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I can understand why Crooked Plow has received such acclaim, the subject is important and painful. The story starts with a big impact as we follow the lives of Bibiana and Belonisia, two daughters of tenant farmers in Brazil. I felt some of the tension was lost through repetitive storytelling which slowed the pacing, but it was definitely worth reading. 6/10

I should have loved this Brazilian sociopolitical family saga, but my attention wandered. Is it me or the book? 🤷🏾‍♀️ It‘s probably me because most readers have appreciated it.

Finished this stirring novel a few days ago. Crooked Plow is about two sisters whose lives are set in motion by a violent childhood accident. They are quilombolas, descendants of slaves raised on the plantation Agua Negra, & the daughters of the community‘s healer. Despite divergent paths, they both develop consciousness about their rights as Black landless workers & as women, and struggle for the right of Agua Negra‘s workers to land & dignity.

I appreciated this book more than I actually enjoyed it. The magical realism and the setting were effective in creating a beautiful, haunting, dense atmosphere. But the jumping timeline, regularly changing POVs, and shifts between third, second, and first-person perspectives made it difficult to focus and to deeply connect with the characters. The first third was incredibly engaging and effective, but the remainder was inconsistent. Low pick.

My 5th on the International #Booker2024. Quilombos history - communities of free black escapes slaves in Brazil - is central to contemporary Brazilian politics. Here we get a story of black tenants farmers living in mud huts and their history with their landlords. What makes this book special to me was the look into the mythologies - African-originated encantados mixed into Catholic mythology and martyrs. This is worth a read.

I moved my copy of this book to the top of the pile when it made the Int‘l Booker long list. A powerful story of generations of a family enduring lives as tenant farmers in Brazil, with a bit of magical realism. I loved the complicated relationship between the two sisters and their quiet strength. And the relationship of the farmers to the land, that brings gifts and suffering. They appreciate and understand it so much more than the landowners.