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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020) in Movies

Sep 28, 2021  
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
2020 | Drama, Music
8
7.5 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
“1, 2, You know what to do”.
I’ve put off watching this movie, since the subject matter didn’t immediately grab me. But I’m glad I caught it, since I really enjoyed it. All in all, it feels a little surprising in retrospect that “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” didn’t make the Oscar “Best Picture” list.

Positives:
I really wanted to put down all of the ‘Oscar buzz’ about the late Chadwick Boseman to a mawkish sentimentality about the actor’s tragic passing (which sounds disrespectful, but is not intended to). But having seen the performance as Levee, I take it all back. He’s stunning in the role and thoroughly deserves not only the Oscar nomination, but potentially also the win. A monologue about a traumatic childhood experience is Oscar-clip gold. What a way to ‘go out on a high’.
Viola Davis has a miraculous transformation as the historical singer in the twilight of her career. When you see her doing interviews (there is a very good 30 minute “Making of” documentary on Netflix), it’s almost impossible to believe that she is the same actress.
There are some great supporting performances as well: Glynn Turman as Toledo is great; and Taylour Paige is memorably sexy as the love interest (surprisingly) of two of the leads.
Both the production design and the costume/hair design are exquisite: no more so than in the gorgeous opening scene of the performance in the tent. Again, very deserving of their Oscar nominations.
There are some great directorial flourishes by Wolfe. One of my favourite scenes has Boseman finally breaking down a mystery door to find…. well, no spoilers, but it is a metaphor for Levee’s own struggles against life.

Negatives:
Just as in another August Wilson adaptation, “Fences” (and indeed in the recent “One Night in Miami”), the production feels like a filmed stage play. The forward motion of the movie keeps stopping for monologues by some of the characters (albeit brilliant ones in many cases).
  
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ClareR (6256 KP) rated Creature: A Novel of Mary Shelley and Frankenstein in Books

Aug 27, 2025  
Creature: A Novel of Mary Shelley and Frankenstein
Creature: A Novel of Mary Shelley and Frankenstein
Amy Weldon | 2025 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book tells the story of Mary Shelley, how she ran away with the poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, in order to live the life that she wanted to live, free of the constraints of society and hopefully live up to her perception of her mother’s standards. Instead, it felt as though she was dragged around Europe by her (eventual) husband, everything at his whim, paying for freedom from society with the deaths of 4 of her 5 children.

Ok, I may be a little harsh here. Mortality rates in infants were abysmal at this point in history, but I’m. Still not a Shelley/ Byron fan 🤷🏼‍♀️

If it sounds as though I’m being negative, I actually loved this book. The writing is wonderfully descriptive, the perspectives swapping between Mary and (and this is what really makes this novel stand out)the Creature from the novel, Frankenstein. His life plays out at the same time as Mary’s, he grows up with her from childhood, always nearby, I’m sure she could have seen him from the corner of her eye. His life is as tragic as hers.

Reading this novel, I was standing beside Mary and her Creature, experiencing their lives with them, which was pretty hard-going at times. To experience such loss and keep going really shows Mary’s strength of character.

Mary’s life was adventurous, uncertain, unconventional, rich in experience, and pretty frustrating at times - thanks to Shelley and Byron!

This took me longer than it possibly could have to read. I kept going through the footnotes, googling, reading some of Shelley’s and Byron’s poetry - this book took over my reading entirely!

Now, where did I put my copy of Frankenstein? I might just have to reread…

I received an ARC of this book for free, and I’m reading this review voluntarily (and why wouldn’t I?!). Many thanks to the publishers, BookSirens and Amy Weldon.
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Black Cake in Books

Feb 4, 2022  
Black Cake
Black Cake
Charmaine Wilkerson | 2022 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Siblings Byron and Benny are estranged, but after their mother's death, they discover she’s left them a black cake, a beloved food from their childhood and history, and a voice recording that reveals many surprises about her past. Their mother Eleanor's story is heartbreaking and shocking, but will it bring Byron and Benny together to share the cake "when the time is right," as their mother desired?

This is a really interesting and different book. It’s a sweeping tale that spans from the 1960s to the present and touches on racism, homophobia, immigration, assault, the meaning of family, and so much more. If that sounds like a lot, it is, and sometimes it feels like too much. The story meanders at times--it's a lot to go from the 1960s to the near present, and the story is told through many narrators and short chapters. It's sometimes confusing to keep track of. At times, the musings and whining of present-day Byron and Benny are frustrating because you just want to get back to Eleanor and the past.

And that is where BLACK CAKE shines. Because while this is a debut novel and it shows at times, the story really is engrossing, especially when Eleanor gets into her origin story and we learn about the Caribbean and how she became who she is. There's almost a mystery in there, and it's fascinating. We are taken back to the islands, meeting a young determined swimmer and her best friend. I love how Wilkerson weaves everything together into a touching and poignant tale that delves deep into this family's past. I was mesmerized and needed to know everything that happened. There are a lot of characters and a few false starts, but this story winds around to make sense, and it was a really beautiful and fascinating.

I received a copy of this book from Random House / Ballantine and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.