowing me to care about them. As a Black woman who came of age in the 60's it also allowed me to see myself and many of the women who loved and nurtured me. Thanks to the authors for taking us on this literary journey.Angelia Vernon Menchan

Some Sing, Some Cry was a good story that I enjoyed from the beginning but not the end. The experiences of the black race from reconstruction and over a hundred years afterward incorporated all the major racial events in America. The book was of interest because it was about actual people instead of a people without personality, This approach humanized the racial strife. The story also had a representation of black people and the various opinions and debates within a family on how to live in a country dominated by white control. It was refreshing to see the levels of discrimination, that between the races as well as that within the black race itself.If the pace and style of writing in the beginning of the book had continued through the end, I could have enjoyed the entire book. However, about two thirds way into the book, I felt rushed and confused because I wasn't given the opportunity to "know" the characters as I had in the beginning. Hence, the rating of three as opposed to four stars

So much about this book borders on wonderful...I wish I could be more enthusiastic in this review. But for every positive, there's a wistful negative. While the characters are strong and likeable, the narrative jumps around so much that you barely have a chance to connect to them before they are sidelined and someone else comes along to take over the main story line - and it happens throughout the book. I loved the first half of the book. By the middle of the second half, I was so confused, I wished I had a family tree to keep everyone straight.Still, the book is very insightful and as a white woman, it was interesting and painful to see the world through the eyes of black former slaves and their descendants -- and there are some wonderful historical nuggets that I took from it. It's certainly not the worst book I've ever read, but it could have been one of the best. I do think it needed massive editing before going to print; about a hundred pages less and it would have been a tightly-woven saga.