OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Portrait" by Whitney J LeBlanc.]

The Portrait by Whitney J. LeBlanc is a historical fiction novel set during the time of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. The story follows three characters: Ayre, a Mexican trapeze artist who is left to fall to his death; Lil-C, an African American caught in a life of thievery; and Abbie, a rich white girl who advocates for equal rights for all but faces prejudice from her own race. Through a series of events, these three become friends, a very unlikely occurrence in America in the early 1960s with all the social unrest. They each face their own challenges and injustice, having to overcome the wrong done to them and return love for hate.

I enjoy historical fiction books, although this is the first one I’ve read set during the Civil Rights Era in America. I liked that there was a moral theme to the story. The author interwove the need to trust God about life without turning the story into a fluffy, religious read. To be real, the author chose to include the “N” word used for African Americans during that day. There was also a graphic rape scene that depicted the hatred white people had for other whites who supported equal rights for the “colored” population. The subject of racism is still very relevant today, and I commend the author for writing a novel with a positive message on this subject.

While I loved the intent of the book, I felt the message did not come across very smoothly. I was drawn into Ayre’s and Lil-C’s stories in the first half of the book, in spite of multiple grammatical and mechanical errors. (Example: “Someone said you, had returned to your casa on the beach.” “Most disturbing were the sounds; - the heart monitor with its constant beep…”) However, when the story switched to Abbie’s point of view, her actions and thoughts felt very unnatural for a woman. For example, she suffers through an abortion then seems to move on quite easily with little of the traumatic backlash many women experience. As a whole, the message of the book did not come through for me in the writing. The author wrote the theme out clearly in the Afterword at the end of the book. It is my opinion that a good book should have the theme woven throughout the story with no need for an explanation at the end.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. Because of the apparent lack of professional editing and the disconnection with the way Abbie’s character was written (which made up almost half of the book), I could not rate this book any higher. There may be some less particular readers who find Abbie’s character just fine. For me, it was something that distracted me too much from the story. Had Abbie’s character been more realistic and the story written more smoothly, I would have given this book a perfect score. I do so love the message and the positive angle.

I would recommend The Portrait to those who are curious about life during the Civil Rights Movement and want to read a book with a positive message on racism. I do warn you that there is swearing, the “N” word, and the graphic rape scene mentioned above. The book is fairly graphic in order to accurately relay the difficulty and prejudice of those times. I agree with the author that these elements were needed in the book to fully understand that era. Don’t let that frighten you away, though. There are also sweet, heartfelt parts that I enjoyed reading very much. I do commend the author’s boldness to write a book with a moral message in the area of racism. That is no small feat!

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The Portrait
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It does sound like it has a great message. I like the premise of the characters, but it doesn't sound like they were executed well. It's too bad. I would have liked to have tried it. Thanks.

You're very welcome. I felt the same anticipation. I enjoyed Parts 1 and 2 where the characters were pretty well written. Those were worth reading.

I love the intent of the book too! I think the era its set in is very interesting. Thank you for the review.

You're welcome, Kelebogile. I live in the southern US, and I was surprised to see how there is still a separation of sorts among races. Reading this book helped me see the history of what is still evident here.

I've always thought historical fiction to be my favorite genre, but not many books live up to my expectations. Thanks for your review, my search continues...

I hear you there, Julius! I, too, continue my search. I've recently read another historical fiction set during the Civil War, and now I'm reading one set during medieval times in England. I'll let you know how those go.

Rebecca,
Sure do, I'll be waiting. For now am sticking to movies.

Lol. Sounds like a good idea, Julius. PM me if you have any good suggestions in the historical fiction movie area.

The civil rights era must have been a difficult one, hence the depressing nature of the stories.Too bad for the disconnection and poor editing. May be a little difficult reading it for this reasons.

Thanks for a wonderful review.

You're welcome, Quinto. The first two characters in the story were wonderful and easy to relate to, in spite of their depressing circumstances. But, yes, editing always helps make a book better.

Great, insightful review! The premise of the book sounds interesting so it's too bad it wasn't executed well. I am sorry to hear there were so many errors as it's unprofessional in a published book and can be very distracting. Hope you enjoy the next book you read!

Thank you, bookowlie. I am indeed enjoying my next one. It, too, is a historical fiction and very well written. I can't wait to write about it!

I'd buy a book from anyone able to weave "the need to trust God [with] life without turning [a] story into a fluffy, religious read", good work with the great review.

Thank you, Geoffrey. I really liked the moral theme myself without it sounding "churchy". Thanks for stopping by.