Good Dirt: A Novel

I struggled to get through this one, which is upsetting because I loved Black Cake. It’s a slow read. There’s way too many POVs and the jumping between timelines and characters is an incoherent mess. I really didn’t get into the story until Part 3 (over halfway through the book). Part 3 is when the central story really takes center stage. I feel like the first half of the book I was waiting for it to get to the point and then I was truly engaged in the second half.

I don’t think it’s fair to compare this to “Black Cake” but for me this was just a bit toooo slow for my liking. The characters were developed but still felt flat to me. I enjoyed the history weaved into the story and the commentary on race but I just struggled to remain engaged overall. The multiple shifting timelines were also a bit of challenge to keep track of it all.

Felt like I was waiting for it to get to the point.

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson is an amazingly complicated story about family, history, and survival. After a terrible loss when she was 10, Ebby Freeman looks into the past of a stoneware jar that has been passed down through her family for generations. Through honesty and deep feeling, Ebby's journey of healing and self-discovery is shown. Ed and Soh, her parents, have recently lost a loved one, which makes things even more difficult in the family. Henry, Ebby's ex-fiancé, shows up again, bringing up themes of forgiveness and personal growth that make Ebby's path to peace more difficult. Wilkerson does a great job of connecting the past and the present, exploring grief, identity, and the enduring power of ancestry. The writing is deep and vivid, and the personalities are very interesting. Good Dirt is an interesting and thought-provoking book that will stay with you. It's perfect for people who like family stories that span generations and have a lot of historical detail. 10 out of 10 | highly recommend!

I think this was a nice read. I appreciated irony of the title “good dirt”. I enjoyed the family who had unconditional love for one another and their family secrets “dirt” wasn’t scandalous and expected. It was a wholesome book that gave me another perspective on what family drama could look like. I also appreciated the history and lesson about stoneware jars. It’s an easy read, my only complaint was there was a lot of POV that really wasn’t needed but all together, enjoyable.