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The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray

Meeting date: June 25, 2019 ;
Star rating: 2.4/5 stars

The Butler family has had their share of trials—as sisters Althea, Viola, and Lillian can attest—but nothing prepared them for the literal trial that will upend their lives.

Althea, the eldest sister and substitute matriarch, is a force to be reckoned with and her younger sisters have alternately appreciated and chafed at her strong will. They are as stunned as the rest of the small community when she and her husband, Proctor, are arrested, and in a heartbeat the family goes from one of the most respected in town to utter disgrace. The worst part is, not even her sisters are sure exactly what happened.

As Althea awaits her fate, Lillian and Viola must come together in the house they grew up in to care for their sister’s teenage daughters. What unfolds is a stunning portrait of the heart and core of an American family in a story that is as page-turning as it is important.

Comments and questions from attendees:
  • "There wasn't enough" - book needed more from certain characters, especially Viola and the conclusion was lacking for some attendees
  • How bad was Althea and Proctor's crime? The judge threw the book at them!
  • This is not the portrait of a close family. They are extremely dysfunctional.
  • Althea gets the blame for everything in her family. Is that fair?
  • No one is a perfect peach in this book... do we like anyone in this book?
  • Althea is difficult to understand as a wife and mother. Her actions aren't the kind that we would take.
  • Is Althea's reasoning for her behavior as a mother valid?
  • Black women do not come off well in this book.
  • Deep question: If you don't know how to care for yourself, how can you care for others?
Lowest rating: 0
Highest rating: 4
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