Half a Heart

Rating:
Summary: A good read on a timely subject
Review: Although this novel tried to explore the issues surrounding inter-racial relationships and children born to those relationship, this novel was very primitive, pedantic and lacked insight and depth. It was a poorly written novel. It skipped from one train of thought to the other with any sense of connection. The novel did absolutely nothing to explore the particular issues faced by parents and children of mixed heritage.

Also disturbing was that I found the book to be somewhat stereotypical in its characterization of situationsi.e., the wealthy privileged Jewish mother, the militant father, the poor manipulative daughter, the lifestyle in Texas, the reaction of the step father etc.

The issue of the condition, treatment and specific situations faced by mixed heritage children, particularly those with a black and white parent, carries such significance and has so many implication. I felt the author dealt with these issues casually or not at all. To that extent, I found the novel shallow and somewhat insulting. It would have been good had the author done a little research and spoken with individuals of mixed heritage before she attempted to write a book in this area. Anyone interested in reading a good book in this area should read "The Color of Water" by James McBride. Excellant novel written by someone who has had first hand experience in this area.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Although this novel tried to explore the issues surrounding inter-racial relationships and children born to those relationship, this novel was very primitive, pedantic and lacked insight and depth. It was a poorly written novel. It skipped from one train of thought to the other with any sense of connection. The novel did absolutely nothing to explore the particular issues faced by parents and children of mixed heritage.

Also disturbing was that I found the book to be somewhat stereotypical in its characterization of situationsi.e., the wealthy privileged Jewish mother, the militant father, the poor manipulative daughter, the lifestyle in Texas, the reaction of the step father etc.

The issue of the condition, treatment and specific situations faced by mixed heritage children, particularly those with a black and white parent, carries such significance and has so many implication. I felt the author dealt with these issues casually or not at all. To that extent, I found the novel shallow and somewhat insulting. It would have been good had the author done a little research and spoken with individuals of mixed heritage before she attempted to write a book in this area. Anyone interested in reading a good book in this area should read "The Color of Water" by James McBride. Excellant novel written by someone who has had first hand experience in this area.

Rating:
Summary: An emotionally rewarding answer to the question "what if?"
Review: As the mother of several grown children, I've often wondered who my children would have been without my influence...who I would have been without them at the center of my life. This wonderful story explores those "What if" questions in an engrossing and authentic way. By creating a mother and daughter who are desperate to compensate for a lifetime of seperation, this book pays beautiful tribute to the amazing power of parenthood. As is always true of Ms. Brown's books, the writing is lush and lovely.

Rating:
Summary: A frustrating novel
Review: BEFORE AND AFTER, Rosellen Brown's previous novel, is a gripping and frightening portrayal of family ties. HALF A HEART also deals with issues of the binds of blood and genealogy, but it is so frustrating in its obviousness and its bleak view of the perceptions of contemporary society on race (from policemen to wealthy Texans to its central character, a young black girl) that the novel is almost unreadable. Brown just doesn't tackle issues of race, economics, religion or education with any sort of poise. Her characters develop into horrific cliches, even as the novel, in its portrayal of a southern Jewish woman who had to abandon her black baby, at least on the surface, seems to transcend such banality. A long awaited novel that is a complete and utter disappointment. I concur with a previous reviewer who suggests Sue Miller's WHILE I WAS GONE instead, a novel that has its own problems (plot being one of them), but has an emotional weight that bears at least an ounce of truth.

Rating:
Summary: Decide for Yourself
Review: Hard to believe I read the same book these reviewers are trashing. It's far more complex and sympathetic on all sides, not sentimental but challenging (maybe that's the problem)and unwilling to accept easy stereotypes. Ronnee is no "tragic mulatto" -- she may be confused but she's much too dignified for that. And her father is no big black brute. So what's going on here? Protecting the turf,to keep white writers from poaching on territory that isn't "theirs"? I guess readers will have to decide for themselves but they should read "Half a Heart" and make up their own minds.

Rating:
Summary: topical, yes, groundbreaking, no
Review: I didn't really understand why this white lady would abandon her child in the first place -- and for that matter, why the mixed-race Ronee, who had been raised in a black community, would be all that interested in white boys. The whole story seemed kind of didactic, and didn't resonate with me. The characters were there to represent a particular position, rather than real, complex people.

Rating:
Summary: Hits the Mark
Review: I didn't think this was a book about "the 60's" nor was it a book about interracial parenting or relationships. It was, indirectly but right on, a book about adoption, about an absence that is as solid and thick as a presence, about assumptions, fantasy, questions, holes that are alive with humans who are separated for decades. I found it to be terribly moving, beautifully crafted and resonant.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping
Review: I gulped down this book in two days. The novel deals with important issues and the charactes are full-bodied, three-dimensional, complex.

Rating:
Summary: kept me up all night
Review: I had already read a quarter of this book when the fairly bad reviews came out, but I plugged along anyway. Half way through the book, the plot really came together, and by the end (which was the part that kept me up), I was very moved. A lot of questions which are never answered are frustrating, such as why she agreed to give up the baby in the first place, but in the main, I thought it was a very touching and well written book. Maybe having a daughter of the same age, I felt all the emotions more strongly, but I am anxious to read more by this author.

Rating:
Summary: a good read
Review: i liked the book, i throught maybe veronica's characther was made to be a litte to hostile, but overrall i enjoyed the book