Betsey Brown Thoughts

I would agree with the short review on the cover of Shange's book that calls the novel "exuberantly engaging!" I liked most of the novel very much. I feel that Shange has a knack for bringing characters and situations to life, so much so that at times I could almost smell Miss Carrie's cooking or Jane's exotic perfume. I think her descriptive language is so vivid and rich that it would be a rewarding undertaking for a filmmaker to bring this work to the big screen. I loved the characters, especially Miss Carrie and Vida who represent opposite ends of the black class spectrum during the late 1950's. The setting of the late 1950's is an interesting choice, since it is before the civil rights movement that the history books correspond to. There are many moments in the book where tension, or a gathering of momentum builds that helps to set the stage for the historic developments of the 1960's. What I didn't like about the book (page 90 to be exact) was the abrupt shift from the Regina/Roscoe romance to the topic of bussing. I kept wondering if maybe the book was missing a few pages that would have explained the transition. After that, each time the suggestion of racism or cultural differences was mentioned, it was almost as if Shange felt obligated to weave historical events into the story to give it merit. I think her storytelling was good enough that she didn't need to do that. Another troublesome aspect for me was the relationship between Jane and Greer. Their marriage did not seem at all realistic. Given the pressures of a large family and the difficult social climate, the two of them seemed to be on a never-ending honeymoon, at least until Jane left to 'find herself." Who has the luxury of doing that in real life? I'm guessing Shange doesn't have a house full of kids, because if she did, Jane and Greer would never have been carrying on the way they did -- sex before dinner, sex till the sun came up. In real life they'd probably be passed out in front of the t.v. by 9:00.