(3.5 stars!)

Having enjoyed Black Cake by the same author, not surprised this one was easy to fall into as well.
The plot is immediately interesting and the characters are layered and imperfect. The overall idea of this book is so creative and speaks to the author's talent. So many great nuggets and lessons and quotes.
I will say some of the reveals felt a bit anticlimactic and was expecting a more dramatic impact. A good story, but not one that felt overly memorable.

Good Dirt is an emotional and heartbreaking story of an affluent African-American family and their connection to their heirloom.

Ed and Soh Freeman move into a wealthy suburb in New England with their two children Baz and Ebony, known as Ebby. But a tragedy strikes the family as Baz was shot to death and the Freeman's heirloom broke into pieces. The key witness to the crime was then ten-year old Ebby. As they are the only African American family in the town, what seemed to be a burglary case remained cold but Ebby still suffered from the traumatic experience. Then in present day, Ebby was going to get married but on the wedding day, she was ditched by the groom Henry who gave no explanation as to why he didn't want to marry her anymore. Heartbroken Ebby escapes to France and find solace in the cottage in the French countryside. While in France, Ebby thinks about the broken heirloom jar that has a significant meaning in her family--made by an enslaved ancestor of theirs and brought to North and was passed from generation to generation.

The story divides between present in the POVs of Ebby, Avery, Henry and Ebby's parents and then changes to the 1800's where first a woman was abducted from a village in West Africa and was brought to work in South Carolina. She gives birth to a boy Old Mo who grow up to become an excellent potter thus making the jar that will soon be passed from generation to generation. The author must have done tons of research to make the story as realistic as possible when writing about the slavery in the south and how enslaved people escape to North for better life, and of course, not sugarcoating about racism that seem to exist and lurk around even today. The story itself is emotional and heartbreaking to read and also touching as well. Like Black Cake, this is also a generational story but with more emotions and heartbreaking moments. Just as I enjoyed reading Black Cake, I enjoyed reading Good Dirt as well. This was actually a beautifully written story that will keep you wanting more.

Overall I highly recommend this book and this book is worth 5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley. Many thanks to Random House Ballantine for inviting me to review this book. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

When Ed and Soh Freeman moved from Massachusetts to an affluent Connecticut shoreline community with their son Baz and daughter Ebby, life was good. As a reminder of the hardships their now prominent Black family had overcome, they brought with them a large clay jar crafted by an enslaved potter, which Ed's ancestor carried with him while escaping slavery. The jar, known as "Old Mo," was central to family stories and folklore passed down through generations. However, their lives were shattered during a home robbery when 15-year-old Baz was shot and killed with ten-year-old Ebby present. The family heirloom was also destroyed. This tragedy profoundly affected everyone, including Ebby, who, as an adult, faced new heartbreak. She travels to France to escape. The present-day story is intertwined with tales of Morris, the creator of "Old Mo," and Edward "Willis" Freeman, who fled the South as a stowaway on a whaling ship. Can the family history help the Freeman family heal?

As a big admirer of Charmaine Wilkerson's wonderful debut Black Cake and its television series adaptation, Good Dirt was high on my must-read list. This beautifully written book addresses difficult themes including generational trauma, grief, and racism, yet it retains a sense of hope with its many resilient and memorable characters throughout the years. I was deeply moved. 

Hopefully, someone smart will adapt this book into a series as well.

I love a good multigenerational family story, and Good Dirt delivered beautifully. It reminded me of Homegoing, one of my all-time favorite books. I was captivated by all the POVs, especially Willis and others from that era. The book’s pacing was excellent, keeping me hooked with its well-timed shifts in perspectives and timelines. I also adored Ebby's character—her resilience and strength stood out, especially considering the trauma she endured. This is a story that will stay with me long after I finished it. It also made me want to pick up Black Cake off my shelf immediately!

Charmaine Wilkerson has created a wondrous novel in which she writes of family ties and history, despair and hope, slavery and freedom, tragedy and renewal through a beloved family heirloom. She brings exquisite beauty and detail to her writing that takes you on a journey from Ebby, a modern day woman who is still traumatized by the murder of her brother, back to Kandia, her ancestor stolen from her home in Africa and enslaved in America. And with it she shares the mostly unknown story of enslaved potters in South Carolina who created incredible works of art that can still be seen and studied. Old Mo is just such a piece of pottery, and Wilkerson deftly weaves the history of Old Mo with the history of the family that escaped from enslavement. One amazing aspect of the novel was that the reader doesn’t feel separated from the story, but included in it, Good Dirt is both a uniquely African American story, but also a story that embraces the shared history of all Americans. I highly recommend this novel.

A beautiful story that spans generations about an affluent Black family scared by a horrible act of violence. Overall, this was a great book. At first I felt the story was a bit all over the place and jumping around too much, but after the first third it really came together into a beautiful story. The character development is exceptional and Ebby was a wonderfully complex main character. I thought the mystery of the jug was a great backdrop to a story that will stick with me. Definitely recommend!

“Most of the trouble in this world boils down to one person not recognizing the worth of another.”

Ebby was only ten years old when her brother was shot. Not only did the intruders kill him, but they also broke the jar that has been in the family for generations. Ebby is now grown, but when her relationship falls apart putting all eyes on her again, she flees to France. Unfortunately for her, her past seems to have followed her there.

This one is hard to write a synopsis for because there is a lot happening, but everything also connects and makes sense together. Charmaine Wilkerson has such a way of telling a story that spans generations and centuries, but that keeps you completely immersed in the book. I wanted to just reach into the pages and give Ebby a huge hug, while also walking her right into my therapists office! Girl had so much trauma, and it was beyond valid that she was still struggling, but I just wanted to help heal her poor heart. I loved reading about how the jar came to be, how it ended up with the Freeman family, and the significance it had throughout their families history. My writing about it feels insignificant, but I promise, Wilkerson’s words will have you feeling every bit of love and hope contained in that jar. Black Cake was an all time favorite of mine, and if you enjoyed that one, don’t hesitate to pick up Good Dirt!

Also fun fact: The T-rex that is housed at the Field Museum in Chicago is mentioned in the book. It made me so excited to read that because when it was first found and brought to the museum, my great aunt had a friend that worked there and was able to set up a time where I could see Sue (the dinosaur) skull in person, and I got to touch the replica skull! (The actual skull is in a display case, and the replica is on the full skeleton because of its weight and how delicate it is)

Thank you to @Randomhouse for my gifted copy of this book!

An amazing novel of the story of a family heirloom jug that ties a family together over the ages. Its fracture during a home invasion robbery and murder of a son drives the family apart. The young daughter witnessed the murder and is hounded by the press throughout her life as her wealthy family struggles to find a new normal. Guilt is at the center of each person, rocking them to the core. A very moving story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really wanted to love this one, but ultimately found it a bit too slow moving and choppy for me. I struggled to get invested in the multiple POV because while I could vaguely see where things were going, it didn't flow smoothly and the historical parts felt forced in at points. Unfortunately this just wasn't the book for me, but so glad that so many others loved it!

I quickly requested to read this book on Netgalley as an advanced copy as I had read the authors first book Black Cake, and loved it. When I was approved to read an advanced copy, I was thrilled and It did not disappoint! This one tells the story of Ebony Freeman and her family from present times and back to pre Civil War. The good dirt refers to the clay of South Carolina.there During the days of slavery pots were made by this good dirt by the slaves. I had never heard of this so as usual I enjoyed learning something new to me when I read. A jar made during this time was the connection between the past and present of the Freeman family. Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this at the beginning, but I didn’t like that it went from being a family story to being a weird romance, and the circumstances felt forced. I also didn’t like how much things were repeated. It felt like it should have gone in a different direction and focused too much on a love triangle where no one had chemistry. The historical parts felt shoved in, and the nonlinear structure seemed like it was only there to try to make the book more interesting and complex. I LOVED Black Cake, so I think I just wanted more.

Charmaine Wilkerson has become a must read for me. Good Dirt is family drama spanning generations. It was a tale of two stories, one past and one present. Both time periods could have been stories on their own, but Wilkerson so expertly weaves the stories together to create a novel that is unputdownable. I was completely immerse in all the characters stories. 5 stars without a doubt.

I highly recommend this book for grade 10 and above.

No sophomore slump for Wilkerson! Good Dirt is an engrossing family drama with both contemporary and historical elements. Ebby Freeman comes from a wealthy Black family in New England who are all still reeling from the murder of Ebby's brother, Baz, in a home invasion when Ebby was 10. Twenty years later, when Ebby is ghosted by her fiancé on their wedding day, Ebby flees to France, only to find that she can't escape the past. The book has many different viewpoints, most of which I really enjoyed, and the stories of the Freemans' ancestors and their path from enslavement to freedom and success were scattered throughout to great effect. Ebby is a wonderful character with a lot of depth, and Wilkerson's exploration of grief is excellent. This book has a little bit of everything - romance, mystery, a sweeping family saga. I look forward to Wilkerson's next novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for a digital review copy.

I love family epics, it's one of the reasons I loved Black Cake. Charmaine Wilkerson is just as fresh and captivating this second time.
Ebby is such a complex character and I love her. I love how she deals with things in her own way while still reassuring her family she loves them.
The history of the jar, and therefore the Freeman family, and their test of time is beautiful.
Wilkerson has created such complex and nuanced characters who feel real. And they all have very complicated relationships with each other. Some chapters, from different people's perspectives, felt like reading diary entries. Even characters the reader may be rooting against, still can't entirely hate because you feel like you are getting to know real people, their inner most thoughts.
The plot is amazing. The twists and turns about what happened to Ebby's brother Baz, and the politics that follow his death are poignant.
This book travels the world. We go with Ebby from her family's home of Refuge County, Massachusetts to the countryside in France.
We follow the Freeman's early ancestors from their home country to working on a plantation in South Carolina. But the interesting part is they work as potters, they create pottery, which is how the jar, Old Mo came around. The writing is so good, the jar, Old Mo becomes its own character.
I learned so much about history, the racism of the past, but also the racism and microaggressions of the present.

Charmaine truly excels at crafting a family narrative. I appreciate how the chapters flowed together smoothly, despite focusing on various times, individuals, and locations. The family's history was deep, and the characters were thoughtfully developed. This sophomore book surpassed Black Cake for me, and I eagerly anticipate her third release.

Another brilliant and evocative book by Charmaine Wilkerson! The defining event of Ebby Freeman's life was the murder of her older brother Baz, when Ebby was just ten years old. While Ebby was in the house when the murder occurred, she didn't see who did it, and the crime has never been solved. This unsolved mystery haunts not only Ebby, but her parents and the wealthy town where their family was one of the only Black families living there.

We go back and forth in time, not only between the time of the murder and the present day but all the way back to when Ebby's ancestors first came to this country as slaves. The author does a wonderful job of interweaving all of these stories into a compelling narrative. If you liked Black Cake, the author's previous novel, you will definitely enjoy Good Dirt as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THANK YOU NETGALLEY FOR THIS AMAZING BOOK, I OWE YOU ONE.

Well, I technically just owe a review and here it is: Good Dirt is just as good, if not better, than Black Cake. Wilkerson does it again with her storytelling, weaving generations together in unforgettable ways. I loved Good Dirt, and I loved Old Mo. I do not want to give anything away, but this one is so moving, so incredible and not only a family story, but a coming-of-middle-age story, of the growth and pain that comes from living through your 20’s and 3o’s. Pick it up, it’s worth it.

Good Dirt, the second novel by Charmaine Wilkerson, (if you haven’t read Black Cake, put it on your TBR list!) starts with the sad and shocking murder of Ebby’s big brother, Baz. The novel shows the impact of Baz’s death on the entire family, but especially Ebby. When Baz was killed, a family heirloom was also broken. What makes this novel unique is its additional focus on the story of the heirloom, known as Old Mo, and how it came to be a part of the family.

The story is told via multiple perspectives and timelines, and not linearly but always cohesively. The reader gets to know many characters as well as important history presented in a meaningful and compelling way. Readers of literature and historical fiction will enjoy this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

This book is arguably the best book I've read this year, and I already know that despite it being an early release for 2025, it will remain at the top of the charts and talked about for the remainder of the year. I hope this has already been optioned for a tv series or movie because though it covers some difficult topics, I know people would eat it up just like the BLACK CAKE series!

The characters were beautiful and full of depth; I found so much strength and beauty as they all attempted to discover themselves in a post-traumatic setting. I also found it exhilarating and exciting to see how the stories of the past wound together and laid the groundwork for the stories of the present. The reader experiences the full spectrum of emotion as they read and some parts felt very "meta" as a white woman reading the story of a Black woman telling the stories of other Black Americans telling the stories of their Black and Indigenous American ancestors. This stunning story is not a quick read by any means but it is an important and compelling story that I know people will talk about for years to come. Can't wait for this one to come out - it will be my book of this year and next!

Such an amazing story! I love this book! I know Charmaine has a unique writing style so the beginning was a touch confusing but I loved all the context and depth that the store had. I just loved Ebby as a main character and how open she was. Would love to see this as a Netflix show.