Reviews for Between Madison and Palmetto

The average rating for Between Madison and Palmetto based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-08-05 00:00:00 Eduardo Braun "Sometimes...it seems as though not a moment has moved, but then you look up and you're already old or you already have a household of kids or you look down and see your feet are miles and miles away from the rest of you'and you realize you've grown up." 'Ms. Dell, Between Madison and Palmetto, P. 19 "Sometimes...you have to try to forget people you love just so you can keep living." 'Cooper Thompson, Between Madison and Palmetto, PP. 70-71 This third book about Margaret, Maizon and the rest of the memorable and very human characters that live in their neighborhood is, in my view, a worthy companion to the initial two volumes. It seems that Jacqueline Woodson has allowed herself some more space in the pages of this story just to muse on the people, and to get into their minds from her own third-person perspective so as to let us see what each of them are feeling about the events that are going on in their lives. Interestingly enough, "Last Summer With Maizon" was narrated from Margaret's first-person view and "Maizon at Blue Hill" was told from Maizon's first-person perspective, but "Between Madison and Palmetto" is the only one of the three to go the third-person route. As in the first two installments, nothing really big or flashy or shocking goes on in "Between Madison and Palmetto", yet a subtle story of love and hope and big issues surfaces on its own, sort of as if Jacqueline Woodson were simply letting this quiet, lovely community of people have a story that speaks for itself. The emotional perception of the story is remarkable, making this a treasure that can benefit any kind of reader. The set of three books in the "trilogy", of sorts, makes for excellent, thought-provoking reading, and gets my high recommendation. "But it's what the world does to people. It makes some of us feel ugly and it makes some of us look like criminals, like angry fools." 'Cooper, P. 84 "Life...moves us through all the time changes. All kinds of changes. And we're made so that we roll and move with it. Sometimes somebody gets stuck in the present and the rolling stops'but the changing doesn't." 'Ms. Dell, P. 26

Review # 2 was written on 2019-01-21 00:00:00 Umberto Lanzafame It probably would have behooved me well to read the first two books in the series first, but...oh well...too late now... Between Madison and Palmetto packs a lot of punch for such a short book. Margaret and Maizon are growing up and trying to figure out what their lives will look like. One thinks she's too thin, the other thinks she's too fat; they're trying to better understand what makes life hard for them as young black girls, and what is different about life for young black boys. There's race talk and body talk and money talk and family talk. Is it too much for such a short book? Maybe. But it works anyway, I think because there's no expectation that any of the (major!) plot points will be fully explored or fully resolved. They come out of the book having learned some things about race, for now. Maizon is building a new relationship with her father, for now. Margaret has a budding romance, for now. It's very nicely understated: a snapshot, but one where the depth is in the details.