Like her prior book, Black Cake, this is a very creative story. Although in this one I did wonder if she included too much - perhaps a few too many things happen to too many characters. On the other hand, I especially appreciated the flashbacks to their descendants who were slaves - the family history and current story tied together extremely well. The author is a very strong writer who is clearly highly educated on the topics she included and I will definitely read her future books.


Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

As a fan of Black Cake, I was delighted to have the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I loved this book. It is beautifully written, and I enjoyed hearing the story from many of the characters' points of view. It is not a fast or easy read, but I read it slowly to be sure I didn't miss anything. I enjoyed the contemporary part of the story the most, but I found the whole saga intriguing. Since there were many time periods interspersed in the book, there was suspense as the reader waits to have answers revealed to many of the mysteries of the events. I appreciated that even some very minor characters divulged their parts in the story by the end. This would be a perfect selection for book discussion groups. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

I loved this book. I had loved Black Cake so was very excited to read this as well and it did not disappoint. The character arcs grabbed me and I enoyed following the story of the Freeman family over the centuries. I would have liked to have known whether the Freemans ever discovered who was responsible for Baz's murder, but the fact that Ed had a hunch about it was satisfactory enough.

Fans of BLACK CAKE will not be disappointed by Wilkerson’s sophomore effort, GOOD DIRT. The author again presents a satisfying and original tale that blends both contemporary and historical fiction. The story of the Freemans, an affluent African American family, is told via a treasured family artifact, a 20 gallon ceramic jar they call “Old Mo” that was made by an enslaved ancestor and has been passed down through multiple generations of Freeman’s. It currently resides with Ed Freeman, his wife Soh, and their children, Baz and Ebby. But, when the jar becomes entwined in an unspeakable family tragedy, the entire family must learn to cope with the effects of severe trauma and somehow find a way to keep going.
Wilkerson’s writing is both accessible and sophisticated, which can be a tough thing to achieve. It’s the kind of book where you might find a single sentence so profound that you have to stop a moment and just digest it. At times, the various generations of Freemans can be confusing, but it doesn’t really matter because the messages of the story are never lost.

Charmaine Wilkerson wrote a masterpiece in Black Cake; she's a master of the family story, so I was really looking forward to Good Dirt. It's the story of an upscale African American family, who has suffered an unimaginable tragedy, the loss of their son as well as a precious heirloom during a home robbery. Most of the novel is set ten years later, with flash backs all the way back to the era of slavery. The main character is Ebby, who flees to France after her fiancé leaves her at the altar. Ebby is a well-developed, complex character surrounded by a group of equally good characters, including Big Mo, the car jar and family heirloom. I enjoyed the story, especially the family history. I did feel it bogged down a bit three-quarters into the book, but the conclusion was satisfying. Lots to discuss in a good group.

I was really taken by Charmaine Wilkerson's first book, Black Cake, but unfortunately this second novel doesn't meet the same bar. The main arc of the narrative, about Black history in America--as told through material history--and a family coping--and not coping--with the murder of a child--is an excellent idea. But the characters, despite their deep traumas and well-defined backgrounds, don't really come to life and instead remain representations rather than characters. Overall, the novel could be tightened up: there's a lot of time dedicated to other gruesome murders that functions as a brief red herring, characters who seem extraneous, and action by character that seems arbitrary and strange and goes unexplained. It's uneven at best.

This is a story about history, racism, family trauma, and grief and PTSD. It is told in various POV’s. The murder of 15 year old Baz during a home invasion leaves the Freeman family forever changed. A family heirloom is broken during the break in and the family is broken also and tries to move on. Ebby is left at the altar many years later after her brother’s death. All of this weaves together to tell the history of the Freeman family. A solid 4 ⭐s!

Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the ARC to read and review!

