Set early in the 1800's, in an unnamed Northern city, August Sitwell, the groundskeeper for the Barclay's, a wealthy family on the verge of losing everything. Sitwell and Mamie, the family cook, created a “meat sauce” recipe that Mr. Barclay feels he can cash in on. Barclay and his business friend decide they will create a cartoonish version of Sitwell and place it on the bottle of the barbecue sauce.⁣
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Does this sound familiar? No? How about Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima. Right! Food marketing companies profiting off of the faces of Black servants.⁣
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From this point Hubbard takes us on a roller coaster of a disaster. Then we jump into the second of the book 10 years later we’re we get to know more about Jennie Williams. Jennie was the former housemaid for the Barclay’s. She is now a businesswoman, and the owner of a small beauty salon. Jennie is finding herself in some financial troubles and her connection to Barclay house plays a big part in that.⁣
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Being 100% honest the second half of the book didn’t work for me. I didn’t fully understand Jennie’s connection to the story. I really wanted to know more about Sitwell in this situation as the face of the Rib King, but I will say that this book is complex, suspenseful.⁣
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The audio was an amazing experience. Thank you Amistad books for this gifted copy.

I'm a big fan of historical fiction, loved Parasite, and this book combines elements of both! The first-half is an all too common story of stolen profits and glory from the African-American individuals responsible for an idea. It also provides a rich scene of a rich white home and those who make it run.
The second half is where the Parasite-type twist occurs, although the events that take place are far different. However, the themes of class and the bottled up rage that constantly being subjugated can bring are definitely present. The ending was a bit unsatisfying, but overall I really enjoyed this read.

Images of Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima will come to your mind as you read this book. The book will remind you why those images don’t reflect the real people behind these foods. Mr. Sitwell, the groundskeeper at a northern city (Chicago?) mansion in the early 20th century is one of two main characters. He is bright and he can take a taste of a food and name its ingredients. He is also a master at poisoning, but at first the reader is introduced to a Mr. Sitwell who is a positive role model for the young boys who also work there. When the owner of the mansion is close to financial ruin, he convinces Sidwell to be the portrait on a meat sauce. Of course, Sitwell is to get none of the money. The white men involved will make the money. Sidwell disappears after a poisoning and then house fire for which a white cook is blamed. The narration is taken over by Jennie who was a house maid for the white family. After recovering from the fire, she sets about creating a crème that will cure female yeast infections and work as a beauty crème. In her effort to find a backer for large scale production. In her quest she discovers what she remembers about the fire and Sidwell is not correct, and he may still be continuing his illegal ways while just like Aunt Jemima shared her pancakes, he goes from town to town demonstrating his meat sauce as the “Rib King”. And throughout all this the racism and inequality both economically and socially is shown. The story is a complex one with fascinating characters and a determination of those characters to rise.

August Sitwell is a servant for a no-longer-so-well-to-do white family in the early 1900s. He takes pride in his job and wants to do right by his employers while also trying his best to protect the others who work in the house, including the cook Mamie, housemaid Jenny and three orphan boys who are kitchen apprentices.

When Sitwell needs cash to help one of the kitchen boys, he sells a sauce he created to a businessman along with the use of his likeness to sell it, becoming "The Rib King." Sitwell's choice leads to tragedy and his path forward veers in a violent direction.

There are a lot of layers to get through before the sauce storyline comes into play (I wondered about the title for chapters) and midway through, the focus abruptly shifts from Sitwell's story to Jenny's. (I enjoyed the narration in Sitwell's section much more than in Jenny's.) While I found the overall concept compelling, it was hard to keep track of all of the characters and storylines. There was potential to explore issues like cultural appropriation, racism and sexism, but I think the novel got bogged down trying to do too much.

Thanks NetGalley and HarperAudio for a copy to review.

This book is creepy meets worst nightmare. It was similar to The Shadows. The only drawback is it could have been shorter for me. Thank you for this book.

This book was not at all what I expected. I’ve been reading a lot of historical fiction from African American perspectives but this was a truly unique story. It centers on Mr. Sitwell, a groundskeeper for a wealthy white family who over the course of the first half of the novel, rediscovers some unsettling memories from his past that lead to some unsettling repercussions.

I enjoyed the structure of the novel. It’s split between two sides of the story. Even so, I did feel like it left some key questions unanswered. I found myself unable to unplug from the story, wanting to find out where the characters would end up. I’ve seen some reviews compare it to the Academy Award winning film Parasite and I do see some interesting parallels that could make for a great book club discussion. Honestly, I could see a lot of ways this book would make a great book club choice. I’ll be thinking about this one for awhile…

Thank you to the publisher for providing me an early copy of this audiobook in return for my honest feedback.

Recommended for: Anyone wanting a new take on historical racial injustice and its intersection with capitalism. Anyone interested in considering the role our biological and chosen families play in our lives and what we owe each other.

