From the Bookshelf of Let's Read Rant Repeat…

Valentine

Elizabeth Wetmore

Start date: April 25, 2020

Finish date: May 17, 2020

Discussion: 2020 Books

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2020 Books

Notes on a Silencing
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last updated Oct 20, 2020 09:03AM

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What Members Thought

May 16, 2020 Chelsey (a_novel_idea11) rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-of-the-month-club

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 rounded up!

Valentine is a powerful story about racial and sexual prejudices in Texas in the 1970s. Gloria Ramirez is a 14 year-old, Mexican girl living near Odessa, Texas. Bored and unsupervised, she goes against her better judgment and joins the handsome Dale Strickland for a drive. The next day, injured and weak after a brutal, night-long rape, Gloria treks three miles in the barren desert, barefoot, and stumbles upon Mary Rose Whitehead's front door. Clearly in trouble, Mary Rose take ...more

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May 17, 2020 Jade rated it really liked it

Shelves: letsreadrantrepeat-book-club, 2020-reading-challenge

This is my book clubs pick for May! Check us out on Instagram at @LetsReadRantRepeat !

Plot

February 15, 1976. Odessa, Texas.

Mary Rose Whitehead is home alone with her young daughter, pregnant with her second child. It is the day after Valentines, and she hears a strong knock on the door - so rare in their remote homestead. If anyone were to come from the small oil township they would call ahead to not wast their time.

When Mary Rose answers the door she finds 14 year old Gloria Ramirez, be ...more

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Jan 26, 2020 Savitri (IG: gymgirlreads) rated it liked it

Odessa, TX, oil field town. 1976. Do not be fooled by the title. There is very little love in this novel and lots of racism and bigotry of those times. In fact, the story begins with the rape of a 14-year old Mexican girl, Glory, by a white oil field worker the day after Valentine, hence the title.

The book consists of multiple points of views from various women living in Odessa. Each chapter is dedicated to each of these women, their backgrounds and their struggles and inequalities they face in Odessa, TX, oil field town. 1976. Do not be fooled by the title. There is very little love in this novel and lots of racism and bigotry of those times. In fact, the story begins with the rape of a 14-year old Mexican girl, Glory, by a white oil field worker the day after Valentine, hence the title.

The book consists of multiple points of views from various women living in Odessa. Each chapter is dedicated to each of these women, their backgrounds and their struggles and inequalities they face in a male-dominated little town.

• Glory - the aforementioned young girl. You will have to read the book to see what the final judgment is for Glory's rape.
• Mary Rose - the lady whose house Glory finds the morning after being raped and therefore the first witness to what happened. Mary Rose goes through hell and high water for supporting Glory, and has to testify in less than ideal conditions.
• Corrine - Mary Rose's neighbor whose husband ended his life on his own terms due to an incurable disease, leaving her to cope with the loss
• Debra Ann - a lonely 10 year old, also a neighbor, whose mother left the family and whose father does not care for her
• Ginny - Mother of Debra Ann who ruminates over why she had to leave her family behind
• Suzanne Ledbetter - Another neighbor, very narrow-minded and low self-esteem
• Karla - a waitress that makes a surprising guest appearance at the end of the book

Ms. Wetmore has a very elegant style of writing her characters and I could truly appreciate the huge differences of women, then and now. Then, a woman needed her husband's permission to be able to work and couldn't do much if harassed in public or even on the phone. I was also able to appreciate the fact that women’s rights have improved so much in 40 years while there's still progress to be made on equality.

The reasons I give only three stars: there were too many cooks in the kitchen, too many women involved about theirs opinions and their stories, so much that I felt I was reading several novels at once and at one point, I could not connect to any single one of them. I wish the focus remained on Glory and her trial, with just 1-2 additional required characters.

The book also contained strong language; including a highly offensive four-letter word geared towards a particular population that I felt could have been omitted. I realize that's how people spoke back then, and yes I have read strong language in novels. But it just didn't quite add up here, in my opinion. 3/5 stars

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May 16, 2020 Ashley Curran rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020

The first three chapters in this book had me staying up past 2 am to squeeze more reading in. The last 100 pages had me staying up until 3:30 am so you can say I loved this book! ⁣
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In 1976, in Odessa, Texas, 14 year old Gloria shows up on Mary Rose’s porch, beaten within an inch of her life. Several events unfold that show us how race and class impact the views of people in the town and the justice system. ⁣
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This story is told through multiple points of view which I love. I enjoy hearing each ch ...more

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May 18, 2020 Debbie Love rated it liked it

I think that this had the making of something really good, but to me, it didn't quite get there. I really had trouble connecting with any of the characters and the fact that the main character only got a few chapters of time really put me off. I wanted to know more about HER and how SHE was feeling and what SHE was thinking. The character development was just really off for me, and I really didn't like the open ending and the fact that Glory's uncle lied to her. I think I just wasn't the right r ...more

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