This book is alright. The characters were alright, but I didn't see the plot develop in a meaningful way.

4 sweet, growing up stars
“You have all these stories inside you – that’s what we have to pass on – all the stories everyone in our family knows and all the stories everyone in our family tells….The ones you’ll live to tell someone else. That’s a gift that gives and gives and gives. You get to make it into something for tomorrow. You write ‘em in your books and show everyone who we are.”

Redwood Court is a story of Black families growing up in the South. It is like taking your time and looking at a friend’s old photo album. (Since the story covers time between the Korean War and Y2K, I appreciated the helpful character list in the beginning.) It is slices of life – good, uncomfortable, hopeful, sad.

I liked teen-aged Mika’s voice - an honest slice of teen life friends and family, but unlike mine, her life had racial issues I never had to deal with. “When they were growing up, all the folks we socialized with abided by the same set of Black-people codes; everyone is eligible to correct you if they see you out in the world acting a fool.”

In the acknowledgements, Author Demeron says, “Like my own experience, Redwood Court’s interior world is help up by Black women who love each other…Growing up in a Southern suburban town as a dark-skinned Back girl was made bearable and sweet by the community of friends, elders, and of course my family who supported my dreams in ways I’m still uncovering.” Her light shines through the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful prose, expansive story, and wonderful characterizations in this debut novel by DeLana R. A. Dameron.

This book is incredible. There are a lot of moving parts and time skips, but not in a way that was overwhelming. There were cozy moments, awkward moments, sad moments, and everything in between. This is one that I’m going to be recommending to many other readers. This is a very episodic novel, if you’re looking for something with a single narrative through line, you probably want to look elsewhere.

I really enjoyed this glimpse into the generations of one Black family in the south. I especially loved the relationship between Teeta and his granddaughters. While this wasn’t action packed I liked the real life day to day challenges and triumphs the all went through. It was very well written.

REDWOOD COURT
DéLana R. A. Dameron

I liked this generational expose of a black family in America revolving around a house, an address, and a home. I liked the stories each family member gave and the characters were memorable.

I'm glad I had a chance to read REDWOOD COURT this year. I recommend it to readers looking for a multigenerational reading experience by a talented author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press for the advanced copy!

REDWOOD COURT...⭐⭐⭐

This was a beautifully written exploration of family. Of storytelling. This was definitely more character driven, which I really enjoy. But not much happened. I think I just wanted more, rather than different interludes into this family’s history.

This book took me a while to get into as the beginning is a series of 'slice of life' moments about a black family living in Columbia, South Carolina. I enjoyed it more towards the end when it became more of a coming of age story about 16 year old Mika. It did open my eyes to the amount of racism still present in the 1990's (and today), as I kept having to remind myself the book was not set in the 1950's. While I did not love the book, it was still worth my time. Thankyou to NetGalley for the digital ARC. 3.5/5

Told in short story format, Redwood Court explores the three generations of a family. The book demonstrates the importance of community and family. The book took me awhile to get into, but then became quite compelling. I liked Mika's stories the most, as they portrayed her close relationship with her grandfather, Teeta, and adolescent challenges. A really beautiful book!

Whew this book and the full cast of characters were a lot to take in. I love a good multigenerational family story but when to many characters are involved it leaves room for confusion. I had to reference back to the beginning a few times to remember who is who. But after a while most of the book is told from Mika’s POV which helps keep things in perspective.

The timeline jumped around quite a bit which I didn’t like because I felt the author could’ve gone in more depth on certain things before changing the topic. I did love the characters and getting to know their backstories especially the grandparents. Grandma was the glue that held the family and community together which many people can relate to.

The pacing was rather up and down for me and I felt the last quarter of the book didn’t hold up like the rest. I think what may throw many off is how the book is written. Rather than it solely focusing on a single topic we get a lot of stories told about or from specific family members that make up their family history. Which was probably done purposely since many Black families can’t trace far back in their lineage.

Overall, I enjoyed the book I increased my rating from a 3.5 to a 4 by the end of it. If you’re a fan of family sagas or books about multigenerational families you’ll enjoy this one. Special thanks to the author & @thedialpress for my gifted copy‼️

A beautifully written story of a family over three generations and a great deal of tumultuous times.
Weesie (Lousie) and Teeta (James) meet at a farmers type market and so begins their story. We meet their multi-generational family (children and grandchildren) over three decades and learn of their life experiences from various points of view. The stories are at times like vignettes that the author weaves together to create their family history. Lots of up, downs and the goings on of the times made for an interesting emotional read.

