Book Review: The Last Carolina Summer by Karen White

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The Last Carolina Summer by Karen White is the story about Phoebe Manigault returning home to Mt. Pleasant, a suburb of Charleston, South Carolina, to help her sister with their ailing mother. When past memories resurface, Phoebe is thrown back into some childhood turmoil. I requested an Advanced Readers Copy ARC of The Last Carolina Summer from NetGalley, and I was ecstatic when the provided me with a copy for free in exchange for my honest review. So, a big thank you goes out to them! When I began reading this story, I just happened to be vacationing in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. I loved hearing about the different places, including streets and a bridge called the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which I had to cross to get into Mt. Pleasant as well as Isle of Palms. It's always nice to be able to visualize the places and author writes about. With that being said, I'm not a fan of traveling over bridges, and one of the scenes of The Last Carolina Summer mentions a car going off ...
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Book Review: Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow

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Book Club Book Review of Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow
Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow was published on April 5, 2022 by The Dial Press and is the debut novel of the author. As the story unfolds, we learn the narrative of a Southern, Black family told from three different generations and how the legacy is finally changed with the most recent generation.

This book was selected as the monthly read for one of the book clubs I belong to. I typically read books in the genres of horror, thriller, suspense, and mystery, so Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow isn't likely a book I would have chosen to read on my own. However, I am so glad that it was selected because it was an interesting read, and I couldn't wait to see how the story of the North women progressed.

Although this is a work of fiction, it felt like it was real life as it touched on very palpable subjects like racism, domestic violence, rape, gangs, life and death, and many more topics that plagues society today. There were times that my heart ached and hurt for the characters and other situations that gave me hope that the characters would have happy times. 

Although Memphis is extremely well written and engaging, there were times I had trouble keeping up with the characters because the story was told from several different perspectives. It also went back and forth between time periods which contributed to the occasional mix up. With that being said, that's my only complaint.

Such a beautiful, poignant story, I wholeheartedly recommend Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow and give it four out of five stars. I look forward to reading more novels from this author.
 


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