I was blessed with an ARC copy of Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson. As a child Ebby experienced a significant tragedy that went on to shape the rest of her life. She heard the gunshot that ended the life of her brothers, whose body she found. This is a story of pain and lost that spans time, that Ebby takes with her to France. In France she learned about her family's history, works to overcome loss and hurt, and discovering resilience.
This is a well written book that I highly recommend.
#netgalley #ARC #historicalfiction #family #trauma

The setting {though the publisher's words do not set it up properly--IMHO--there's so much more]: "The daughter of an affluent Black family pieces together the connection between a childhood tragedy and a beloved heirloom... When ten-year-old Ebby Freeman heard the gunshot, time stopped. And when she saw her brother, Baz, lying on the floor surrounded by the shattered pieces of a centuries-old jar, life as Ebby knew it shattered as well.
The crime was never solved—and because the Freemans were one of the only Black families in a particularly well-to-do enclave of New England—the case has had an enduring, voyeuristic pull for the public."

Forward to Ebby's wedding day [nearly two decades later]--to a Caucasian man--who doesn't show up! And so it begins but this is not a spoiler because these plot lines are revealed from the start and are the basis for much of the rest of the novel.

A multi-generational tale of family, love, sadness and loss. From Africa to slavery to the present--not quite a dual timline, more past and present,

Ebby's nonwedding puts her squarely in the limelight [as she was after Baz's murder] where she does not want to be as she still is traumatized after her brother's death. And so, she goes to France [basically runs away] to stay in a friend's cottage where she tries to heal. There are some interesting twists here but...

This multilayered novel is compelling. The main characters in the present--Ebby, her parents [Ed and Soh] and Henry [ex-fiance] are all well drawn [as are some other, minor characters]. The past thread--Willis, Mo {person], Old Mo [stoneware jar], Betsey, and Aquinnah similarly brought to life.

I will not be able to do this book justice. There is SOOO much in it. Racism, slavery and its horrors, grief, family, a bit of mystery, secrets, identity, legacy, and ultimately, survival. Black stoneware artisans {something I learned about]. Good dirt is symbolic--the clay used for stoneware and as soil for growing crops.

Couldn't wait to return to reading. 4.5.

In Charmaine Wilkerson’s GOOD DIRT the reader enters the world of Ebony (Ebby) Freeman. When she was 10 years old, Ebby’s older brother Baz was shot and killed during a home invasion. If Ebby hadn’t wanted just one more game of hide and seek, they wouldn’t have been home when the home invasion occurred. She carries a tremendous amount of guilt due to this. However, Ebby finds happiness with a successful banker named Henry until he leaves her at the altar, and this devastates her further. Ebby’s wounds are deep and, while she can’t bring her brother back, she runs into her ex-fiance while she is helping a friend out in France.

During the home invasion that resulted in Ebby’s brother Baz’s death, a twenty-gallon clay jar was broken. This jar was emblematic of many generations of the Freeman family. Interspersed among Ebby’s chapters are her ancestors’ stories, including the story of Moses (the jar maker). I was riveted by the ancestors’ stories and how important the jar remained to each generation. I loved how it became the depository for messages.

I thought the character of Ebony was extremely well-done. She has been through a lot so far in her life with her survivor’s guilt after her brother’s murder and feeling gutted by her ex-fiance, but there is a strength in her that persists. I rooted for her to find happiness. Her parents’ stories and how they reacted to Baz’s murder seemed very true to life and complicated.

My attention started to lag a bit while reading. I think the author’s BLACK CAKE has a more captivating plot, but I thought this novel had more layered characters.

GOOD DIRT publishes January 28, 2025.

I loved Wilkerson's debut, Black Cake, and was nervous going into her sophomore effort but boy did Good Dirt deliver! A family history, a coming-of-age story, and historical fiction rolled into one, this novel is about Ebby, a young Black woman coping with the trauma of losing her brother to violence at a young age. There were moments in the middle where I temporarily had to pull myself back in, but the overall effect is stunning.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The author's writing style doesn't allow me to become interested in the story. Starting the story by jumping around in time and being vague about the assumed conflict while throwing around a lot of unconnected backstory doesn't work. It made it hard to know what the story was about.

Chrmaine Wilkerson's latest novel leaves nothing to be desired. Her incredible story telling will transport you into the lives of her richly developed characters and will leave you begging to know more about each of them.

Between the history of Old Mo to the present day story of Ebby, the interwoven narratives had me constantly googling more and more about South Carolina slavery era pottery, escaped slaves in New England, and so much more. Charmaine Wilkerson truly has a gift of telling forgotten pieces of history and leaving a lasting impression.

4.5 ⭐️

A beautiful multi-generational story about trauma and how it can shape one’s life. I really enjoyed reading about Ebby and her family’s experiences with Mo, a clay jar that played a significant role in her family for generations.

While I liked Black Cake, Good Dirt is my favorite Wilkerson novel. I look forward to reading whatever she writes in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced copy of this novel.

I absolutely didn’t want this book to end! Good Dirt is the kind of family drama I love—full of complex characters, deep history, and numerous moving parts. Charmaine Wilkerson weaves a fascinating and unforgettable story that kept me hooked from start to finish.

In Good Dirt, we meet the Freeman family, a Black, affluent family living in New England. The Freemans are well-established, proud of their lineage, and deeply connected to their roots. They have a centuries-old family heirloom—a jar—that symbolizes their history and legacy. Their life, it seems, is perfect. They are the only Black family in their neighborhood, but they’ve integrated well, and are beloved by many. Idyllic, you might say, until one fateful day when 10-year-old Ebby and her brother are playing hide-and-seek. Ebby hears a gunshot, and finds her brother Baz murdered, the family jar shattered in the process. This horrific event alters the course of the Freeman family’s life forever.

The murder is never solved, and the family must live with the grief of losing Baz in such a violent and senseless way—along with the trauma of losing their precious heirloom. Fast forward years later, and Ebby, now an adult, is preparing to marry into a prominent New England banking family. She’s no stranger to the media spotlight, but when her fiancé leaves her at the altar, Ebby is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. Determined to move forward, she decides to leave everything behind and start fresh in France. But nothing could have prepared her for the secrets she uncovers there.

Good Dirt is a rich blend of family saga, romance, history, and mystery, all woven together to explore how family trauma can shape our lives in ways we don’t always understand. The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, allowing us to hear from various members of the Freeman family, giving us a layered, nuanced view of their history and struggles. We learn about the Freeman’s ancestors, who were taken from the Gold Coast and brought to New England, and we see how the jar came to symbolize their family’s enduring legacy.

Ebby is a character I couldn’t help but root for. I felt so much for her as she navigates the loss of her brother and the betrayal of her fiancé. The author does an exceptional job capturing the complexities of grief, showing how it’s never just one thing, but a tangle of emotions that shape who we are and how we move through the world.

Having read Black Cake before this, I noticed there were moments where the pacing slowed a bit, but I still think Wilkerson did a phenomenal job with Good Dirt. I can’t wait for more people to read it and dive into this deeply moving and thought-provoking story. It’s a beautiful book about family, loss, legacy, and the ways we find healing.

A beautiful multi-generational story that blends historical fiction, family dynamics and uncovering the truth in this examination of how the past informs our present. Themes of this novel include grief, trauma, mental health, ancestry, racism, inheritance, belonging and the importance of respecting history to shape one's present and future.

This novel follows Ebby Freeman, a daughter of one of the only Black families in a well-to-do enclave of New England, tried to piece together the connection between a childhood tragedy and a family heirloom, a stoneware jar that had been brought North by an enslaved ancestor. The last and present intertwine in this novel, offering heart-wrenching yet powerful stories about how our ancestry impacts our future.

Thank you Random House and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

Good Dirt is sweeping family drama chronicling the history of the Freeman family through an heirloom jar lovingly referred to as “Old Mo”. While it is scattered with multiple viewpoints and time periods, the story ultimately centers around Ebby Freeman, the daughter of a prominent African American family haunted by the tragedy of her brother’s murder when she was ten years old. The murder was thought to be a botched robbery while Ebby and her brother, Baz, were home alone. When Baz tried to stop the intruders from taking the priceless jar he was shot and “Old Mo” shattered.

In 2019 Ebby is grown and set to marry her fiancee, Henry, when he skips out on their wedding day without a word. This sets Ebby on a path of self discovery that has her facing what happened that fateful day her brother was lost and the jar was broken. From Africa in the 1800s to present day France, Good Dirt takes the reader on a journey across time and continents, asking the questions — what shapes and mold us into who we are? And how do we pickup the pieces when life falls apart?

I really enjoyed this story. As mentioned it was a little all over the place and took a few meandering turns that I think were unnecessary but it eventually found a rhythm and came together in the end. And I loved how Wilkerson used the jar as a vessel both literally and metaphorically in the telling of the Freeman’s family history. Lots of beautiful messages that I will keep with me for a long time. Thank you for the ARC, NetGally!

I was thrilled to read Charmaine Wilkerson’s second novel, especially after thoroughly enjoying Black Cake. This book centers on an African-American family, with a particular focus on Ebony Freeman—known as Ebby. The story opens at a pivotal moment in Ebby’s life, as she’s preparing for her wedding, only to be jilted by her fiancé on the big day. Ebby is still haunted by the murder of her brother, Baz, which occurred two decades earlier and cast a shadow over her life.

While Ebby is the focal character, the true heart of the story lies in a clay jar, crafted by an enslaved potter and passed down through generations as a family heirloom. Wilkerson does a beautiful job of conveying the tragedies and resilience of enslaved individuals, bringing the potter’s life and struggles vividly to the reader. Themes of race, wealth, and privilege are thoughtfully explored against the backdrop of Ebby’s personal tragedy and family history.

Though the murder of Baz Freeman is a key event that shaped Ebby’s life, I felt it was referenced a bit too frequently. That said, the writing is engaging, and the flashbacks to different characters and time periods are essential for fully appreciating the family’s history and the significance of the clay jar.

Overall, I highly recommend this novel as a “must-read” in historical fiction—Wilkerson’s storytelling will leave a lasting impression.

What a poignant and moving read. This book is so touching. It’s a story of life and hidden secrets. Family dramas always suck me in and just make me want to know what is happening and this book was certainly like that. I really enjoyed how everything was so seemingly far apart but connected at the same time. This book also had touches of history throughout it which was a nice touch. This book also touched on recent events that have gone on, which was hard to read, because they weren’t nice depictions. Necessary to the plot and I get what the author was doing, its just hard to read about how much is going wrong right now. The foreshadowing that occurred throughout the book was fantastic. I loved how everything played out. This book also featured a unique pov which was a lot of fun. I would have never thought I’d enjoy reading about it like I did (which I don’t want to say because spoiler) but it was lovely and unexpected. The ending was perfect, and I loved how it tied everything together.

If you’re looking for an emotional and amazing read, then check this one out.

Ebony, "Ebby" Freeman was 5 years old when her brother Baz was killed by burglars who broke into their home to steal and earthenware vessel called Old Mo. The vessel broke in the scuttle butt and the murdering thieves left. Old Mo had been in the Freeman family for 175 years. It was made by a slave named Moses and had become extremely valuable. The Freemans were an acclaimed and wealthy African American family.

Ebby was engaged to a white man named Henry who was from an affluent family. His mother didn't take kindly to her. Henry knew all about what had happened to Baz and Old Mo. He also knew that Ebby suffered debilitating nightmares as a result of her brother's murder. Very early, the morning of their nuptials, Henry packed up and fled leaving Ebby at the altar. A week earlier, he had heard his father's close friend Harry talking about the broken vessel. He figured there was no way Harry could have known about the vessel had he not been there. Henry didn't know how to tell Ebby so he felt all he could do was flee.

Ebby's friend, Hannah, had a property in France with a rental cottage behind it and 7 months after the failed marriage attempt, Ebby went to France to live at Hannah's place. Hannah told her that she had rented the cottage to a couple. It turns out the couple was Henry and his new girlfriend, Avery. Avery was the one who had rented the cottage. Ebby couldn't believe her bad luck. All she could do was remain professional with them. Henry felt he owed her an explanation but she didn't want to hear it. However, she eventually gave in. Nevertheless, she felt his explanation was weak. During all of this disclosure, Ebby confessed that she had been pregnant and lost the child. At any rate, she ended up sleeping with him and then kicking him out of her bed and out of her house. This, by the way, was something that incensed me. I mean, how could she sleep with him? At least I was mollified by the fact that she kicked him out. When he went back to the cottage, he and Avery had a big fight and Avery left him. He ended up going back to Connecticut on his own, and Avery finished her tour of France.

