Under the Tulip Tree by Michelle Shocklee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I bought this book a while ago knowing that I enjoyed this author’s writing. However, I’m not a huge fan of 1st person point-of-view OR dual timeline novels. So it just mulled around in my TBR pile for a while. Boy am I glad I finally cracked it open!
This is a dual timeline – but both timelines are historical – and maybe that’s why I enjoyed it so much. Rena Leland is hired in 1936 to interview and write down the stories of elderly slaves who still survive. Frustrated at losing her newspaper job, she’s thrilled about the opportunity. Frankie Washington is intrigued by the young white woman who knocks on her door. In the days that follow, they form a fast friendship that defies the cultural norms of the day as Frankie remembers and shares her years growing up and living as a slave. But neither of them is prepared for what might come of unleashing the truth.
Pegg Thomas 