This emotionally charged coming-of-age story explores love, loss, and resilience. Griffiths delves into the complexities of relationships and family secrets. Promise is a story that paints poignant pictures of generational trauma and its profound impact on our lives—capturing the essence of the struggle to find solace in a world that often feels unpredictable and uncertain, especially during the uproar of civil rights events in the 1950s.
The “friendship” between Ezra, Cinthy, and Ruby, their one white friend, often upset my spirit. They were always doing wild and dangerous things. I thought, "Why are you letting this little girl drag ya'll into this foolishness?" A universal truth in black families is that respectability and image are imperative, especially being one of the few black families in this small New England town in the 1950s.

The story stated, “Mama had asked us not to do so much racing. Ladies take their time, she’d say. Ez and I would look at each other, shrugging… We couldn’t tell our mother that we’d already decided that we would never be ladies. Besides, running pleased us.” Letting you know they weren’t living up to the standard of behavior made me laugh. I remember my childhood as a young black girl, frustrated that I always had to perform respectability instead of being as wild and free as I wanted.

This story is beautifully clever in exploring the eventuality of racial differences. When Ruby discovers that girls are physically identical regardless of race, she calls herself a sister to Ezra and Cinthy. Still, at that moment, when thinking about her dream to be a pilot, the story expertly exposes how Ruby unconsciously separated her current reality of love and unity and the future she desired for herself, which didn’t include her new sisters. “Whenever Ruby tried to praise Harriet or Amelia, Ezra rushed to remind her about Bessie Coleman, who flew through blue skies too. Ruby was used to Ezra doing this when it came to music or sports, but lately, she’d found herself irritated by her friend’s need to place a colored woman’s name inside a space Ruby felt belonged only to her.”

I was amazed that this story prepared Ezra and Cinthy for what could come of their friendship with Ruby and dismissed her declaration of sisterhood. All too often in stories, this reality comes as a surprise, and it always bothers me because we already know how things go regarding these situations. “Miss Irene had warned her when it came to trusting white girls who would come of age and live inside worlds that were both safe and dangerous when they became women. “We’re not going to grow old together. We can’t. I know you want to make yourself believe that we’re chasing the same freedom, the same life. But we’re not,” said Ezra carefully. “We’re not sisters. I have a sister.” This sad reality of a conversation between the girls made this moment feel authentic.

Overall, "Promise" is so thoughtfully written, and I connected to this story personally. However, this story is a slow burn, filled with warm, loving moments and dipped into cumbersome racial moments. I often had to take breaks between chapters to process due to the vivid storytelling. Unfortunately, I had to DNF this story because reading black historical traumas told this intensely triggers me. This isn’t a negative on the author; if anything, it speaks to the richness of her writing skills. However, what I could read, I adored. This story is vibrant and alive. It truly pulls you in and makes you feel the love and pain of the characters. The racial climate being as it was, I would have loved to explore more of the warmth and strength of the family and friends' dynamics, their experiences, and lessons. How they adapted and endured rather than focusing so much on racial traumas. If you are the type of reader that doesn't like to explore racial suffering, then this may not be for you. If that doesn’t bother you, try this; you may love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC.

This was a very lyrical and heavy in detail novel. Unfortunately for me, that's not my favorite writing style, but I think someone who really loves flowery language will enjoy it.

Note: I received early access to this manuscript in exchange for writing an impartial review. Thank you netgalley and Random House. Publication Date: July 11, 2023.

A powerful story of racism in 1950 America that starts quite slowly and later turns into an action-packed page turner. Awarded four stars on Goodreads.

Above all, it's a story of the power of family -- regardless of whether that tie is created by blood, chosen with love, or served up by community. In PROMISE, author and poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths takes us to a small town in Maine in the mid-1950s, where she introduces us to three families:
• The Kindreds - a Black family of four, full of love and focused on education as the way out and up. Their father is the only Black teacher at the local school. Teenage sisters Ezra and Cinthy are central characters, with the novel written from Cinthy's point of view.
• The Junketts - a second Black family of six. Their father is custodian at the same school.
• The Scaggs - a poor and troubled White family whose only child, Ruby, is friends with Ezra and Cinthy.
As the only two Black families in town, ostracized by the locals, the Kindreds and Junketts are naturally bonded tightly to one other.

At the start, it appears the book will be a coming of age story about three girls. But coming of age, it turns out, is quite a different experience depending on race. Ruby, as a white girl, is expected to grow to maturity, marry, and have a family. But the budding maturing (and beauty) of Ezra (with Cinthy close behind) means the start of unwanted attention from white men, along with new stereotypes about the sexuality of Black women. Both of which make white women VERY uncomfortable. This difference between the two races at puberty has a profound impact on the lives and friendship among Ezra, Cinthy, and Ruby.

Unexpected events and many, many instances of ugly and overt racism soon take the book in surprising directions. And beside becoming a compelling story, I felt privileged to learn all the lovely ways the Black community supports and trusts its own. Within this world, deep belief in God, a strong, almost supernatural connection to long-gone ancestors, and a shared history and experience of the world connect people in a way I've never experienced. And feel envious of.

The author has won several prizes for poetry. So the language she uses in this novel is often poetic. In a few places it felt a bit over the top to me. But that is a minimal criticism compared to the overwhelming positive feelings I am taking away. Especially about the resilience of humans facing extremely difficult circumstances.

This was a slow-burn, sad, but important read. It explores the racial dynamics of a small northern town in the 1950s, mostly from a young black teenage girl’s POV. The book switched to third person to showcase other viewpoints, which was a bit distracting but necessary to build empathy for some of the other characters (who honestly don’t deserve it). I would’ve much preferred to stay in the moment rather than switching perspectives randomly, but it was still a good book that I can’t stop thinking about.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House for the early read.