When Henry got back to Connecticut he went to talk to his father's friend, Harry. Harry told him that he found out about Old Mo from Ebby's father. Harry also told him that he owed Ebby's parents an explanation. So he went to the Freeman home and told him his tale. He also told them about Ebby's pregnancy.

While in France, Ebby met a man named Robert, whom she grew very fond of. It was maybe a month later that she went back home to Connecticut. Her father Ed confessed that he had collected all of the pieces of Old Mo and had it restructured. They then opened a wing of the museum in her brother's name, where they put Old Mo on display along with its history. To assuage Henry's guilt, and because he was an excellent photographer, Ebby had him do a photo spread of Old Mo. Her grandparents also had an African American photographer take pictures. The display was a hit until the pandemic caused the museum to close down.

Robert left France and moved to Connecticut to live with Ebby. There was as much history in this story as there was about Ebby and her parents, and Baz and Henry and Robert. The characters were totally believable although as I said, it was unbelievable that Ebby was weak enough to sleep with Henry in France. But I will give it to her. She had the backbone to stand by her principles and put him out. And the history lesson was excellent. It was as good as being there. I thought the author did a stellar job in the telling of it. I gave it five stars.

Wow. This book was an incredible story of tragedy, love, family, and perseverance. What struck me the most, is that the pain the characters had to experience, both in present day and hundreds of years prior, was due to the greed of others. I think this is my favorite book of the year so far.

I received this ARC in exchange for a review thanks to Net Galley and Random House.

Absolutely fantastic, as all things from Wilkerson are.

The heart-rending nature of the plot could've carried the novel, but Wilkerson's ability to craft characters, dialogue, and background took it over the edge to near perfection. I cried, I grieved, I felt the complex anger and regret and love of the protagonist throughout all the pages.

If we're lucky, this will be made into a miniseries, too. There is simply nothing I didn't love about this novel. It just made sense.

Thank you Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was so great. It was hard to read in some places with the descriptions of violence on children and slavery, but it was a really amazing read. Charmaine Wilkerson can do no wrong.

Thank you again for the ARC!

In a nutshell, this book is fabulous! The Freeman family has passed an old large pot nicknamed Old Mo through their family for years. Through multiple narrators we learn about the making of the pot by an enslaved man named Moses and it's journey to present day Massachusetts. While the story hinges on the pot as the constant thread, the main narrative centers Ebony Freeman who is trying to find herself after a childhood family tragedy and she decides to write down the stories about Old Mo. My words can't do it justice. I was lucky to see the fabulous exhibition called Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina when it was at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. This book captured so much of what that exhibition was conveyed making the story even richer. Brava Charmaine Wilkerson - you have written a five star book!

Told in multiple points of view across many generations, this story is really two narratives in one. First, the modern story of Ebony Freeman, recovering from witnessing a family tragedy at the age of 10 and suffering a high-profile humiliation that causes her to flee from her life and consider her past. Also, the story of past generations of enslaved ancestors, centered on a treasured stoneware jar that traversed oceans and features a secret inspirational inscription.

I found the pace of this novel to be inconsistent, and very slow at times. There were parts in the middle that really drew me in, and I enjoyed the build-up to the ending when the story started to come together. The author explores the tragedy Ebby witnessed from multiple perspectives, and revisits it several times in the story. While the themes of the novel focus heavily on trauma, healing, and mental health, the author is intentional about making the point that history must be told by all voices, which contributes to the way she writes this book. She also teases the jar’s inscription for the entire duration of the book, leaving me wanting more from the reveal at the end.

3.75 stars (rounded up to 4)

I was really hoping to like this one since I loved BLACK CAKE, but it fell really flat to me. The main family felt like caricatures instead of real people: they were perfect, whereas everyone around them were flawed. I normally like the multiple POVs and jumping timelines, but the chapters were so short and the author went back and forth so quickly that it was a little hard to get invested. Some of the POVs made sense, but others were just so unnecessary (did we need the POV of the person who answered the 911 call that night? It didn't add anything).

A genre-bending epic novel about the implications of the past on the present | Part historical fiction, part family drama, part suspense, at its core this is the story about a woman finding herself amidst trauma | Beautifully written, the multiple timelines and character-driven plot made me want this book to never end

5 stars

This review has been posted on Goodreads