Did You Hear about Kitty Karr?: A Reese's Book Club Pick

This story was excellent and read like a movie; fast paced and highly engaging. The plot was somewhat predictable and there were some elements given away that should have been left for the reader to figure out, but overall it was brilliantly told. As with most novels these days, it was about 25 pages too long but not enough to make you start skipping pages. The novel deals with the practice of passing as a white woman which most black people are aware of. The author spent a couple of parts giving history lessons that I didn’t find interesting but if you’re not educated on *passing*, you will find it informative. I’m surprised the reviews are so mixed on this novel. I rarely give five stars to books these days and I think anyone who gave it less than four was probably uncomfortable with the subject matter. However, it’s becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable that makes you grow. Reese’s Book Club reviews don’t necessarily do authors any favors these day because they are so hit or miss and basically rated on its capability to land on Netflix but this one was a WINNER!

I was ensnared by the story. It is cleverly written and surprisingly insightful. I honestly could not put it down. Well done!

Entertaining! I finished it in a week or so.

I listened to the audiobook for this story and the narrators were solid. I was not familiar with the story but I found it intriguing and easy to follow, once I got a good sense of the characters. I wish Kitty was able to walk in her truth, instead of leaving the girls to find out after the fact. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it and finished in less than one day.

This book has been on my TBR for a while but when one of my good friends recommended I read this I went on ahead and picked it up. I am so glad I did because this book had me in a chokehold for the last couple of days. I mean I had been waking up out of my sleep thinking about Kitty Karr! The present portion of the book took me a little while to get into but the past had me all in from the beginning. What I found surprising is how Kitty was introduced to passing. I was very interesting in this underground network of Black Women who were passing. There were so many characters some passing and some not that I found the work they were doing very fascinating. I got so sweep up in Kitty’s world that I wasn’t ready for this book to end. As the story unfolds the people in the present start to make more sense. In the beginning I was lost which is why I had little interest in Elise side of the story but once those pieces started to fall in place the present had my attention as well. This would be an amazing tv series.

Wow!!! Just wow. When I first heard of this book a year ago I was intrigued but never picked it up. I only picked it up because I wanted to complete a badge for the Amazon/Good Reads accompaniment section. I honestly didn’t really know what I was getting into when I first started reading this book.It took me awhile to really get into the book. Not sure exactly why but it was just hard to somedays pick it up. I pushed through reading it more out of pride and wanting a silly little badge on my phone. But in the end I’m so glad I read this book.As a whites woman this book was eye opening. I’ve always loved history and when I would read about the Civil Rights movement or slavery and all the things around it; it broke my heart. But as a white person I never fully understood it, I still don’t fully understand it all. As I read this book my eyes were once again opened to the issues of racism that plague so many. Crystal Smith Paul did an AMAZING job at bringing this story to life. She talked about the racism throughout the decades and in various societies. This has definitely become one of my new favorite books.

The first 4 chapters were hard to were very hard to read, the writing was very difficult to follow and seemed choppy, almost like the author was struggling to find their style. The story itself was phenomenal!

Our history is never more relevant than in the present. Crystal Paul Smith sheds light on what so many black people suffered, starting with slavery and overcame with the aim of survival, equality, justice, and fairness. Telling the story of a woman born to a black mother after being raped by a wealthy white man as she learns to "pass" as white in the Jim Crow south. She is then sent to LA by her mother and carves a life for herself working at a movie studio and eventually marrying a white man. She carries the secret of her parentage as she leads a dangerous double life. It is her secrets that echo into the present day that continue to have unforseen and far-reaching consequences.Heart breaking, heartwarming, educational, entertaining, and thought-provoking are just a few ways to describe this wonderful novel. If more of us would recognize that we have "one drop or more," we'd know that we all ultimately bleed the same color.

This book came at a time that I needed it most. Passing has evolved over time, becoming assimilation. This book made me realize that I’ve been passing my entire life. So much so, that people say things without thinking because to them I’m not Black, I’m just me.I empathize so strongly with Kitty. How difficult life was trying to manage a dual life. This book was well written and though it is a fiction book has many elements that are prevent in today’s society.

A great insight into the nuances of the era. I am personally not a fan of the flashback style of storytelling, but it worked well here.

I could not put it down. I love the way the book is structured going between old times and present day, which made the book read like a mystery that was being unraveled by the reader. The book exposes important issues in American history around race and the Jim Crow era, all set against the backdrop of new and old Hollywood. Moreover, by including the present-day perspective, the author is able to shed light on the racial complexities that still exist today. Highly recommend this book.

I'm pretty sure this is one of those books that I'll be thinking about long after today. Passing hasn't even been a concept I've ever thought about, much less was aware it existed or could have been utilized in such ways this story brings to life. This is a story that spans four generations through different periods in history and the affects a cruel crime had on the whole family as well as racism and societal confines. It's amazing the strength all of these women possessed and the cunning they used to break through, help the movement, and even their future generations. Kitty Karr is a wonderfully built character and you will be thinking of her long after you've read the last word of her story for sure!