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I adored August Sitwell's and Miss Mamie's characters. The pacing of this book is great. The narrators did a fantastic job reading this book. This book will keep your attention from the first minute of listening. This audiobook will be in stores on January 19, for A$32.72 (AUD). I highly recommend listening to this book to anyone and everyone.

An entertaining novel that switches between the male (August Sitwell) and female (Jenny) perspective.

I can see why this is compared to Parasite: This book builds a solid, slow foundation. It manages to finish with a flourish, reminding us of the tangled web of consequences that can emerge from a seed of (understandable) frustration. You don’t really get a tense feeling beyond one or two scenes in Mr. Sitwell’s section and the final scenes of Jenny’s section.

I listened to the audiobook version. While I preferred the male narrator’s voice, I preferred the female perspective more. Imagine having to live in a time and place where you need to be *married* to legitimize yourself. I can’t imagine how my female ancestors handled that.

The structure reminded me of Fates and Furies a bit, in that I wanted even more character development on both sides. The snippet we readers are privy to is compelling and fits with the story. (I just happen to like more background!)

I actually didn’t realize this book was two viewpoints until nearly midway through. There’s a dip/lull before the climax of Mr. Sitwell’s section; it makes sense, given the split narrative. All in all, a good read.

This story didn’t grab me as much as I hoped it would unfortunately. Hubbard’s writing is great but the story itself was a bit boring for my taste.

This turn of the century story of African American servants in the home of a well-to-do but down-on-their-luck white people is both hilarious and at the same time tragic.

Gosh, I really wanted to love “The Rib King.” Ladee Hubbard’s book has received a ton of great press and it’s on many lists for “anticipated reads of 2021.” So maybe my expectations were too high?

I was very much interested in the topics of the book (e.g., race, class, privilege, exploitation), but the storyline fell flat for me. For me, the plot was a bit bland and slow moving. And the narrators of audiobook didn’t pull me in. So much so that I had to stop the recording several times, go back, see if I missed anything and then start over.

I never got invested in the characters or their journeys. (August Sitwell who worked for Mr. Barclay; Miss Mamie who was the family’s cook and forced to sell her rib sauce to help pay debts). By the end, I was skipping through and listening at the highest speed to just make it to the end. I'm always bummed when that happens.

Special thanks to Harper Audio, via NetGalley, for an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley & Harper for providing a digital audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book is odd, but very good. I'd heard of Ladee Hubbard, but I didn't expect this story to be as entertaining and richly layered as it turned out to be. It follows the crossing paths of the servants, Mr. Sitwell, Jennie, Mamie, and three orphaned boys who do odd jobs. The story is separated into two parts, Before and After. In the before, we concentrate on Mr. Sitwell, who has been a groundskeeper for decades at Barclay House, and who started off as an orphaned servant boy himself. Because of this, Sitwell feels a certain way about the 3 boys who work in Barclay House, and rescues them from several scrapes, each illustrating deftly how difficult, dangerous, and fraught it is to simple be a Black boy in America at this time (or now, for that matter - the parallel is clear). Sitwell is troubled by his own past in Florida, itself fraught and dangerous, as his small town was burned to the ground after an incident over the sale of a mule between a Black man and a white man that went sour. Sitwell is such a relatable human being, so full of empathy for the boys, that what he puts into action later is difficult to countenance, but it all happens after a very complicated and seemingly fateful set of events that culminates in Sitwell making a deal to sell a barbecue sauce recipe to the business associate of his boss, Mr. Barclay, who has been trying to make deals to stave off what seems to be inevitable bankruptcy.

The After portion of the book deals with Jennie, years later, and how she must scrape and make arrangements in order to get her haircare business off the ground - it's a frustrating study of what it is to be a Black woman in the early 20th century. Jennie is raising her daughter Cutie Pie, to womanhood and trying to give her the things she never had as a girl. Events are set into motion by Sitwell, now known as the Rib King, coming to town to do a cooking demonstration. With the sale of the sauce recipe, Sitwell has become a cultural touchstone, in the manner of Uncle Ben or Aunt Jemima, a Negro who facilitates market success on behalf of his white corporate bosses.

The story is really great, but it feels a bit like Hubbard didn't know how to wrap it up, so the ending is a bit jumbly. The writing is great quality, and left me wanting more of these characters. She has another book that preceded this one, called The Talented Ribkins (clearly it's related!), so I'm going to try that one out.

