Libertie

This was half of a really good novel. A coming of age story about a young Black woman raised in post-Civil War Brooklyn, the book is at its most lyrical and heartfelt when its protagonist is firmly stateside. It loses some momentum when the action shifts to Haiti and we are introduced an almost entirely new set of characters, few of whom are compellingly drawn.

Libertie is an African American girl and then young woman growing up in the shadow of her mother's reputation as a respected doctor and her mother's ambition for her to become a doctor too. Libertie has her doubts about whether she's cut out for the medical profession, and questions her mother's choice to treat white women despite their racist attitudes and behavior. However, she doesn't openly oppose her mother's wishes. This book is Libertie's coming of age story, set in Kings County, New York a little before and then after the Civil War. It's an enjoyable novel to read, with complicated yet sympathetic characters, and real personal conflict, in a recognizable historical setting. Highly recommend.

I listened to the audiobook version of Brooklyn. I remembered that it was a popular movie, even though I haven't seen it. I thought maybe I'd listen to the book, then try to stream the movie. It was...just okay. It was super character driven, which I usually tend to like, but this one got boring at times for me. I enjoyed it for the most part, but it just wasn't what I was expecting from such a popular movie. 3 1/2 stars