SERPENT'S GIFT

Rating:
Summary: I love this book
Review: I will add this book, and Ms. Lee's most recent accomplishment, Watermarked, to my Good List.

Rating:
Summary: The Serpents Gift: A Book Review
Review: The Serpents Gift is a first novel by Helen Elaine Lee. The story begins just after the turn of the century as Eula Smalls struggles in an abusive marriage. One night after having been brutally beaten by her husband, she and her two children run through the neighborhood hoping someone will open their doors to her. Ruby Staples welcomes Eula into her home that night. The story covers the life of these very different women and their children. Ruby's daughter, Ouida, is a passionate and beautiful woman who defies convention. In her 20's she falls in love with another woman and chooses to spend her life with her. Eula's son grows up in the loving household of Ruby Staples and her family but is haunted by legacy of his father. Eula's daughter, Vesta is visiblily scarred by having been witness to her mother's abuse. All the main characters have their own separate adventures and journeys, that are powerful and vivid.

The Serpent's Gift is a great novel but not without faults. The earlier sections of the book can sometimes be a little slow in terms of action and progression of the plot. The telling of The Serpents Gift is in third person, and toggles through the happenings of each character. This works great the most of the time, but sometimes I find myself wanting to know more about one character than another. Also I wish that Ouida and her partner had been given more attention. The amazing nature of this romantic relationship between two black women in 1920's America is greatly underplayed here, while other less interesting characters are given too much space and time.

However I think that in general The Serpent's Gift is very well written. The author has an amazing mastery of words and even more amazing storytelling abilities that make this book great.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful read
Review: This is a book that you don't want to end. I wanted delve more into the characters lives as the book went on. They were so fascinating and varied. I liked the way Helen Elaine Lee integrated telling of folktales so closely with the story as well. That aspect gave the book a magical feeling and hope to the characters lives.