Overall, what did you think of Harlem Rhapsody? (no spoilers, please!)
I really enjoyed the book and learned about one person, Jesse Redmon Faucet, I had never heard of. Considering I was very familiar with all the other poets/writers mentioned in the book this was truly amazing. I enjoyed getting more insight into the personalities of the writers I was familiar with such as Langston Hughes, Nella Lars, W.E.B. Dubois and Countee Cullen. I have already read some of their books and poetry.
The book was easy to read and follow. It provided a good picture how a small portion of African Americans (Negroes) were living in the early 19th century. I continue to be amazed that many were successful despite challenges prior to the Civil Rights movement.
I thought Harlem Rhapsody was excellent historical fiction, and I learned a lot from it. I feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to read it.
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I enjoyed the book very much. It kept me engaged. I would highly recommend it. As I was reading along I often wondered what it felt like for Victoria Christopher Murray to write the book. I know she mentioned she loved the time period, but I wonder what it was like to refer to “Negroes”.
I enjoyed the book very much, the writing was great and compelling. It was very hard to set it down and not keep reading. I kept getting so mad at Jessie; it was so obvious she was being used and constantly sucked in by W.E.B. As the book progressed you knew she would never get the job of editor. Very interesting information.. I knew some of the writers but not all of them.
I enjoyed reading the book. I was not aware of The Crisis. What a wonderful magazine. Jessie Redmon Fauset was amazing. What an incredible intelligent woman. I am happy that I now know of her and her dedication to the people she worked with. I enjoyed her friendship with Langston Hughes.
I had a feeling I would love this book and Victoria Christopher Murray did not let me down. Full disclosure of my absolute ignorance at not knowing who Jessie Redmon Fauset was, or that the book was about a real person.
I was in awe of Jessie over and over again, and found myself wishing I could go back in time and just meet her.
I really enjoyed this book. I had never heard of Jesse Redmon Fauset before. I appreciated learning about her. I thought the book was well written and gave insight regarding The Harlem Renaissance.
I really like this book. I loved the time period and I think the author did a wonderful job of describing it. It was so easy to read and flowed beautifully. I had not heard of all these people before and am grateful for the opportunity to now know them. I look forward to backtracking and reading some other books by this author. I read The Personal Librarian and liked that too.,
This was a win for me. I felt it enhanced my knowledge of that period of history. It was easy to read and yet filled with interesting facts.
Joyce, I also couldn’t stop getting mad at Jessie. I couldn’t decide if she was naive or arrogant since I knew she wasn’t stupid. I did admire her resolve to always give her best and help others, never seeing them as competitors.
I am somewhat familiar with the era of Harlem Renaissance but learned a lot about the work done behind the scenes like Jessie (keeping in mind that although the book is based on real people & I’m sure the author did copious research, it’s still a work of fiction). But like Margaret, I went back and forth with my feelings toward Jessie. And my respect for WEB DuBois completely disappeared, although I should still respect his work if not the man himself.
I enjoyed this book. I was a little disappointed that more of the focus wasn’t on the writers Jessie supported. I also just got tired of her relationship with W.E.B and wish that there had been less of a focus on that and more of a focus on Jessie’s role in supporting young black writers. That’s her legacy
While I found the information in the book to be historically significant, I felt that it was a slow read. I understand that the author was centered on bringing to light not only how important Jessie was to introducing Black authors to the world and also Jessie’s affair with WEB Du Bois. However, Jessie’s life after she left Du Bois should also have been included in the book.
I really enjoyed this book about someone I had never heard of. Although I had at least heard of many of the other characters,in the book! I liked the authors way of writing and bringing us into the time period in which it was written. Very good!
I agree with you Rebecca in that I too got tired of Jesse’s relationship with W.E.B. Dubois. However, in the Historical Note, the author intentionally wanted to write about the love story between the two of them because based on her research it was unique relative to the rest of his relationships including his wife.
According to the Historical Note there wasn’t much documentation about Jessie after she left the Crisis magazine.
She seemed to fade into oblivion, similar to Zora Neale Hurston. So sad. I’m glad the author wrote the book based on available research because I had never heard of such an important person who influenced the lives of well known authors.
I enjoyed reading about the brilliant, ambitious Jessie Redmon Fauset, who discovered and mentored many black writers through her work at The Crisis. I also developed a deeper understanding of the struggles and challenges of blacks and of the works of the NAACP and other leaders through this story. I was less interested in the personal relationships, but know that it was an important part of Fauset’s story. This was a very engaging story.
I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot and it was very well written.
I am so happy I got to read this book. The book was so well written. I love historical fiction and I feel this book is very relevant to our time today. I never heard of Jessie Redmon Fauset. She is such an inspirational woman. I feel everyone should read this book