Just like this author's previous (and debut) novel Black Cake, this new one, Good Dirt focus on a storytelling about siblings, parents, hidden family secrets and multiple characters from different generations, all connected. It's about a family tragedy that changed everyone's life in the past and, after so many years of resentment and regret, they all turn their seemingly endless grief into a powerful lesson.
Good Dirt goes back and forth, throughout the entire book, between past and present: the past focus on the history behind a jug made of pottery - who has made it and what happened to it since it was made in the 1800's, and how it ended up being an heirloom to the Freeman family; and the more present timeline when we follow the Freeman's and how a tragedy (taken place many years ago) connecting the youngest son and the jug changed everything in this family life.

Charmaine Wilkerson is a very talented writer, in my opinion, and she captivates me again with her new book and her stunning narrative.
The characters are very realistic - flawed and relatable, the plot is very intricate in a way that, even though it requires attention and patience, it reads beautifully and it moves you, and the conclusion is mostly likely to be very satisfying to most readers.

Personally, I prefer Black Cake. I could connect better with the main characters. Even though it was very easy to sympathise with the characters from Good Dirt, I couldn't help feeling that I never truly connected to anyone. I rooted for them. I wanted to see justice being made, but never a strong connection to them. My favourite parts, though, were Ebby's storyline in France and all the moments she would reminisce about his younger brother so fondly.
What's more, I usually don't mind several characters in a story, but this book surely has A LOT of characters. Some of them failed to hold my attention.
I can easily recommend this book to anyone who has read Black Cake and enjoyed it - and if you like historical literary fiction you definitely should consider picking up Black Cake.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for providing me with a free eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Charmaine Wilkerson's storytelling prowess shines through in her latest novel, Good Dirt. This emotionally rich and intricate tale left me completely captivated. The multi-layered narrative spanning generations is a five-star masterpiece that I believe would translate seamlessly to the big screen – I've already casting all the characters in my head lol! Having been a fan of Wilkerson's debut novel, Black Cake, I already knew she was an amazing author. However, Good Dirt has truly exceeded my expectations – it's undoubtedly going to be one of my top reads this year. Good Dirt would spark thought-provoking discussions, making it a perfect choice for any book club. In my opinion, it's an absolute must-read!

Thank you net galley for letting me preview this novel. I was interested in reading this, as I really enjoyed Blake Cake and the adaptation based on the book on Hulu. I read this in just a few days. I was very invested in the lives of Ebby and her family, past as well as present and finding out the secrets they were keeping. I liked the explorations of race, family and belonging. Highly recommend.

I loved this family saga so much. I am familiar with the author’s other works and appreciated this book just as much as the others. Her character development is superb, along with her writing style.. I would recommend this to everyone.

I enjoyed every minute of this book. It was based on a family that had to deal with tragedy, with the loss of the son and a beloved family heirloom shattered on the same day. It was well written story that had fascinating characters. Thank you Net Galley ARC

Phenomenal read. Good Dirt centers on the Freeman family, a prominent black family in New England with a tragic past. Their son Baz was murdered during a home invasion and an heirloom was also destroyed that day. Nearly two decades later, Ebby is left at the altar and then takes off to France shortly after to rediscover herself. Intermingled is the story of the family’s enslaved ancestors, as well as the heirloom, Old Mo, a large stoneware jar brought to New England by Willis, an ancestor trying to escape enslavement. It seems as if the pottery stories are a metaphor for Ebby’s own reshaping of her life. Not to mention the jar being broken in pieces during the home invasion, much like the family and their lives.
I thought the book was beautifully written and really connected with the characters and the plot. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for access to this ARC.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A compelling realistic fiction novel with an interwoven historical fiction storyline. I love Ebby. Baz broke my heart. Old Mo was meant to be resurrected.

I could not put this book down! This story is many many stories woven together in a beautiful, heartbreaking, and brilliant way. We follow the journey of Ebby Freeman in present day, a woman who lost her brother in a violent crime at a young age, whose love life is currently falling apart and is simply looking to hid but to eventually find herself. Her story is woven together with those of her family, both present and far in the past. The stories are all told in the third person and in a non-linear and non-chronological way so if that's hard for you to follow, this book isn't for you. This book was so engaging and I found myself feeling deeply for each character. Each character's resolve and resilience was what spoke to me most. This story isn't just one family's story, but a part of America's story and a story only gets better with more voices!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!

