Golden Poppies (Yellow Crocus #3)

This book is a 3-rd installment in three book saga. First of all I wanted to state that I loved the first book, “Yellow Crocus”. I would give it 6 stars if I could, the extra star because of absolutely amazing audio performance by Bahni Turpin. The story starts from introducing a very young white daughter of plantation owner, Lisbeth, and her slave black nanny, Mattie. The multiple friends and members of extended families of both of them are the other protagonists in the story that follows 4 generations. The second book, “Mustard Seed” was an enjoyable solid 4 stars read for me. But I found this third book, “Golden Poppies”, the weakest in the series. First 30% of the book is mainly a recap of previous 2 books. Also later on big fragments of narration relate to the past events in the lives of multiple people. Even though I read previous books, it was a while ago, and it was quite a struggle to keep track of who is who and what happened to them in the past. The historical/sociological/political background which is there is full of details but delivered in kind of dry way, and often feels almost like forcefully introduced into plot. As a result book does not read smoothly and I failed to develop much of the emotional involvement with any of the main characters. So it was just the 3 stars reading experience for me. But, again, first book was great and I was glad to learn what happened to Lisbeth, Mattie and their families. My advice to potential readers is: read all three books in order and, unless you have a perfect memory, do not wait a year between reading them.

This is the first book I have read by this author, and my goodness, what an incredibly beautiful and well-written novel. From the first pages, I was pulled right into the story and the lives of the four women that it covers. There\’s something so poignant about a book that starts with death. How can you not be drawn in and not care about the people who will be impacted by it? The author’s style is immersive; we feel like we are living the story along with the characters. We are immediately caught up in this world that compares and contrasts the lives of a black mother and daughter and a white mother and daughter. The families’ connection has existed for decades, since before the Civil War when the black family were slaves of the white family. But the web of relationships for those who were a part of that terrible institution is complex and deeply meaningful to each person in those generations beyond what that original relationship was. The younger generation has a hard time understanding how it can be so, but the author shows us with a light yet poignant touch. This book shows us the history of the times as it is lived through the lives of these women. We get a sense of what the Gilded Age meant for both white and black people. We see the suffragist movement through those twin lenses as well. The strained race relations after the Civil War are deftly but delicately explored. I always enjoy historical fiction, where we see how what happened during a tempestuous time affects the lives of characters (especially ones like these who seem so real). This was done so well here. I actually lived just south of Oakland for 10 years, so it was interesting to see it as it may have been over a hundred years ago. This is such a beautifully well-drawn story. I will have to go back and look at the other two books in this series, but this book certainly stands on its own and can be read without having read the other two books. If you enjoy historical women\’s fiction with well-drawn characters and intense intergenerational relationships, you may very well enjoy this book as much as I did.

A beautiful glimpse into post-Civil War life. The entwined love of the enslaved and the children they cared for. And the bonds that transcend generations.

I am conflicted about my recommendation for this book. Parts are lovely. Parts are compelling. The sense of place is huge and characters are true and strong. How I wish there was not a \”but\”. I feel beaten with a bat with the excessive preaching and teaching where subtlety would have been more powerful. We are smart readers and get the horrors through the very different personalities and perspectives of the characters. Too much stuff the author wants us to know about . I get you did research, but don\’t include it all, and often it became rants . The best parts are the simplest. Obviously a good choice for a book club! Those who love the Bay area will be enchanted by the positive depictions. I wanted to like this book more but it was overwrought.

I dove into this book, which was my First Reads selection of the month because there were no reviews and I wanted to post one of the early ones. Soon however the story drew me in and I rushed to read it to find out what happens next. I didn\’t know much of the history of the people of the 1890s and this book dealt with 2 families, one black and one white in Oakland, California. The families had a history with the black family having been owned by the white prior to the Emancipation. The white woman and her children had grown to live the black slave who had been her nanny and had come to see the black people as equally deserving of freedom and happiness. However the majority of the world does not feel that way and the book details some of the tension and fear among the colored community. The idea of women\’s suffrage is taken up and not to get political but I was startled and then had to laugh when one female character assured another female character with the phrase \”don\’t worry, we have a Republican legislature\” . My how times have changed. So read it for the history but enjoy it because of the strong female characters.

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