House of Rougeaux

I have so many thoughts about book, and they're all jumbled up. So bear with me, please. I'll do my best not to ramble. First off, this book is probably well outside of what I normally read. This is fiction yes, but it's steeped in history as well. House of Rougeaux is follows a family through multiple generations, from the days of legal slavery to the cusp of emancipation. It's a beautifully written journey from one familial relationship, to the next, with a little overlap in the stories. I won't lie, I grew really attached to these characters. I lived their lives with them. They were born, lived, and died, all within the pages of this book. As I read, I couldn't help but start to feel like I was a part of the family as well.

My only issue with this book, and the thing that dropped it down a few stars for me, was that as I got closer and closer to the end the less and less I was invested in the characters. Perhaps it was because no one could live up to my favorites from the beginning. Perhaps it was because I didn't always love the decisions of some of the characters towards the end. More likely though, it was because the narrative that I really fell in love with was the idea of plants as healing agents, and the earth being our mother. That idea was less and less prominent as the ending neared, which I suppose is true to real life.

Honestly, overall, I think this was a fairly well executed story! The beginning really stole my heart and, as I mentioned before, following so many generations of this same family was an experience I won't soon forget.