Libertie is such an informative, interesting, unique book. It is a great mix of magical realism, history, and a young woman finding her independence and her path in the world.

I enjoyed learning about the post Civil war era for free black women in NYC. It was an added plus that :liberties mother was based on a real person. I thank Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge was not my favorite book but I did actually enjoy it in a weird sort of way. I was thrown by the style, the lack of chapters and differentiation between times and characters due to lack in breaks. Much like a run on sentence can make you lose the point of a sentence when a book is written like this I am too bogged down by the style that I lose the plot. Although I didn't love the style I did enjoy the plot line. At first I was thinking this book would be something to do with witchcraft or sorcery but it was not and I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the characters and the timeline of Liberties life. I loved that there wasn't a perfect ending and I loved the relationship between Libertie and her mom. I was raised by a single mom that did everything she could to take care of me and protect me from the world as did Liberties mom. Much like Libertie though I was a stubborn girl that needed to find out the world on my own. I was enlightened by the Haitian story line and the growth of freed slaves and women in the world at that time. I give this book 3 stars because I loved the storyline but I didn't love the style.

I'm going to DNF this for now. I had looked forward to Greenidge's second book (liked her first) but I just couldn't get myself engaged, despite it being good writing and good narration. I may come back to it later.

beautifully wrtten and well researched, the past comes alive in this lovely book. On all the lists for a reason! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

Heartbreaking. A young woman, smart, naive to believe learns the hard lessons of life at the expense of dreams . It is the resistance she constantly commands that gives her moments of peace in a life she traded for a future in music. Tricked by the words of a smooth purely selfish man that Libertie finds her self isolated and at the mercy of a grief for those moments so close to our grasp and yet gone forever.

Libertie was a very strong read. I love a good contemporary novel where you find yourself rooting so hard for the MC. Libertie wants to live her own life on her terms and gosh if you don't want the same. There are many relationships in the balance, mother - daughter, husband- wife and each impact Libertie in such formative ways.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I expected a lot from this book after hearing so many people talking about it. I ended up a little disappointed. It was sort of slow mowing. I didn’t like the cross cross letter writing part where it was bits and pieces. I wasn’t a fan of the ending.

This was overall a beautiful, thought provoking and emotional story. This book of so impactful and feel like it should be school literature! It was rich in culture and these characters were all developed! Thank you for an early copy for an honest review.

While well written and developed, I'm still churning on this book and haven't made up my mind. Worth a read, but I keep hoping for something more.

LIBERTIE by Kaitlyn Greenidge begins in in the 1860s in Brooklyn, moves through Ohio and later Haiti, as Libertie, a free-born Black girl comes of age. Throughout the text, she struggles with expectations from her mother (who wants her to be a doctor), from her husband, and from herself. Themes of classism, racism/colorism, and misogyny are explored, as well as the various interpretations of "freedom." With a teen protagonist and slightly shorter length, this title will likely have appeal for our student readers. LIBERTIE received starred reviews from Booklist ("qualms of self doubt and struggles with her mother will resonate with YAs"), Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal.

This title was also recommended recently on PBS NewsHour when Jeffrey Brown interviewed Glory Edim and Maureen Corrigan about their suggestions for diverse books to read this summer:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/need-a-new-summer-read-heres-a-diverse-list-to-pick-from

Thank you, Kaitlyn Greenidge. I adored "We Love You, Charlie Freeman" and "Libertie" delivers once again. Greenidge creates the most vivid characters and makes me care about them deeply.

Libertie Sampson has watched her mother doctor and raise a man from the dead. It was her mother's dream for Libertie to go to medical school and practice alongside her; however, Libertie is not drawn to medicine and finds herself wanting to explore creative pursuits. When a man from Haiti proposes, Libertie finds a means to explore her own interests without realizing that freedom for Black men and Black women differ even in Haiti.