The way this story was woven from the past and present, detailing the accounts of Kitty Karr's life and her interest in the St. John sisters was so well done. It was quite enlightening! In fact, there were several conversations and situations brought up throughout that sent my mind reeling to the point I'd have to go back and find the last thing I remembered reading, as I'd be several pages over. Books like this remind me that we'll never truly know our history. So much of our history is shrouded in secrecy and carried to graves, never to be shared. I'm eternally grateful for those brave souls who took risks that enabled the freedoms and liberties that I have today.

This was a very compelling read, and although fiction it felt as though the author put herself in it through the characters in place of people she may know in real life. Everyone was given a personality, and a name even if the interaction was brief. I kind of enjoyed that she presented characters who had money and humanized them, because a lot of times people who are more fortunate are depicted as out of touch or void of depth and real human problems. I would have liked for her to expound on the repercussions that could ensue from the ending of the book, but I think it was left the way it was to show the reader the freedom of letting go and not keeping up appearances for finicky assumptions and opinions of the public. Overall great read and great inferences on what's probably going in with a lot of well known names. Family secrets lie deep.

The author’s debut novel was good but it could have used a bit more description. When a writer takes the time to fully describe the scene, the setting, the actions, and gives the reader more details, then the reader can visualize the book in their minds. I couldn’t do that with this book. During some of the dialogue, you have no idea what the characters are doing or where they are having their conversations. There was a richness that was lacking and I’m not sure if it was because the author didn’t add the details or if the book was too heavily edited. There wasn’t any surprising storyline because you could predict it, which is fine. Not every book needs a great plot twist. It was still a good story, but I would compare it to eating a nice moist piece of cake without any frosting. I wanted the frosting! Don’t use just one word to describe how a character looks, but give me a paragraph of details. What are they wearing in that moment? A “silver dress” isn’t a “ V-necked silk gown embroidered with a floral pattern of roses and worn with strappy silver sandals”. What are the characters doing in that moment? “Getting a drink from the fridge” isn’t the same as “grabbing a can of Diet Dr. Pepper from the fridge”. What emotions are the characters having? If they are anxious or sad or frustrated, maybe describe it a bit more. Besides saying the character is anxious, what are they doing that shows this? Are they wringing their hands, sweating profusely, manically cleaning, fidgeting with a necklace? I wanted a book that just gave me more than what the author offered.

I have a confession to make - I tend to dislike movies that just end without a full resolution. A “slice of life” type of film that doesn’t wrap up all of the details. But I truly enjoyed reading both Mary/Kitty’s and Elise’s stories and the flow of how their race (or rather their perceived race) played a major factor in their lives and how they felt about colored and white in a time when so many white people were overtly racist versus nowadays when we supposedly know better (but are still deeply divided about the subject). I won’t ruin the ending, but I will say that it felt very abrupt to me and I still wonder what happens next to the characters. Even with the ending, I would definitely recommend the book because I would say that it’s about the journey and how far we still have to go.

This is a hard one for me to review. The premise of the story is a really important and interesting subject. I just wasn’t a fan of the structure of this book. I felt as if I were supposed to know who the multitude of characters were with nothing more than an introduction. I wanted to know Kitty more deeply. She wasn’t really three dimensional. 3 1/2 stars would be my rating if allowed. I think this could have been so much better. And it deserved to be.

Idk… I’m feeling 3 stars because I finished it and Kitty’s POV in the story was interesting. However I also want to bump it down to two stars because the ending was a complete train wreck and Elise’s POV was the least compelling part of the book. The ending felt so convoluted that it was hard to follow, plus I felt like it packed on so many extra narratives and plot pints at the end that it made my head spin. Like how did we get to this point? If the story was just Kitty’s POV it would be a solid book, but the contemporary parts of the book featuring Elise are such a draw back. Her character felt so empty and devoid of personality. She was to ambiguous and vague in her POV which made it hard to connect with that part of the story.Anyways, I think I’ll revisit Passing by Nella Larson after reading this book. It’s a short story but it’s message is poignant.

I really liked this book. The story did take about 100 pages to get the rhythm going and most of the characters defined. I could really feel for Kitty, Hazel and even Emma. I couldn't wait to see what happened to them and others. I agree with some of the earlier reviews that the "timing" of the layout could have been better as it would have flowed more. When books go from past to present almost every chapter it can be tricky. Hence, the 4 stars. However, this is not a deterrent to read this book. It broke my heart to think that there are people in this world who were "passing" so they could be treated better. I will be thinking about this book for a long while I think.

So overall, i did like the book, and I mostly enjoyed reading things about Kitty. The book goes from past to present and is slow until maybe halfway through, then it seems like the end was rushed.While I know Sarah found out Kitty was her mom, but did she ever know Nathan was her dad? Nathan said he knew all along Kitty was black, but how? What happened to Nathan? Once Elise let the news out, what happened? What about the others that were passing? Whatever happened with Cora? The FBI investigation? What happened with Elise and the photographer?I feel like the book was well written, except for the extras about the Blair House. I also feel like it could have started with Kitty dying and leaving her estate to her grandchildren, but then from there, go on to tell Kitty's story... complete with Sarah finding out Kitty was her mom, some details about their relationship, and Sarah's children finding out Kitty was their grandmother. I'm still unsure how I feel about the sisters donating their inheritance for reparations...