Kin

[Carol]

This will be our thread for any comments and discussion of Tayari Jones' latest novel, Kin.

[Hannah]

I messed up with my library loan app and went back down the queue to the end of July 😭

[Carol]

Hannah wrote: "I messed up with my library loan app and went back down the queue to the end of July 😭"

Oh, drat. I am sorry to hear that. I think I can get the large print edition some time in May... : )

[Hannah]

I will still be taking part. I have holds on ebook and audiobook and if neither of them move forward (which they usually do) I'll spend a credit towards the end of the author focus

[Lin]

Looks like my library hold will be available mid-May. I will join in when comes through 🙂

[GailW]

I started it last night , am about 119 pages in, and loving it. It is very character driven. Some reviewers call it slow and boring. I prefer to think of it as reflective and growing. These girls are learning a lot about themselves.

[Carol]

Yay - glad to hear the good take, Gail.

In the meantime, for those of us working on developing patience, this is an 8 minute clip (ad break in the middle - I'm sorry) of a very light, fluffy and charming interview she did on Seth Meyers' show last month. and it's just the most delightful exchange. And her dress! she's seriously beautiful and fun and - that dress! What a joy it must be to have her as your professor.

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview...

[Hannah]

Carol wrote: "Yay - glad to hear the good take, Gail.

In the meantime, for those of us working on developing patience, this is an 8 minute clip (ad break in the middle - I'm sorry) of a very light, fluffy and c..."

Thanks for sharing. She is stunning and funny!

[Hannah]

Hurrah my audio hold has moved up to 22/5 :D

[Hannah]

My loan came in and I have started. Loved the first chapter. Beautifully read and a world apart from my experience with silver sparrow :D

[Hannah]

I really enjoyed the first third or so of this but am less enamored with the shift in focus after both girls leave Honeysuckle. It might just be my mood though and nothing to do with the book

[Sophie]

My hold has been getting longer rather than shorter. So odd. Probably worth the wait.
Thanks for the video link Carol. LOL Lobster and champagne.

[Carol]

Sophie wrote: "My hold has been getting longer rather than shorter. So odd. Probably worth the wait.
Thanks for the video link Carol. LOL Lobster and champagne."

I’m still waiting , too, Sophie. i agree. when I finally get it, I’m hopeful.

[Hannah]

After a wee break, I've gotten back into this and I'm loving it again (in other words, it was my foul mood!). I really recommend the audiobook if you have access, the narration is fantastic. One of them also narrates our June read of On Sundays She Picked Flowers, woohoo!

[Hannah]

I've finished and I don't know how to rate it. I enjoyed most of it but I think my experience was similar to what many said about Cursed Daughters, although the story and characters are nothing alike. Beautifully written, excellent audio reading, a talent for portraying female relationships but the storylines....meh. I think this is why I was blowing hot and cold throughout. I really liked the first third or so but as the women went down their different paths in life their storylines became a little mundane and predictable. Some more characters got added who were extremely frustrating and one dimensional, I can't explain more without spoilers. I didn't quite get the ending, but the beautiful writing kept me going. Don't get me wrong, it's a good book. Probably a 3.5 star, which isn't as "bad" a rating for me as it would be for some. I don't think it was helped that I read it right after CD, but also, I just don't get the hype.

[Carol]

Hannah wrote: "I've finished and I don't know how to rate it. I enjoyed most of it but I think my experience was similar to what many said about Cursed Daughters, although the story and character..."

My number came up at my library, so I'll pick it up today or tomorrow and look forward to seeing how I feel about this one. I expect I'll end up in the same place as you, also bemused.

[Hannah]

I hope you enjoy it! The writing is beautiful:)

[Claire]

I just finished Kin and really enjoyed it. Not read her before, but it reminded me a little of the reading experience of Brit Bennett's Vanishing Half, as in two girls, previously intertwined, leaving home, making their way in the world.
Only here, the theme was more to do with how abandonment or separation from the mother affects their trajectory, the choices, and the decisions they make.
One was unable to let go of the desperate need to find her mother, to understand the unfathomable, how she could have abandoned her, and never looked back. In a way, I find that Annie has been relieved of a life of heartache, the only brief respite coming when she was lied to by Isiah.

Neicey pursues formal education and a substitute mother (in-law) also grappling with how to meet expectations versus maintain her authenticity.

They are young women, guided through absence and loss, so naturally, they are going to struggle with the consequences of their decisions and choices.

I found it interesting and thought provoking to observe the different paths they chose and ultimately their realisation about how important their friendship really was, and how "kin" runs through the veins, regardless of their presence in your life or not.

It doesn't answer all the questions, and our view is of a short but profound segment of their lives, but that makes it all the more conversation worthy.

For me, it was a 4.5 star read.

[Hannah]

Claire wrote: "I just finished Kin and really enjoyed it. Not read her before, but it reminded me a little of the reading experience of Brit Bennett's Vanishing Half, as in two girls, previously intertwined, leav..."

I'm glad you enjoyed it so much Claire! I thought that it portrayed a greater sense of the "kin" from found family than blood. Particularly between Annie and Neicy. But also others such as baby doll. That was possibly intended to come across between Neicy and the mother in law as well but I couldn't stand their relationship, that spoiled the second half for me.