4.5 stars
As intergenerational trauma grips the Solomon family, Harris weaves a tightly woven tale focused on the four children of recently deseased King Solomon.
The story involves the Solomon children fight for their rights to the Kingdom, 200 acres, which has been passed down as heir property. I had only heard of heir property once before and Harris gave a description in her Author's Notes prior to starting the novel. This was very helpful. It really is a way for modern laws to continue to "legally" steal property and wealth from Black families.
As the siblings fight for their land and legacy each one takes their turn in narrating the chapters. It can be difficult to read with multiple narrators, but Harris handles the writing with ease. There were times where I didn't like most of the characters, but Harris kept the story going and by the end you were routing for all four of them.
The novel does include plenty of trauma scenes, but again Harris gives an eloquent explanation before you start reading.
My only complaint was that the story took awhile to develop and I was about 2/3s of the way through before I was really vested in the outcome (about the time we started learning about Hazel.)

Terah Shelton Harris has done it again—I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters in her debut novel, and now I can’t stop thinking about the Solomon family in Long After We Are Gone. King, Junior, Mance, CeCe, and Tokey have moved into my heart and won’t be leaving anytime soon.

I wasn’t aware of heir property before I read this book and was saddened and shocked when I learned that Black families across our nation have had their land torn from them with no recourse. I hope by making it a public issue that these wrongs will be righted. It’s hard to keep your property when the playing field isn’t level, and this is what has happened to many families.

Rich in personality, the characters repeat history but also manage to step outside of it and start to write their own by the end of the book. I liked the way Harris told the story from different viewpoints but was able to keep it suspenseful by not revealing everything all at once. Each person made decisions and by the end also had decisions to consider in the future. A thoroughly engrossing read—I couldn’t put it down and finished it in two days. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an advance copy; the words in this review are my own opinion.

Emotional and poignant, Long After We Are Gone, is a story of 4 siblings struggling to overcome their familial issues after the death of their father, all while trying not to lose their ancestral home. Good character development of the siblings throughout the book. I enjoyed this book alot.

Terah Shelton Harris is quickly becoming one of my favorite Authors. This book was one of the best books that I have read in awhile and I will definitely have to recommend this to my patrons when it is published.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this novel. I love the characters and their backstories. I love the sense of family even when they struggle to understand one another. I love their flaws and faults.

I also hope that this novel serves to bring awareness to the social/financial injustice of heir property. All such deeds should be converted without prejudice by government property assessors.

Terah Shelton Harris certainly has a way with words. The story of the Solomons had me laughing, crying, commiserating, and cheering on some paramount moments. The story is raw, gritty, and honest with characters who are very well developed. It's been a while since I've just stopped for a moment after reading a book to ruminate on it before moving on to the next read, and Long After We Are Gone, had me do just that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark publishing for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

Remarkable characters and lush descriptions. A complex family history weaves through the lives of the very different and unhappy siblings that offers them redemption. Great for fans of Booth or Black Cake.

This book was like part Love story. The mystery murder. It also talks about the blocks and how they lost the land to the white.People throw different laws to take it away. It was interesting.Everybody had a part in this After the father Died. Land The family OWN. Was called s S l o m a in plantation. It went back to the Civil War and Earlier. M a c I a do not want the property to be sold. They're uncle active sold five acres of the land which the house style. There was a battle.
Going on about this and we'll find out after the book goes on.You can see where it's all tied together. The daughter came down from new york and she wanted the Land sold because she was involved in the investments scheme with the partner Name mark Up in new york. I like the author how.
The ties things together.Explaining the history behind all this. Everybody had something happened to in this Book. Everybody was out to hurt everybody in some form of fashion. The lawyer was really evil and richard because he went along with things. He's the Uncle who hired richard the lawyer to take the five acres away from the family. The father did not have a will so this became a tangle itself. I learned a lot from this.How people can take property from people without their consent. What a great book. The lawyer also blackmail junior. He was married to his daughter. He was gay and didn't want to Anybody to know about it. That's why I found it interesting when they went to Court. At the end of the book everybody seemed to be adjusting well

This was my first book that I read by Terah Shelton Harris and I was truly impressed. I like her simple, yet descriptive writing style. I really think she made her characters come to life, and I was able to identify with several of them in many ways. Long After We Are Gone was an emotional but enjoyable read. It was just enough twists, turns, candor and drama to keep me engaged. I really appreciated the research and statistics about heir property inheritance amongst African Americans in the beginning Author's Note. I was really hoping to read more about the legal process of heir property in the book, but it focused more on the personal lives of their characters and them coming into their own. My favorite lines from the book were "let it be" and "you spend your whole life trying to leave only to discover everything you need is right here." After reading it, it left me with several thoughts of appreciating family dynamics no matter what they are, owning who I am, appreciating where you come from and standing in my truths. Overall, I think Long After We Are Gone is an impressive and reflective read!

Long After We Are Gone evokes so many emotions and feelings. It is complicated and messy and frustrating. It is also very raw and real. If you are looking for a feel good story, this is not it.

This is a story of redemption and retribution. It is about answering for your sins and finding yourself and then accepting who you are. Owning your worth, if you will. The overarching theme is family and roots, and this theme runs deep. These four siblings are looking to survive at all costs. You are going to want to knock each Solomon sibling upside the head at some point, but it is because you are so invested in their stories. Not to mention how frustrating their circumstances are... circumstances that are out of their control. The premise of Long After We Are Gone is so on par with the real stories coming out of post-Emancipation US history. Do better, America.

If you pick up Long After We Are Gone--and I am convinced you absolutely should--know two things: 1) Aside from the deep family connection, it is nothing like One Summer in Savannah; 2) This book is slow to build, but it is so worth it in the end. This family is worth it.