Good Dirt
I have read the author’s debut novel Black Cake and was looking forward to reading her second novel. Unfortunately I was very disappointed. The story of a successful black family in current times goes back to the family’s ancestors as slaves. These ancestors were making pottery pieces to be sold by their owners. One of these pieces survived and was in the possession of the Freeman’s through many generations. The family, Ed, his wife Shoh and their children Baz and Ebby were always in awe of the piece. The family suffers a terrible tragedy when 15 year old Baz is killed in a robbery attempt to steal the jar. Her younger sister, Ebby witnesses the event, that has a permanent effect on her life. Although the story is very interesting and relevant, it goes back and forth between multiple time frames and characters where my head was spinning of the constant time changes and people. It felt very disjointed to me and felt it was an agonizing delay to arrive at the end and clarifying everything. I couldn’t wait to be over and not in a good way. I didn’t like Ebby’s character and actions, even if I sympathized with her witnessing her beloved brother’s murder and being left at the altar on her wedding day. Henry, her intended was also not a character I could like. He was a coward was not able to escape his white family’s effect on him.
I received a complimentary copy, opinions are my own.

This was really interesting in concept as an international, generational story about slavery, racism, trauma and what else is handed down within families, and the importance of objects or totems in family and other histories. There is definitely at least one love story in there as well.

I enjoyed it, however, at times, was irritated by what felt like somewhat clumsy execution; as if the author had a clear outline and had to meet some deadlines to fill in the chapters. The book felt like a feat due to the previous; it read as somewhat labored. Have to say that I enjoyed her other book; Black Cake, more.

I was afraid that this was going to be a typical love story and am very pleased to say that I was wrong. Good Dirt is a book but good dirt can also be clay. Something basic and elemental that has been taken from its original and formed into something strong, beautiful and extraordinary. That is what the Freeman’s family stoneware jar called “Little Mo” is made from and what this book is based on. This jar takes us through the journey of their family from slavery to present day.
The story surrounds Ebby, a girl who has lived under the spotlight since the age of 10. At that time she found her older brother, Baz, shot to death by intruders surrounded by the remains of the family’s stoneware heirloom. Years later she was again the center of attention when she was left at the altar by her high society fiancé Henry. We see Henry and Ebby again in this book as we move backwards and forwards in time. As we examine them, Ebby’s parents and grandparents. We even get to learn about her slave roots and the formation of Old Mo.
Wilkerson’s book is a wonderful examination of lives damaged and repaired. It also looks at the tenacity of the human spirit. I definitely recommend.this book.

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson is a very intriguing novel that centers around a family that has endured years of slavery. The story goes back and forth between the past and the present and a jar that has been made by a slave and that has become part of this family, the Freeman’s legacy. The story is parts loss, pain, suffering, and redemption. It was a very enjoyable read and is one that I would recommend to others. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read and advance reader’s copy.

A disappointing follow-up to the author’s Black Cake. The story felt disjointed and the writing a bit basic. I found it hard to connect to the events or the characters.

This is a wonderful book. The author did an excellent job of writing about multigenerational trauma with care.

There were multiple flashbacks which helped define the characters and helped me get invested in the overall story.

The characters were well written with a satisfying and realistic ending

Highly recommend !

Good Dirt is a sweeping novel of the Freeman family. In the late 2010s, the Freemans are wealthy, Black New Englanders. Ebby is a young adult, trying to figure out her path after staying close to her parents, Ed and Soh most of her life. The Freemans were blown apart by tragedy almost 20 years earlier when Baz, their eldest child and Ebby’s revered older brother was murdered in a home invasion.

We learn about Old Mo, a jar pottered by Ebby’s great-great-great-great grandfather, a slave. The jar has meant so much to the family, as it was passed down alongside the stories of those who made it, escaped slavery, and helped build the comfortable life the Freemans live in current day. The jar was broken in the home invasion, adding another layer of trauma for the family.

The book moves back and forth over years and decades. Ebby’s childhood. Ed and Soh’s courting. Envy now. Ebby even more recent than now. And of course, the jar stories back in the 1800s, of slaves.

Overall, I loved this book. The story is sad, moving, and unique. The characters are wonderful. I had a harder time connecting to the jar stories, as the thread isn’t as clear or constant, but I was able to keep moving through them. Sometimes, the change in perspectives was annoying, in that some viewpoints felt extraneous and I didn’t always understand the choice of first, second or third person. There was so much I liked, and some that just felt long or slightly less organized.

