Title: The Garies and Their FriendsOriginally published: 1857
(2nd book ever published by an African-American)
Page count: 330
Dates read: 2/4/2020-2/24/2020
2020 book goal progress: 4 out of 20
Month category: February - Black History Month
Back to the Classics category:
Classic by a Person of Color
Read my other book reviews for my 2020 goal HERE.
Description on back of book:
Unjustly overlooked in its time, Frank J Webb's novel combines action, drama, humor, and social commentary to present a complex portrait of life in pre-Civil War Philadelphia. It tells the story of two families struggling for different sorts of respectability: the Garies, a well-to-do interracial couple who relocate to the North from the plantation South in order to legalize their marriage, and their friends the Ellises, free black Philadelphians hoping to make the move from the working class into the bourgeoisie. Along the way, the families confront racialized violence, melodramatic villainy, and sentimental reversals. Entertaining and fast-moving, the novel boasts a Dickensian mix of uncanny coincidence, vivid characters, and interwoven plots, all set against the rich backdrop of a city on the border between slavery and freedom.
First sentence:
"It was at the close of an afternoon in May, that a party might have been seen gathered around a table covered with all those delicacies that, in the house of a rich Southern planter, are regarded as almost necessaries of life."
Favorite quotes:
(colored wife speaking to her white husband)
" 'Lately, more than ever, I have felt disposed to beg you to break up here, and move off to some foreign country where there is no such thing as slavery.'
'No, no, Emily; I love America too much to ever think of living anywhere else. I am much too thorough a democrat ever to swear allegiance to any king. No, no - that would never do - give me a free country.'
'That is just what I say. That is exactly what I want; that is why I should like to get away from here, because this is not a free country - God knows it is not!' "
(colored wife speaking to her white husband)
"It is a fearful thing to give birth to an inheritor of chains. I had much rather live on crusts and wear the coarsest clothes, and work night and day to earn them, then live here in luxury, wearing gilded chains. Carriages and fine clothes cannot create happiness. I would give it all up and accept the meanest living for the children's freedom - and your love."
(white man)
"I've cherished as strong prejudices against colored people as anyone; but I tell you, seeing how contemptible it makes others appear, has gone a great way in eradicating it in me. I found that in endeavoring to convince others of the absurdity of their prejudices, I convinced myself."
CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 6.7 - ⭐⭐⭐
Characters - 6
Atmosphere - 6
Writing Style - 7
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 7
Enjoyment - 6
What is a CAWPILE Rating?
Review:
This book was alright. Most of the supposed plot twists were, unfortunately, predictable. The characters were caricature-like and not particularly deep. We jumped around, following the stories of about 7-10 different characters - which was a bit overwhelming. The story focused more on the racism of the north than the slavery of the south, which I appreciated. It also had feminist undertones, which was a nice surprise. There was some humor and the book ended on a mostly positive note; nonetheless, there was definitely more tragedy and violence than I typically enjoy in a story (but that was expected due to the topic of the book). Overall, I'm glad I read the book - even though it was heartbreaking.
Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Frank J Webb have the last words:
(white serving girl responding to racist comments of other white servers)
"I see no reason why I should not eat with a colored boy. The child appears to have good manners, he is neat and good-looking, and because God curled his hair more than he has ours, and made his skin a little darker than yours or mine, that is no reason we should treat him as if he was not a human being. I've been taught that God made all alike; one no better than the other."
(general quote from the unknown narrator)
"It is frequently the case, that we are urged by circumstances to the advocacy of a measure in which we take but little interest, and of the propriety of which we are often very skeptical; but so surely as it is just in itself, in our endeavors to convert others we convince ourselves; and, from lukewarm apologists, we become earnest advocates. In attempting to overcome the groundless prejudice of others, we are often convicted of our own."
(white serving girl responding to racist comments of other white servers)
"I see no reason why I should not eat with a colored boy. The child appears to have good manners, he is neat and good-looking, and because God curled his hair more than he has ours, and made his skin a little darker than yours or mine, that is no reason we should treat him as if he was not a human being. I've been taught that God made all alike; one no better than the other."
(general quote from the unknown narrator)
"It is frequently the case, that we are urged by circumstances to the advocacy of a measure in which we take but little interest, and of the propriety of which we are often very skeptical; but so surely as it is just in itself, in our endeavors to convert others we convince ourselves; and, from lukewarm apologists, we become earnest advocates. In attempting to overcome the groundless prejudice of others, we are often convicted of our own."
I've never heard of this book, thanks for posting about it! And now I need to look up the first book published by an African-American.
ReplyDeleteOf course! It's not the type of book I'd normally read, which is why I like your challenge - it pushes me to expand my reading scope. According to the introduction in the book, Clotel (published 1853) by William Wells Brown is the first book published by an African-American. Both books were initially published in London, not America.
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