"Long After We Are Gone" by Terah Shelton Harris is a beautifully written book that explores issues of racism, generational trauma, and Black resilience. After their father's death, the four siblings of the Solomon family find themselves facing the untenable situation of losing their ancestral home due to a legal loophole called heirs' property. The book is told through the view point of these siblings as they confront familial expectations and the legacies handed to them by their ancestors. As a resident of North Carolina who has worked with families who are losing their homes due to these racist laws, I am all too aware of how devastating this racist laws can be. Harris has written a profound account of a story that is all too real throughout the South.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC; all opinions are my own.

Long After We Are Gone is a story filled with carefully constructed dynamic characters. With effortless writing, Terah Shelton Harris shows how one family deals with the death of their father; King Solomon. On his deathbed, he tells his son, "Don't let the white man take the house." A developer wants to get the valuable waterfront property to turn it into a luxury resort. and the son and his siblings must fight to save the land while fighting their own demons.
This drama told through the eyes of four estranged siblings' viewpoints tells a tale of secrets, lies, betrayal, and addiction. The story about keeping a promise and saving a legacy hits each sibling differently and they all have emotional problems to face head-on in this heart-tugging, emotional novel. This is Terah Shelton Harris's sophomore novel and she has shown me that she is a talented writer and I will pick up any book she writes.

Overall: 4

This is the second book I've read from the author. The first book was my first ever 5 star read, so I had high hopes for this book. I was a little worried in the author notes it talks about ancestral land and sort prejudge the book. Boy was I wrong! This is giving Queen Sugar vibes. All the siblings are going through their own drama and wanting to save face because they think their other siblings life is going amazing. Once they accept facts and finally have the hard discussion they come together for the common goal. This common goal isn't without loss but they are their for each other and build a better foundation. Ms. Harris does an amazing job with with plot twist. Just when you think you've seen or heard it all, she drops another bomb on the family. Having a family legacy more than just money, it's about the memories, history and bonds forged during the dark times.

The one disclaimer, I used the accessibility feature on the Netgalley App to have it read me the book. So it made it confusing at times, when it switched from sibling to sibling in the same chapter. If you weren't fully paying attention you will be lost. If it's made into an audiobook, they'll need to ensure these transitions are made clear.

Long After We Are Gone, by Terah Shelton Harris, is a literary novel that explores intergenerational trauma, the destructive power of secrets kept too long, and the redemptive power of love. And then there’s the pages and pages and pages of extremely graphic, completely unnecessary sex scenes. We’ll get to that later.

I understand and applaud the story the author was trying to tell about the injustice of heir property laws. It is an important one that should be screamed from the rooftops again and again until the corrupt ‘loopholes’ are eliminated. However, I don’t feel that Ms. Harris lived up to the task she set herself.

Instead of sympathizing with the characters as I wanted to, I disliked them for their whining, self pity, and refusal to take responsibility for their actions and lives. Every time I put the book down, I dreaded picking it back up. Any larger points the author wanted to make about injustice, trauma, love, etc., were completely lost in the immaturity of her characters.

And then there’s all that sex. So. Much. Sex. So much graphic sex that wasn’t an essential, intrinsic part of the story. I’m sure the author has some explanation as to why this was vital to the development of blah-blah-blah, but it wasn't. The fact is that literary novels, books that are heavier on words and thoughts and characters than on plot, don’t sell as well as plot-heavy books. So the easiest answer is to sex it up in the hopes it will sell better.

Long After We Are Gone had all the hallmarks of a book I’d love, but it failed on all counts. I rate it 2 ½ stars.

This is a completely different book than I normally read and I am so glad I did. This is the story of a family in the grips of the death of their patriarch whose last words are “Don’t let the white man take the house”. The character development was outstanding, All four of the siblings were flawed in their own ways but were likable and you rooted for each of them. When they find out the land and house they grew up in is being taken by a developer, they find out that the land was considered heir property and there was no real deed. They must all work together, through their personal struggles, and try to save the land that means so much to each of them for different reasons. This family is far from perfect, but we learn that family is often greater than the sum of its parts.

Oh how I love a family story - especially one about siblings. The four Solomon siblings each have their own struggles, yet they are woven together to tell one story of the family home and land. Loved loved loved!

Overall Grade: B
Plot: B
Characters: B-
Writing: A
Ending: A
Pacing: B
Setting: B+
Best Aspect: An important topic and the ending was perfect.
Worst Aspect: Too many characters to make the story as deep as rich as One Summer in Savannah by this author. (One of my top books of all time.)
Recommend: Yes.

Their mission: to save their family’s ancestral home from being sold by a development company. The Kingdom, their 200-acre waterfront property, holds secrets and burdens that unravel as the siblings fight to preserve it. Told through alternating viewpoints, the book delves into familial expectations, miscommunication, and the legacies we pass on to our children.

#LongAfterWeAreGone #TerahSheltonHarris #Bookstagram

Alright well dont read this on a plane unless you want to cry in front of everyone…..

Seriously though, what a novel.
I came into this book thinking I wasn’t going to truly love it - i had hit a bit of a rut and had low hopes for this one pulling me out but WOW. Four siblings have to come together once their dad dies to save their 200 acre land, and the beauty that unfolds is just magical. This book touches on sibling relationships, strained family dynamics and the ramifications of keeping secrets.

There were parts of this where looking back I think could be a bit more fleshed out - like ALL of the Mance and Shad drama, but. In the moment it did not take away from the storytelling. BRAVO.

I absolutely loved Harris’s first book One Summer in Savannah so I couldn’t wait to read her sophomore book. She has a way of pulling the reader in and your heart breaks for her characters. Definitely one to add to your list! Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy!