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The Names by Florence Knapp - Sep 25 Adult / Non-Fiction BOM (starts 16 Sep)
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The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - Sep 25 Theme BOM - South and South East Asia (Starts 5 September)
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What Members Thought
Oh, this one is hard to rate. I found the historical account of this woman fascinating and enjoyed the blending of factual accounts and fiction around Belle's rise during times of segregation in a male dominated, changing art world. I can feel the passion for this woman and her journey through the early 1900s racial landscape in the writing, and the enthusiasm in the authors notes from both writers almost made me want to bump my rating up to 4 stars. I loved every glimpse into high society Ameri
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The fictionalized story of the real-life Belle da Costa Greene, the personal librarian and curator for J.P. Morgan, set in the Gilded Age into WWI. Not only was Belle a woman, but she also hid her identity as the daughter of the first black graduate of Harvard, in order to pass as white and become a successful and powerful force in the world of art and book collecting.
Well-written, interesting issues that were handled well. I only wished Belle would have demanded more respect for herself in cer ...more
Well-written, interesting issues that were handled well. I only wished Belle would have demanded more respect for herself in cer ...more
I appreciated this insight into a historical figure of a woman I had never heard of before - Belle da Costa Greene, nee Belle Marion Greener, the personal librarian of J.P. Morgan, who was in fact a Black woman passing as white. I didn't end up really connecting with this book, but it was certainly interesting to learn about her.
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Overall the story felt really stilted to me. Perhaps it was because it kept jumping ahead by months at a time (and occasionally by years) but it didn't read like it flo ...more
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Overall the story felt really stilted to me. Perhaps it was because it kept jumping ahead by months at a time (and occasionally by years) but it didn't read like it flo ...more
I read this and now I want to go to the Morgan Library in New York. I had no idea this amazing woman existed and I am happy to have learned about her. I struggle with historical fiction but that's my problem and no one else. I am glad to have learned about Belle da Costa Greene and hope to see her exhibit in 2024 at the Morgan Library so I can learn the more accurate truth about her.
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