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Member Reviews

Wow! I will definitely be reading more Brit Bennett. Her writing is beautiful, her characters complex. The book spans four decades and is told from the perspectives of two twin women and their daughters. They all took very different paths but still experienced love, loss, and heartbreak. The books beautifully presents and deals with race, gender, and self-identity.

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I can already tell this is going to be one of the best books I'll read in 2020.

I loved THE MOTHERS, Bennett's debut novel, and was excited that her second book was coming out this year. Just as in her debut, this novel explores race, family, and the complicated relationship between community and self. Twin sisters Stella and Desiree, eager to leave their small Louisiana town, start over in New Orleans; however, within a few years the sisters separate to begin distinct lives, never expecting how they will be reconnected in the future.

Bennett's prose is extraordinary, and each character is drawn so specifically that you feel as if you know them. While some authors struggle to find success after a major debut, THE VANISHING HALF proves that Bennett is a force to be reckoned with.

Thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead books for providing an eARC in exchange for this review.

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Yes! Brit Bennett did not disappoint! I enjoyed the Mothers but wow I'm completely blown away. Loved, loved. loved. Can't wait to discuss and share this with everyone I know!

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I thought this was well-written and full of vibrant characterization, but I'm not sure it will stay with me. I guess I wanted more to HAPPEN. This book is a compelling account of two divergent sisters. I found the Desiree and Jude parts most effective - Jude's story in particular really interested and moved me. But I'm not sure I felt like anything happened and all of the Kennedy stuff fell a little flat. But I'm not sure I felt like anything happened and all of the Kennedy stuff fell a little flat. I wanted to be more interested in Stella's narrative and stories of passing are often really interesting but despite making such an active choice she was such a passive character it was hard to be as pulled in as I wanted to be

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