Redwood Court is a solid coming-of-age book that is richly steeped in Black American culture and history. The solidarity emphasized throughout the novel was breathtaking and masterful. I adored the relationship between Mika and Teeta—it mirrors relationships I've had with sisters and friends over the years! While the book does majorly slow down the last 30% or so of the book, I cared about what was going on so much I couldn't help but see it through to the end, and it was worth it.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Random House, The Dial Press, and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

A house is more than just a home in Redwood Court by DeLana R. A. Dameron. It's where dreams are made and an entire family comes together, no matter how infrequently, to strengthen family bonds. It serves as the central location where Mika Tabor, the primary storyteller and young daughter and granddaughter, grows up and comes of age in the 1990s. She's bolstered by the stories of her mom and dad and her loving grandparents, Teeta and Weesie. As an aspiring writer, she's the one who collects the family history and stories and how the events that occur shape her world.

I liked the time period, of course, because I graduated from high school in 1990 and distinctly remember how the 1990s felt, if you can feel a decade. It's accurate without forcing hit songs or fads in between every event that happens in Mika's life. That set a good tone for the book although you get back stories from the grandfather Teeta flashing back to his difficult time in the Korean war and other backgrounds of the other characters.

The characters all come alive, so you get a good picture of their lives and motivations. I felt that they were all well-rounded, and you knew who they were. There was one character, though, who seemingly disappeared and then returned at the end of the book. I wasn't sure what to make of that, or if I missed a pivotal time when the character left. That was a little curious. Overall, I liked the family dynamics and how the family was depicted. If you like family sagas, I would consider reading this book.

Usually, I do not like books written in a conversational way. Sometimes, I have trouble keeping up with that because I'm tripping over words or slang. It's almost how you feel when you're reading a Russian novel with hard to pronounce words. I remember telling someone that in college, and they suggested changing the names in your head. That actually worked! Anyway, I felt that the writing felt organic and natural, and I didn't trip over the words. I easily fell into the cadence and so could slip into the story and absorb it.

One weird thing changes in the book and then flips back, and I don't know if it was intentional or maybe it's because I had an advanced reader's copy of the book. A chapter toward the end changes from varying first and third person chapters to one chapter written in second person, which felt odd and misplaced. I wasn't sure why this took place and what purpose it served. It had information about Mika and some
important events that occur in her life, and it didn't come off well and threw me a little off course until it reverted back once the chapter ended. I have never read a book that unwittingly added a second-person perspective when the book is almost over. I could not understand that.

While that change in perspective stopped me from giving this book five stars, I really loved the book. The ending is absolutely perfect and incredibly hopeful. Mika really recognizes the importance of her family and the members in it and how it has shaped her into blossoming into the woman she will become. It was satisfying and ended everything on a high note.

Redwood Court is a nice coming of age story that will cause certain elder millenials to remember their childhood and adolescence with fond memories. A great read for those that enjoy multi generational family stories and well developed character driven stories.

3.75⭐ on 🎧

An interesting vignette of one family's lives living one neighborhood street, including the systems that prevent black people from gaining wealth and privilege. I wanted to love this book but I wish it had been more plot driven to create momentum through the story -- instead it did not feel fully connected through the different stories.

The POVs are a little hard to follow; however, I overall, really did enjoy the family saga aspect on this.

A beautifully written story of family. Mika grows up on the Black side of town in the suburbs of South Carolina. She takes the reader through the ups and downs of life on Redwood Court. The heart of the story is what family passes on and lessons learned.

Wow - this felt like I reading a story written about my own family. I appreciated the different generational relationships that were explored throughout the story. My only issue is that it took a minute for me to understand the full cast of characters. I struggled a little remembering who was who but once I was able to discern which story aligned with what character, I was hooked. I hope DeLana continues to write family sagas because I will read whatever she writes in this genre.

This wasn't for me. I was so excited going into this story, but quickly lost interest. It was a struggle to complete.

The story is about a black family in South Carolina and follows them through their various struggles. Redwood Court is where Weesie and Teeta live. I liked the story and thought the characters were very well-written. While I found it very slow going, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A decade in the life of a Black working class family – from cookouts and birthdays to funerals and calls from prison – is captured with warmth and honesty in the first novel from poet and activist DeLana R.A. Dameron. Teeta and Weesie Bolton had been married for nearly ten years when they claimed their bit of the American dream, buying a home in Columbia, South Carolina in the late 1960s. Their granddaughter Mika, born in 1985, is our guide as she watches the Bolton Family make their way through the 1990s, finding strength and understanding in family and community, while Mike grows from a child into a woman. Dameron's storytelling is subtly smart and has the ring of truth, finding room for heart and humor as the characters deal with good times and bad. Anyone who's ever watched the grown ups from the children's table will relate to Redwood Court.

This is a multi-generational saga told from multiple viewpoints. It is a story of family, ancestry, community & daily lkfe. Each character goes through experience that show us the ways family can hurt you & save you. You immediately love Weesie and also feel fury for those who have wronged her. Then we meet a few members of her family and hear their stories. Finally, toward the end the story brings us to Mika who is living her own “coming of age” story. You feel for the injustices they each face on a global and personal scale. Their lives are nuanced and beautiful but often difficult. I loved hearing the stories & it felt like a gathering of family, passing around tales from the past.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

This was a very interesting book to read. I liked the main character and her point of view. I would highly recommend everyone check this book out. It is very good.

“He pushes himself up a bit on the couch, but doesn’t sit upright fully. “How I see it, I either wallow in the unknowns that I ain’t never gone know, or I rest knowing my peoples over in Green Sea, South Carolina, is made of salt water and collards and oak-smoked ham.” What am I made of? That’s not quite the question for the project, but it has arrived on my heart. How do I know what I am made of?”

This book was so poignant and did such a great job showing instead of telling.

Redwood Court is a beautifully written coming-of-age story set in the 1990s in Columbia, SC. The story encompasses three generations and provides a strong sense of time and place as Mika's story is told. You can tell that the author has written poetry by the beauty of her prose. This is not a plot-heavy page-turner but rather one to savor for the beauty of the writing..

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Redwood Court in exchange for an honest review. It is available now.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I was not able to connect with the characters and did not finish. I won't be leaving a full review at this time.

Beautifully written story!
I live multigenerational stories, especially those that include povs of younger generations.
I learned a lot from this and it motivated me to explore my family roots.

A beautiful, thought provoking story of the all Black cul-de-sac of Redwood Court in S.C. Heartbreak and happiness. Good fortune and hard times. Being invisible and being seen. Loved the characters and the setting. Very well written.

Not the book for me, this was very hard to read as there are no quotation marks or punctuation. Maybe it is just in this copy and not the final copy,

This was just a great family saga. I started it and couldn't put it down. There was a lot to keep track of but it worked out well

There is so much beauty in the language of this book. Seeped in southern storytelling traditions, Redwood court moves between narrators to piece together a multigenerational family history. I want so much to love this book and to be able to fully immerse in the story, however it difficult to follow with the formatting of the ebook. Lines with smushed together and it was difficult to tell the movement between narrators. I am encouraged enough to seek out this book in its print copy (which is why I am not sharing a review on Goodreads yet.)