The Darkest Child

Oh my goodness why did I wait so long to read this book?!! The author wrote this book with so many emotions, details and colorful characters I never wanted it to end. TDC is narrated by Tangy Mae the darkest child by Rosie Quinn. Rosie is the mother of nine kids but as the story goes on she has yet another child. None of the children have the same father. Rosie is beautiful and has slept with just about every man in their small community. The way she treats her children will literally make your jaw dropped! Rosie's way of getting the bills paid and getting groceries for the house was making two of her daughters sleep with men in the 'farmhouse'. The beatings the children experienced were terrible, and at times I could feel their pain! As one reviewer mentioned, yes there are several characters in this book, but you will have no problem following the story because the author is an exceptional storyteller! Each child will amaze you as you read about the things they go through and do to act out. Tangy Mae, Tarabell, Harvey, Wallace, Sam, Laura, Edna, Mushy, Martha Jean and Judy are all characters you will never forget! As I read the story I would stop to tell my husband what was going on. I had him into it as well! As you turn the pages in TDC you'll keep asking yourself is Rosie crazy, bipolar, does she have a split personality, does she have a heart...does she even love her kids?? I hope this author is working another book! I need an email address, a phone number, a website, some kinda contact to tell her how GOOD this book was! From the first chapter I was sucked into Tangy Mae's world and family. I literally could NOT put this book down, but at the same time, I did NOT want it to end. The Darkest Child is a well written and emotionally gripping story with bold, memorable and real characters!!! I'm a huge fan of the 'back in the day' books and this one is by far the BEST I have read to date! Five stars is not nearly enough to rate this book!!!! (When you get your copy of this book get somewhere quiet with your favorite snack and let this author take you on a journey you'll never forget) HIGHLY recommended!

I'm always intrigued by family dynamics - the one you're born into as well as the ones you create. In as early as the second chapter of Phillips' debut novel; I knew that becoming acquainted with the Quinn family would be fascinating and disheartening, familiar and frightening. "Our house stood alone on a hill off Penyon Road, about half a mile outside the city limits" begins chapter two; "It was old, crippled and diseased - an emblem of poverty and neglect. Nature had tried to cure it by embracing the rear frame with herbs, roots and a jumble of foliage which spilled over from the surrounding woodland. Nature had failed, and in frustration she sought to destroy the house by eroding the very foundation on which it stood." The house, as symbolism for the family, set the tone of the story and my expectations of what the family would be like. Poverty and oppression, in the absence of a guiding light - be it God or someone sent on his behalf - can reduce a person to her most base elements. Enter Rozelle, matriarch of the Quinn's, product of a rape and a mother who couldn't love her; whose best intentions for her family - staying together, keeping a roof over their head, food on the table, clothes on their backs - were honorable, but costly. She instead created a house of pain and neglect from which her children may never recover. The Quinn's story is narrated by Tangy Mae, the darkest and most literate of the ten children. Set in small town Georgia during Jim Crow law, she and her siblings not only have to survive the violence and oppression of the time but that of Rozelle as well. The children are incredibly resilient in the face of their circumstances. Their relationship with one another injects love into the Quinn household; their devotion to their mother injects humanity. The aspect of the novel that I most appreciate is that at its core is a reader-ly sensibility that reinforces the importance of literacy and education. Tangy Mae's love of reading and thirst for school (one of the few places where she felt safe and of value) equipped the author with a narrative voice that is both articulate and rhythmic. "The Darkest Child" may be viewed by some as a dark story but I found it full of life and on a rare occasion or two, humor. If you read to escape this is probably not the novel for you. If you read to connect, this novel will challenge your capacity for forgiveness and connectedness. I'm hard pressed to find the humanity in Rozelle, but I understand why she is how she is. After a second read of the novel, a few years down the road, perhaps I will see her differently. My only disappointment in the novel was that we don't get to know how Tangy's life turns out. My hope is that reading and education will brighten her future. Enjoy!

The book was a good read. It kept my attention as I anxiously awaited the next hurdle. I will seek additional books from this author.

Amazing read

On shame, pain and despair, but also the hope, the love and resilience of one little being. Hardly giving any book a 5*, but I guess this one deserves it.

This book is awesome. It's well written, hard to read in places but so worth the time it took to read it. I have looked for something else by this author but I can't find anything. The way some people had to live is unimaginable. Even though this is a book of fiction I have read other accounts of life in the south for black people back in the 50s. It's bad enough what was done at the hands of the white people but even worse when it was dished out by your own mother. I truly love Tangy Mae and hope to fine a follow up to this story.

Just wow, so deep, so insightful. You are sucked into the story from the first page. Characters have such depth and emotion to them that you can really empathise with the children. The mother is one scary individual! Makes you think deep about why people behave in certain ways and what makes them take such decisions. Very realistic, raw characters. Very emotive and an excellent read, will have you gripped till the very end. I highly recommend this title

Rarely do I rate a book 5 stars. This one was a winner for me.