Review by mbhuibregtse -- Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
Posted: 13 Dec 2020, 14:30
[i][Following is a volunteer review of "Kalayla" by Jeannie Nicholas.][/i]
[rwc=id411917-125]3 out of 4 stars.[/rwc]Meet [i]Kalayla[/i] , a spit fire preteen with who takes it from nobody. She is impossible to ignore, and spends most days at the Clean Duds Laundromat. Lena, an elderly woman that lives in the same apartment building, believes this is no way for a young child to live. Driven by her big heart and curiosity, Lena takes an interest in Kalayla. Her and her mother, Maureen, seemed strained. Lena starts making small gestures towards Kalayla, which intrigues her and sparks a companionship.
As Lena and Kalayla’s friendship progresses, you learn of the trauma behind Lena’s loneliness. Her abuse from her deceased husband is tragic and described in great detail. Further, she speaks to none of her 4 sons; two are dead. Maureen, also a widow, seeks advice from Lena on how to parent her difficult child. The two mothers develop a strong bond over Kalayla. However, Maureen is keeping a big secret. Because of her traumatic past between her family and her deceased husband, she has lied to Kalayla about her family. This lie eats Maureen up inside and Kalayla catches wind of the sketchy story.
I give the book[b]3 out of 4 stars[/b] . I really enjoyed it, and felt invested in multiple characters. I was routing for Kalayla and loved to follow her through her transformation. Lena was a really strong character that brought a lot of depth to the story. I felt that there was a strong theme of Lena overcompensating with Kalayla for her loss of her own parenting. There is symbolism for Lena, a widow always dressed in black. I enjoyed the deep layers of the book.
However, I did think the book was a little long and drug out towards the end. Hundreds of pages went by between Maureen disclosing her secret and Kalayla finding out. Further, I didn’t love the development of Clarence. Jamal’s brother, who had a traumatic past was “off” and Maureen didn’t know how to deal with him. He was attached to the girls and he kept lingering around, and we knew something was going to happen. However, it took so long that by the time Clarence cracks, I had had enough of the foreshadowing. I think the story could have been slightly shortened just to increase suspense and engagement.
There were no noticeable errors and this book can appeal to multiple audiences. However, there is some vulgarity, and regular profanity.
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[i]Kalayla [/i]
View: [url=http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelves/book.php?id=411917]on Bookshelves[/url] | [amazon=B07SN1T252]on Amazon[/amazon]
[rwc=id411917-125]3 out of 4 stars.[/rwc]
As Lena and Kalayla’s friendship progresses, you learn of the trauma behind Lena’s loneliness. Her abuse from her deceased husband is tragic and described in great detail. Further, she speaks to none of her 4 sons; two are dead. Maureen, also a widow, seeks advice from Lena on how to parent her difficult child. The two mothers develop a strong bond over Kalayla. However, Maureen is keeping a big secret. Because of her traumatic past between her family and her deceased husband, she has lied to Kalayla about her family. This lie eats Maureen up inside and Kalayla catches wind of the sketchy story.
I give the book
However, I did think the book was a little long and drug out towards the end. Hundreds of pages went by between Maureen disclosing her secret and Kalayla finding out. Further, I didn’t love the development of Clarence. Jamal’s brother, who had a traumatic past was “off” and Maureen didn’t know how to deal with him. He was attached to the girls and he kept lingering around, and we knew something was going to happen. However, it took so long that by the time Clarence cracks, I had had enough of the foreshadowing. I think the story could have been slightly shortened just to increase suspense and engagement.
There were no noticeable errors and this book can appeal to multiple audiences. However, there is some vulgarity, and regular profanity.
******
[i]Kalayla [/i]
View: [url=http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelves/book.php?id=411917]on Bookshelves[/url] | [amazon=B07SN1T252]on Amazon[/amazon]