Did You Hear about Kitty Karr?: A Novel

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There were many things about this book that caused me to pause in ponder weather I wanted to continue reading it for one thing why would you make an affluent family the pot smokers I thought that was so odd and then when Hazel gave Mary all that money to go away and live as a white woman that’s the first time I really considered to stop reading the book for one thing Hazel didn’t know Mary would become a famous actress so she is essentially giving her daughter up to go live a life with strangers is it a life with no family but as a white person is much better than a life with family and being around those you love. But suffice it to say the novel presents many thought provoking conversations on race and the experiences of Black women in America, both past and present. It captured the horrors of racism, the tight bonds that tie us generationally, the nightmare that colorism causes in the Black community. Crystal Smith Paul attended Spelman College and UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television and received her master's in journalism from NYU. It is forbidden to copy anything for publication elsewhere without written permission from the copyright holder.

I do think the contemporary perspectives are the weakest part of the book- they function more as a framing device than anything else and could have been better developed. So just keep that in mind that this novel puts you right in the middle of the action right away, at least for Elise’s storyline.

All the executives behind Drag On were seated with their coffee mugs and ballpoint pens, ready to get their film’s petite star, Elise St. The fog was low and thick, so she removed her heels before descending to the third tier of yard and through the vegetable garden that hid her father’s studio. What’s interesting is a character says to Elise in the present that he doesn’t believe that—there’s always a choice to be made. I had no idea what was going on the first chapter as Smith completely failed to set up the story and properly introduce the characters.

This is a wonderfully told tale of what it means to be a light-skinned black and pass as being white. But what she discovers in one of Kitty’s journals rocks her world harder than any other brewing scandal could—and between a cheating fiancé and the fallout from a controversial social media post, there are plenty.Out of the 2 timelines, I found the past one a lot more interesting - the characters in the present timeline were not as engaging but it was still a great story overall. Prior to becoming a mom, I could spend hours reading books at night until the morning—knowing very well I could sleep in the next day.

The story as I mentioned could have been a great story but it suffered from a disorganized storytelling and a weak modern framing of that story.What saddened me so much is how Kitty's life always seemed like others were constantly making decisions for her, since childhood. It was the occasion they all loved most and, for that reason, it almost felt as though Kitty had planned her passing now, knowing her neighbors, the St. Now she's been nominated for an Oscar that could expand her successful acting career, but she's not sure if that's what she wants.