As a huge fan of Black Cake, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on my approved request for an advanced readers copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine Books, I am forever grateful.

Charmaine Wilkerson is one incredibly talented author. She takes her craft to a higher level. The plot for Good Dirt is clear and precise. There is a back story with an interesting cast of characters. She stays on point even while introducing the back story. There is educational info on slave/trade history not just in the United States but around the world. Another blight in world history. How could this happen? Steeling people right out of their homes and off the streets to be transported and sold in far away countries. It’s terribly sad but the resilience of humans after so much abuse and heartache is nothing short of miraculous. The plot was interesting and very different. Being born and raised in New England I enjoyed the New England connections of the Freeman family and their history.

The story of Ebby, Baz and the Freeman family in addition to Old Mo is one you will take with you. They turn tragedy into something powerfully positive. I was a strong champion for each one of them with the exception of Henry who I eventually gave the benefit of the doubt.

Don’t let this one slip by. GET YOUR COPY!!

I was so excited to be able to read this book as I loved the author's previous book, Black Cake.

This was a great bit of history, family, tragedy & it all pulls together.
There are chapters told from the times of this family's slave connection, how that came to be, what jobs were performed & one particular job is what ties this story together.

There are more chapters told over various time frames & up to current times.

I hate to give too much away, as I don't care for reviews where I learn too much about a story & this book is not going to be released for a bit so I won't leak things.

Charmaine is quickly making it to the top of my favorite authors list.

A beautifully written heartbreaking tail about family that spans through the decades. I couldn’t put it down as my heart for these beautiful characters.

This is going to be a very popular book of 2025. Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for my ARC! I highly recommend pre-ordering this one!

I know that I am going to be in the minority when I say, I could not connect with this book. Don't get me wrong, Wilkerson is a TALENTED writer. It is a beautifully written book, but I feel like I was a ping pong ball going back and forth between characters and timelines. I am more of a linear reader, I need to have thing's clearly organized, so when the constant change happens, I have a hard time keeping up. As I read, I found myself skipping entire chapters at a time. I found myself gravitating towards the present timeline rather than the past.

I know that this book will definitely be for most people who enjoy historical literary fiction, but for me I just could not get into it.

Also, know that a majority of the story revolves around a clay pot and it's history. It's very important to go into the book knowing that you will be reading a lot about a jug, it's history, how it connects a family over generations, and how it brings a family together.

Enjoyed this book, and at the beginning, I could not put it down. Once I moved into Part 2, it lost something, I found myself having to go back to the beginning of chapters to check dates. The story of Ebby,’s family’s past was heart rending and yet uplifting in their struggles to survive. Ebby left me unsatisfied, she needed more, she is “main character light”. The past storyline made this book and made the five star rating possible.

Fiction — 4⭐️

Black Cake was one of my favorite books from 2022 so I feel incredibly lucky for the opportunity to read Charmaine’s newest. GOOD DIRT is an epic multi-generational story spanning over 175 years and filled with rich family history.

This story follows a family that faced unspeakable tragedy and the shattered heirloom that has been in the Freeman’s family for decades.

There is a lot packed into this powerful story. Multiple POVs interweave past and present timelines exploring themes of racism, grief, trauma, and legacy. Because we all know how our history books are white washed, I especially appreciated the narratives during the eras of slavery, as heartbreaking as it was. I was equally taken by the main character, Ebby, and her journey post tragedy and heartbreak.

My only qualm is that sometimes it felt like it had a little too much going on. However, Charmaine’s writing is so beautiful that I’d hardly call it an issue, I just don’t think it was totally necessary to the main plot. Overall, this is such a thought-provoking and moving sophomore novel that needs to be on everyone’s radar this winter!

Thank you @randomhouse for the #gifted e-arc. GOOD DIRT comes out Jan 25, 2025 (my first book of 2025 was win 🙌🏼)

Family saga, social commentary, generational trauma.

As a big fan of Black Cake, I have eagerly been awaiting Charmaine Wilkerson’s new novel Good Dirt. The story flow is fantastic, I instantly cared about the main character Ebby and the historical story of “Old Mo”. Wilkerson weaves a beautiful story across centuries, West Africa, enslaved Southernerns and the modern day Freeman family in New England. The storylines and characters grabbed my attention throughout the novel and I was eager to find out how Ebby chose to take hold of her own life after the tragic events of her childhood and being stood up on her wedding day. Very good read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely loved Black Cake, but this one fell a bit short for me. The bouncing between timelines and characters threw me off. I thought the book was going to go in a different direction when Ebby started to question Henry in light of the found body in France, but it was entirely dropped and added nothing to the story. Overall, it was an enjoyable read. I adored the history of the jar and all the people involved, but Good Dirt was too disjointed for my taste.