Written from Libertie's POV, Kaitlyn Greenidge weaves history and magic into Libertie's coming-of-age after the Civil War and during Re-construction. The characters are flawed and nuanced. Many of Libertie's decisions and actions seem self-sabotaging (but who in their 20s doesn't have some self-destructive behaviors?). The first half of the novel was well-written and had excellent pacing, but the later half felt rushed with Emmanuel's family and life in Haiti. I was drawn in by the relationship between Libertie and her mother: how her mother handles Libertie's marriage, leaving home, and lack of communication. I think there was so many more nuanced layers between both women that should have been more thoroughly explored apart from the letters between mother and daughter.

The romance between Libertie and Emmanuel fizzles and I was left feeling distraught and sympathetic as Libertie seeks to reconcile her role as daughter then wife, sister, and mother. Again, I think the pacing could have been improved with narrative focus on Libertie and her mother. Overall, this was a novel with a gripping beginning and relatable/frustrating protagonist who is seeking to uncover all layers of her identity.

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for allowing me to read and review this book. Published March 30, 2021.

This is a book that I tried by two different methods and it still barely kept my interest. The print copy seemed to drag it's feet and appeared to be going nowhere fast. The audio version was just hard to listen to. I credit that to the narrator - Channie Waites - trying to sound like a child and it did not take long to just end up grating on your nerves.

Obviously due to the problem starts with both the book and the audio, it became hard to enjoy this novel. I felt that the premise was good and I was eager to learn about the first Black female doctor, but the slowness of the novel and then the grating voice of the narrator won out and I did little more than sleep through the story.

This is historucal fiction, taking place in Brooklyn, near the end of the civil war. Libertie is the daughter of a free back woman, who is also a doctor. She helps her mother and another to tend both black and white people in Brooklyn. Libertie and her mother don't always see eye to eye. Her mother decides to send Libertie to an all black college in Ohio, so she too can become a doctor like her. Libertie, does not want to be her mother. She comes home and falls in love with a young man from Haiti, who was staying at her mothers. They marry, and she embarks on her own journey with her new husband. Haiti is not at all what she expected. This story is based loosely on a black american female physian and her daughter, who did in fact go to Haiti. I found it to be an interesting read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this title. I give it 3.5 out of 5.

Libertie
by
Kaitlyn Greenidge


Coming of age as a free-born Black girl in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn, Libertie Sampson was all too aware that her purposeful mother, a practicing physician, envisions their future together: Libertie would go to medical school and practice alongside her. But Libertie, drawn more to music than science, feels stifled by her mother’s choices and is hungry for something else—is there really only one way to have an autonomous life? And she is constantly reminded that, unlike her mother, who can pass, Libertie has skin that is too dark.

When a young man from Haiti proposes to Libertie and promises she will be his equal on the island, she accepts, only to discover that she is still subordinate to him and all men. As she tries to parse what freedom actually means for a Black woman, Libertie struggles with where she might find it—for herself and for generations to come.

I found some themes of this novel to be powerful: the complicated relationship between mothers and daughters, bowing to parental pressure about one’s chosen vocation, “passing” and how darker skin meant increased prejudice, and the subordination of women. The author’s well-researched historical perspective in the US and Haiti was especially intriguing.

I alternated between reading the eBook and listening to the audiobook. In the end, both were slow going and plodding and I considered not finishing. The narrator’s voice was great, and I enjoyed how she laughed and giggled. Her intonation was off, however, and she sometimes emphasized the wrong syllables in words, which were very distracting.

Libertie was loosely based on the life of one of the first Black female doctors in the United States, Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Stewart. I would have enjoyed the book much more if Greenidge had centered it more directly on her life, rather than the fictional Libertie. 3.5 stars

Libertie is an absolutely stunning work of art. Greenidge has created a compelling narrative about what it means to belong to a place, or to another person.

A daughter of a black woman doctor, Libertie has been set to follow in her mother's footsteps since an early age. However, this coming of age story set during Reconstruction after the Civil War, tells the story of a girl searching for her own path. Libertie eventually marries and moves to Haiti with her husband to live with his family. There she finds life isn't what it seemed it might be.

While the words of this story were beautiful, I had some difficulty getting into the story.

Side note: The audiobook reader did an excellent job.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

It was an interesting tale. It starts strong and has good character development. I feel it is better suited for younger readers, but I enjoyed it.