This is a powerful read. I’m grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars rounded down.

This is a spoiler free review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for a review.
I really enjoyed Charmaine Wilkerson's first book, "Black Cake," and was very excited when I was chosen to review this book!

The story, "Good Dirt" is a multiple point of view, cross genre novel. It is told in the 3rd person through many different characters, and Wilkerson does a fabulous job sharing the history and relationships that these characters all share. The story goes back and forth between the 1600's in Barbados to present day New England and crosses multiple generations of a family. It is a combination of historical fiction, romance and mystery, all intricately woven together to tell a beautiful story.

The story begins by introducing the Freeman family, who has suffered a terrible loss, in the murder of their 15 year old son. We meet Ebony, "Ebby," the only daughter who is struggling to not only process her brother's death, but also being left at the altar on the day of her wedding. We then learn about "Old Mo" - the tie that binds everyone in this story together. I can't say much more without giving any spoilers - but definitely read this book if you are looking for a sentimental story that shows the power of family bonds, the love of family history and hearing those wonderful stories passed down from generation to generation. A quote from this story that really resonated with me is this, "The mind cannot be chained."

The only reason I did not rate this book 5 stars, was when we finally find out why Ebby's ex-fiancé left her at the altar, it didn't seem to gel with how his character was portrayed in the rest of the story. It was a bit of a let down for me. He. was definitely an interesting and well thought out character for the rest of the story, but this really stuck with me. As I finished the rest of the story, I began to think of him differently.

Overall, I highly recommend this book!

This was a wonderful story. The different time periods were woven together beautifully and the characters were interesting and sympathetic. The storylines have a great deal of heart break, but the story was still written with so much love and hope. Highly recommend!

With her second novel, Good Dirt, Charmaine Wilkerson solidifies her position as one of the best current writers of family sagas. When Ebony “Ebby” Freeman gets left at the altar, she is forced to confront the demons that haunt her and her family. Wilkerson intersperses the present-day timeline with short chapters about Ebby’s ancestors from their capture in Africa to their successful business in New England to the tragedy that happened when Ebby was a child. I would have liked more Ebby and less history, but I still found Good Dirt an engaging and enjoyable novel. Readers of historical fiction, family sagas, and contemporary novels should not miss Wilkerson’s latest.

I finished this book today and while it was a slow start, the story really begins to shine when we really get behind the history and present day story of the family connected to Old Mo. I didn’t care much for Avery or Henry’s POV, but the beauty of this story lies in Baz, Ebby, Ed, Soh, all the Freeman’s, Moses, Betsy. That’s where it comes alive. The story of a generation of survivors and those who continued to survive, even those who did so in death. A good second to Black Cake, can’t wait to continue to read more from this author for years to come

After being so impressed with Black Cake, I found myself disappointed by this author's second work. The story doesn't get started really until 45% in and instead is laden with repetitive inner musings (we get it that she doesn't want to be seen and judged by people who gossip about her tragedy). The second half somewhat redeems the book but honestly all of Ebbys relationship drama with Henry and Avery is not at all additive to the core of the story. The tale of the jar, however, is compelling.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson, we meet Ebby, a woman haunted by the trauma of witnessing her older brother Baz's murder when she was just ten years old. Decades later, reeling from being jilted at the altar, she decides to start anew in France. However, her fresh start takes an unexpected turn when she discovers her ex-fiancé and his new girlfriend are also staying at the same guest house.

The narrative intricately weaves between the 1800s, when Ebby’s ancestors were enslaved, and 2019. Central to the story is a priceless jug that has been in her family for 175 years, representing survival, love, and the search for identity.

While the book captivated me from beginning to end, I found myself questioning its true focus. Is it about the enduring impact of slavery on descendants? Is it a journey of self-discovery amidst tragedy and lost love? Does it explore the complexities of being African-American today, growing up wealthy, or solving a murder mystery? I'm left uncertain.

The story builds up to what feels like a significant conclusion, but the ending fell a bit flat for me, leaving some threads unresolved.
I'm giving it four stars, because it's not a bad book at all, I just am unsure what the author was trying to grasp here.