Dollbaby: A Novel

I loved the characters. Just when you want to know more about them, the author gives you a glimpse of their past that explains their present. I love the colorful descriptions. I love that the author acknowledges that a loving relationship can exist between a maid and her employer. They are family. I saw many examples of this growing up in the south in the 60s-70s. I enjoyed this glance back in time. I only wish there as an epilogue….where were they 20 years later?

From the first page, the writing captured me. Next, the characters became a part of me. Finally, the story became so compelling and magical, I could not put it down. I'm heartbroken that it's over.

This is a great Southern story with well developed characters who will stay with me. The plot twists and turns all the way to the end.

I love stories set in the South, with wonderful and eccentric characters. Dollbaby fulfilled everything I hope for why starting to read a new book. Loved it!!

New Orleans in 1964 was still steeped in traditions, but all of that was about to change.And for Liberty (Ibby) Bell, a twelve-year-old girl from Olympia, Washington, it was the time when her mother dropped her off, literally, on her grandmother's doorstep.A short time before, Ibby's father Graham had died after a freak accident, and now her mother Vidrine had just told her she was here to visit her grandmother Fannie.But all Ibby can remember about her grandmother, whom she had never met, was how much her mother hated her. So why was she leaving her there?We follow Ibby's sojourn in this unfamiliar Southern world, at the same time that the country is changing to accommodate the new Civil Rights Act. Sit-ins, protests, and racial tensions would be commonplace for the next few years, along with the Vietnam War. But in Fannie Bell's household, tradition still reigns, and her home is run by her black household helpers, Queenie and Doll (also called Dollbaby), who are like a part of the family. Their delightful and warm personalities and the way they enfold Ibby as if she were one of their own made me feel right at home with them, too. Dollbaby: A Novel  is a story that wraps itself around the reader, revealing the historic moments in the life of a family that unfold much as the country's historic moments have done. It spans almost a decade, from 1964 to 1972, but we also are gifted with moments from the past, revealing much about Fannie and the life she led before she became a mother and grandmother. Secrets, betrayals, violence, and the unconditional love that Ibby learns to accept as her due, are part of her heritage, even as her life follows a path dictated by her grandmother. Learning her grandmother's secrets was also a gradual process, and this story made me laugh, cry, and remember how much history each family contains. Unforgettable story. 4.0 stars.

This is one of my favorite books. It is so real to the time I grew up in. The story line is so much twentieth century also. I am recommending it to my friends.

Only an author raised in New Orleans who understands New Orleans could have written this book. Liberty Alice Bell comes to live with her eccentric but loving grandmother under very sad circumstances. She is warmly embraced and nurtured by her grandmother's cook, Queenie, and seamstress, Dollbaby. Dollbaby becomes a central character in the book as this "slice of life with craziness" plot unfolds. Set in turbulent times, late 1960s -early 1970s , race relations in New Orleans is explored, which as a person who lives in the South and in 70s New Orleans, I can attest are very realistic. Twist and turns, local details, food descriptions all add to an atmospheric read. Wished for more descriptions of locals as the Trend neighborhood, Ebony Lounge, The Realm Catholic School which I think was the disguised Academy of the Sacred Heart which would have fit perfectly. I truly liked it and was surprised by some aspects of the ending. The characters of Queenie and Dollbaby come alive, and the dialect authentically written.

Great condition

Couldn't put it down! A great read!

read the book you wouldn't be disappointed !!!A story told with grace and a deep southern connection !!real gem...

Dollbaby is a well-crafted novel. It makes me glad to be living in 2014 and not in 1964. The writer describes the characters and scenes with an amazing amount of detail. I have been to New Orleans before and I can picture the locations. You feel like you are sitting in the kitchen along with Queenie, Doll and Ibby. I recommend this book.

Love this book. Excellent writing, interesting plot line and exceptional character development. If you liked The Help, The Secret Life of Bees and The Kitchen House, you will enjoy this bookm

This novel continues to stay with me, although I finished it a few weeks ago. The richness of characters and its sheer "loveliness" as a novel will be indelibly etched in my "story soul". Needless to say, Dollbaby was powerful and enriching.