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Book Review of Red at the Bone: A Novel

Red at the Bone: A Novel
VolunteerVal avatar reviewed on + 601 more book reviews


Jacqueline Woodson has been on my list of âto readâ authors due to praise I've heard for her novels. Red at the Bone was perhaps not the best introduction to her work because of its nonlinear (disjointed) writing style.

This coming-of-age story centers around an unexpected pregnancy and is told in 21 short chapters from the points of view of three generations of a NYC family. The writing is beautiful, but I found it hard to put into context for most of the book. I wish I had done more reading about a novel before actually reading it.

The audiobook is amazing with a cast of strong narrators including Bahni Turpin, Peter Francis James, and the author. The raw emotions are powerful in the narration; at time I had to pause to process it all.

I will definitely read more novels by Ms. Woodson and may consider a second reading of this story in the future.