Good Dirt is a solid multigenerational nesting narrative, assembled like a quilt with stories like patches, may seem disparate but weaves together to form a lovely quilt. Wilkerson tackles grief, trauma, social justice issues as well as America's painful history with a light touch. If you enjoyed Black Cake you are certain to enjoy Good Dirt.

In "Good Dirt", author Charmaine Wilkerson takes a deep dive on the Freeman family, a wealthy black family living in an elite neighborhood in Connecticut and the almost-overlooked stories that brought the family to where they are now...

Ebony "Ebby" Freeman is only 10 years of age when she watches from the second floor of her family's home as two masked men break in and enter, and release a shot that ends up killing her older brother, Baz. Baz's death coincides with the breaking of a family heirloom, a centuries-old jar that has been passed through the family affectionately called "Old Mo". In the years after, the Freeman family continues to mourn the tragic loss of their oldest while Ebby grows until a young woman still bearing the scars of this event.

Two decades later, Ebby is poised to marry Henry Pepper, a Caucasian male coming from an esteemed family, when he suddenly disappears on the day of the wedding, without any contact or communication to Ebby or her family. Distraught, Ebby leaves for France for a respite from the constant barrage of news and rumors, where she unexpectedly meets Henry again - and is concurrently pulled into a crime that makes her question both herself and the man she thought she knew.

In between the present day events, we take multiple jumps back in history as the ancestors of the Freeman family are highlighted - from young Willis, who learns the art of pottery from a black potter, and ends up using this skill to save his family and others many times over. We see just how key this jar was changing lives in the past, and the unexpected financial value it came to hold years later - and the unintended eyes that it caught. The discovery forces a reckoning between the members of the Freeman family as they come to terms with Baz's death, and the ongoing guilt each person continues to carry decades later.

While it felt like this novel took some time to hit its stride, I fell in over the course of the weekend and could not put down. Wilkerson has crafted a believably strong yet flawed family, with parents Ed and Soh trying to do the best for their children and future generations, and young Ebby harboring the burden of her brother's death - a guilt that continues to haunt her decades in the future. I found the history of pottery fascinating as well, as the skill was informally passed down between freed and enslaved black men and women during the time, and their work that has managed to survive the passage of time has only recently been given a spotlight.

Very much a recommended read for when "Good Dirt" is published in January 2025!

"They had found a place with good dirt, but they could not be sure of holding on to it."

Absolutely thrilled to receive an ARC of #gooddirt, having enjoyed Black Cake SO much.

Good Dirt is SUCH a great story - with elements of mystery, history, trauma, family and most of all, love. Ms. Wilkerson does an incredible job of weaving many threads around the Freemans. I loved the multiple POVs. We start with Ebby abandoned at the altar but by the end, the journey has become so much more. (One word - Tyler.) Prior to finishing, I was sharing details around the armed robbery that is a central plot point of the book with a fellow reader, and it occurred to me just how complicated and magical the entire story is. Bravo, no second book slump here! Highly, highly recommend.

P.S. Thanks to #netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the ARC.

Told in multiple POVs and time periods, we follow Ebby, a young, privileged woman from a distinguished, old money, African American family eh undergoes the terrible childhood tragedy of being present when her 15 year old brother is shot and killed over the attempted theft of a valuable family heirloom. The origin of this heirloom, a ceramic jug labeled Old Mo, is the thread through this story. We also learn that Ashley had been jilted the day of her wedding, which spurs her on to take an extended trip to France, house sitting for a friend. From there she runs into someone she’d rather forget. We also meet Moses, the potter of the jug back in the mid 1800s, and Willis an escaped slave and one of Ebby’s ancestors who has passed down this jug through 5 generations. Most of the novel focused on racism and enslavement. Even with Ebby’s elevated and affluent family, they are readily confronted with racial slights in 2020. It also focuses on forgiveness to oneself and others. The author has a nice flow to her writing and was told well through the multiple POVs. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.