Redwood Court is a solid coming-of-age book that is richly steeped in Black American culture and history. The solidarity emphasized throughout the novel was breathtaking and masterful. I adored the relationship between Mika and Teeta—it mirrors relationships I've had with sisters and friends over the years! While the book does majorly slow down the last 30% or so of the book, I cared about what was going on so much I couldn't help but see it through to the end, and it was worth it.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Random House, The Dial Press, and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

A house is more than just a home in Redwood Court by DeLana R. A. Dameron. It's where dreams are made and an entire family comes together, no matter how infrequently, to strengthen family bonds. It serves as the central location where Mika Tabor, the primary storyteller and young daughter and granddaughter, grows up and comes of age in the 1990s. She's bolstered by the stories of her mom and dad and her loving grandparents, Teeta and Weesie. As an aspiring writer, she's the one who collects the family history and stories and how the events that occur shape her world.

I liked the time period, of course, because I graduated from high school in 1990 and distinctly remember how the 1990s felt, if you can feel a decade. It's accurate without forcing hit songs or fads in between every event that happens in Mika's life. That set a good tone for the book although you get back stories from the grandfather Teeta flashing back to his difficult time in the Korean war and other backgrounds of the other characters.

The characters all come alive, so you get a good picture of their lives and motivations. I felt that they were all well-rounded, and you knew who they were. There was one character, though, who seemingly disappeared and then returned at the end of the book. I wasn't sure what to make of that, or if I missed a pivotal time when the character left. That was a little curious. Overall, I liked the family dynamics and how the family was depicted. If you like family sagas, I would consider reading this book.

Usually, I do not like books written in a conversational way. Sometimes, I have trouble keeping up with that because I'm tripping over words or slang. It's almost how you feel when you're reading a Russian novel with hard to pronounce words. I remember telling someone that in college, and they suggested changing the names in your head. That actually worked! Anyway, I felt that the writing felt organic and natural, and I didn't trip over the words. I easily fell into the cadence and so could slip into the story and absorb it.

One weird thing changes in the book and then flips back, and I don't know if it was intentional or maybe it's because I had an advanced reader's copy of the book. A chapter toward the end changes from varying first and third person chapters to one chapter written in second person, which felt odd and misplaced. I wasn't sure why this took place and what purpose it served. It had information about Mika and some
important events that occur in her life, and it didn't come off well and threw me a little off course until it reverted back once the chapter ended. I have never read a book that unwittingly added a second-person perspective when the book is almost over. I could not understand that.

While that change in perspective stopped me from giving this book five stars, I really loved the book. The ending is absolutely perfect and incredibly hopeful. Mika really recognizes the importance of her family and the members in it and how it has shaped her into blossoming into the woman she will become. It was satisfying and ended everything on a high note.

Redwood Court is a nice coming of age story that will cause certain elder millenials to remember their childhood and adolescence with fond memories. A great read for those that enjoy multi generational family stories and well developed character driven stories.

3.75⭐ on 🎧

An interesting vignette of one family's lives living one neighborhood street, including the systems that prevent black people from gaining wealth and privilege. I wanted to love this book but I wish it had been more plot driven to create momentum through the story -- instead it did not feel fully connected through the different stories.

The POVs are a little hard to follow; however, I overall, really did enjoy the family saga aspect on this.

A beautifully written story of family. Mika grows up on the Black side of town in the suburbs of South Carolina. She takes the reader through the ups and downs of life on Redwood Court. The heart of the story is what family passes on and lessons learned.

Wow - this felt like I reading a story written about my own family. I appreciated the different generational relationships that were explored throughout the story. My only issue is that it took a minute for me to understand the full cast of characters. I struggled a little remembering who was who but once I was able to discern which story aligned with what character, I was hooked. I hope DeLana continues to write family sagas because I will read whatever she writes in this genre.

This wasn't for me. I was so excited going into this story, but quickly lost interest. It was a struggle to complete.

The story is about a black family in South Carolina and follows them through their various struggles. Redwood Court is where Weesie and Teeta live. I liked the story and thought the characters were very well-written. While I found it very slow going, I thoroughly enjoyed it.