What a powerful read. Unlike some, this took me a lot longer to get through - after certain parts, I had to take a break to digest what was occurring. Taking (mostly) place in the late 1950's in rural Maine, the story told is both heartwarming at times as well as horrifying.

The story moved along at a good pace and the majority of the characters were well rounded. A few aspects of wording (and events for the location) were slightly jarring for the time period this was set in, but overall, it was an excellent read.

Debut novel by Rachel Eliza Griffiths tells the story of Cinthy, 13 yr old. Cinthy's year is a year of learning about her famiy, her thoughts, her race, and accepting changes.. The village they live in Maine has only one other Black family. Cinthy has some freedom for education at the white school where her father is a teacher. Other main characters are her sister, Ezra, who is implusive, and Ruby, the poor white girl who lives nearby. They all have their story of who and what they are and want.
When a new teacher is brought into their classroom, there are several incidents that upset the routine of the village.
As one reads this tale, one learns about the late '50's and the turmoil in the states especially the South. One learns a bit more about the Black people's feelings and thoughts.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an early copy of Promise by Rachel Eliza Griffiths

This is a story of reconcilation rather than redemption.

Author Rachel Eliza Griffiths has created a world that defies our common understanding of 1950s in America.
Black families retreating from brutal mistreatment in the South expected the 1957 Civil Rights Act to offer them a better shake in the North. But in Salt Point, Maine, the Kindred family is one of only two black families in the small town. At every turn they continue to be maligned and learn quickly they are not wanted. After the murder of their father and following an encounter that threatens their very lives. Sisters Ezra and Hyacinth (Cinthy) Kindred along with their ill mother will return to the South. Ezra will remain temporarily with the Junketts, the other black family and Hyacinth and her mother will go to Grandmother Ginny's home. Hyacinth and Ginny who barely know each other will come to an understanding and reconciliation before tragedy strikes again.

The disappearance of a schoolteacher leads the Kindred girls along with their poor white schoolmate Ruby to the schoolteacher's home where they go through her things and leave with cash and a diary.

Promise is beautifully written with many passages worthy of slow consideration.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
This book is heartbreaking and made me physically ill to read about white people destroying the two black families in a small town in Maine in 1957. I feel even worse with the current racism in the news. How have 66 years gone by with no advances in this country? The feelings that I have as a white woman while reading this are nothing compared to what POC experience on a daily basis in America. The book has some disturbing scenes, but it's a very worthwhile read.

This was a did-not-finish for me. The writing didn't seem to match the narrator. She sounded way above her 13 years and the use of "village" instead of town made me think medieval times instead of the 1950s/60s. Ultimately not for me.

This book is a tough but important read. I couldn't help but love the characters and felt such immense sadness at the pain and trauma they endured. Have some tissues nearby because this book will bring on the tears.

Promise by Rachel Eliza Griffiths was a stunning book. It was poetic and beautiful. The language and writing were graceful. Promise was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. This book had so many things I struggle to put into words. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of this book. I especially enjoyed the premise of the novel, which features two Black sisters during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. The plot could've used a bit more work, but the book was written well.

This is a bittersweet novel about families that will also break your heart a little. Cinthy and Ezra are teen sisters with a white friend, Ruby whose father abuses her. Initially they are all friends but tensions rise at school when their teacher is found dead and the new teacher is nothing like the kind woman they loved. There is violence, there is death, there is stealing; but there is also resilience, courage, and love that may have you alternately weeping, laughing, and generally being grateful for the life you have with all its pain and beauty!

Ezra and Cinthy Kindred are sisters. Smart, sensitive, bright, and determined, the sisters make the most of their days and bask in the attention and love of their parents and the friendship of the Junketts, the only other Black family in their small New England town. As the Civil Rights movement gains momentum across the nation, the town decides these two families no longer belong, and the girls begin to experience the violence of a closed-minded, bigoted community. The Kindreds dig deep into the wells of strength they have carried in their families for generations, to try to rise above the fear and the anger and the senselessness of their treatment. Richly descriptive, this tightly woven story breaks your heart but offers a sense of hope and redemption that can only be found in a shared courage, when love is the basis from which is rises.

This is about two sisters, Ezra and Cinthy, and their family trying to make it in this racist town called Salt Point. They and the Junketts are the only African Americans in this town. This is a story of love, courage, and hope. I wish the author would have given the readers a disclaimer about some of the “difficult” scenes in the story. Ezra had a best friend Ruby who was white and they did everything together. The themes were poverty, segregation, injustice, racism, and freedom. Overall the storyline was excellent. I love the beautiful cover - goes right with the storyline. I recommend this to readers who are history buffs. I give this book 3 stars.

I really enjoyed this new to me author!
I simply couldn't put this book down until I was finished! What a story too!
I feel that this story about coming of age
will melt your heart in more ways than one. It will definitely keep u glued to the book from beginning to end! Wow!
I learned much from this book.
There were scenes that made want to cry, laugh and all sorts of emotions throughout this novel.
The author has put a lot of thought into this powerful story of hope, love and yes hatred too.
I also wanted to say that I enjoyed my "visit" to Salt Point, Maine. A beautiful town in my opinion.

This is a bittersweet novel about families that will also break your heart a little. Cinthy and Ezra are teen sisters with a white friend, Ruby whose father abuses her. Initially they are all friends but tensions rise at school when their teacher is found dead and the new teacher is nothing like the kind woman they loved. There is violence, there is death, there is stealing; but there is also resilience, courage, and love that may have you alternately weeping, laughing, and generally being grateful for the life you have with all its pain and beauty!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!