A uniquely and different, but very interesting audio book. As I listened intently to the opening of THE RIB KING, the male voice came in loud and clear. In certain scenes he was spot on with the character, and carried the story through smoothly as he read what each character had to say. I was spellbound as the plot thickened and the scenes opened up even more. That made me want to listen closer. Then the story took off with rapid speed as he read each chapter and he showed the action of each scene.
Then the second part of the novel began and the female reader's voice took over. Her voice rang out loud and clear as she read each chapter. I listened carefully! She read her part so well that each character seemed to come to life. Then the plot thickened even more and I listened more intently to find out what would happen toward the end. The characters and the events were so well detailed and described, I felt sad for Sitwell because he seemed to care about what was happening around him and wanted people to know how he felt about himself. Was he being misleading? Or was he being sincere? Then I got upset because of how things were happening, why they were happening, and to whom the things were happening. This story brought out a lot of emotions. To me that shows excellent work from the author! That also showed that the person took extra effort in creating a very well-written story! I liked it.

I was initially drawn to The Rib King because of the wonderful cover. I don't always read what a book is about before picking it up. And I've been wanting to broaden my reading.

The story takes place in the deep south, during a time period where slavery was prevalent. It is a difficult subject to breach, but is, unfortunately a part of US history.

Subject matter aside, the story never took off. We were told the story rather than shown the story. All the best parts were narrated by a character on the outside. I never felt that tug that makes me feel like I have to know what happens next. Nothing important ever seemed like it was on the line because we knew the bad event was in the past...already long gone.

I admire Jenny's resilience in a world that wasn't ready to accept her, but I'd rather not have to have waited for the latter half of the book to know more about her.

This book is a slow burn. And it never really picked up.

The Rib King is a riveting work of literary historical fiction centering around black employees in a white household struggling to maintain their affluent lifestyle. The characters in this book are so complex and fascinating- they are ones that will stay with you long after finishing the book.

The author has seamlessly woven the history of the time and commentary on a number of social issues such as race and class disparities into a fascinating narrative. Despite the story being set 100 years ago, the issues raised are still relevant today, making this an especially important read.

The narrators did an excellent job bringing the story to life and made it hard to put down the book. I highly recommend the audiobook of The Rib King.
Many thanks to Harper Audio and NetGalley for the advance copy.

The Rib King Starts off from the viewpoint of Mr. Sitwell telling the story of a group of servants for a rich family. It discusses difficult topics such as racism and sexism. During his time with this family, Mr. Sitwell helps take care of 3 orphan boys and works several jobs throughout the house. However, there is more to him than meets the eye, and he definitely is not what he seems. The second half is told from the viewpoint of Jenny and takes place after a huge devestating event at the house, and it shows what becomes of each character. I really enjoyed this one. I think Hubbard broached difficult topics gracefully. It is very well written, and it made me want to keep reading. Each of these characters definitely have their faults in abundance, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s important to see how they evolve, and what each one does with their lives. Seeing some of the characters meet violence with such Grace rather than being violent themselves shows the growth and maturity that is gained in each character. The book is also largely about race and how people of color were treated in these days. It’s very eye opening and heartbreaking to see and think about this mistreatment based on skin color. This is a really good book, and I highly recommend it.

This book was well written, but I think it was just not for me. I found the story intriguing at the beginning with the introduction of the three children, but it soon felt like a dull slog to get through. The storytelling style is bland and dry and I guess I'm in the minority, because I felt like the narrator was reading a textbook rather than a fictional narrative. I think many patrons will enjoy this book and it does explore a lot of important and timely topics, but it was just difficult to stay invested for me personally.

I listened to the audio version of this book. The narration was excellent. I was really engaged with this story for about the first 2/3 of this book. As the various story lines began to merge I found it tedious.

Information about this work said it very well researched. I would have liked links or more information about the author's research to inform my own reading experience. In other words, I would have liked some non-fiction about this fictional work.

I would recommend this book to others.

Addendum: It's been a few days since I finished this novel. It continues to linger in my mind. I'd like to give some additional feedback to the publisher.

Dear Publisher, This novel had me asking questions. I wanted to know more about events that helped inform Hubbard's writing. I looked for additional information on the publisher's page for more info- an additional resources list, book club guide, background info. I found none. I also went to the author's personal webpage and found no additional information there. Please consider adding some background information or a "For further reading" list. Thanks.

First off the narrator was perfect. I would love to hear her read a book I liked better.

There are aspects of this story I really liked. The first half was a good lesson on how America used its black community long after it ended slavery. How we stole from them. How we didn’t give them credit for their contributions. It starts with rich white stealing a recipe with the help of a black employee, in turn they make him the rib king. Everyone involved moves on with their lives.

Until about midway through when it turned into the story of a serial killer. While the characters involved are the same as in the first half of the book, It ended up feeling like two books crammed together into one. I really didn’t like the second half, but the first half of the book is 5 stars. The writing is really good throughout. I wish I could have given it more stars but it was a bit confusing for me as to why it became the story it became.

Thanks for netgalley for providing the audiobook for a fair review.

Really dissapointed I did not enjoy this. I cannot decide if it was the narrator or the dialogue but either way this was so difficult to listen to it entirely took me out of the story. Very slow going as well.