The Caged Butterfly by Marian L. ThomasMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Caged Butterfly is my first Marion L Thomas novel but I can safely say it will not be my last. I don't feel the need to ramble on about the complexities of the plot or how each character felt rich in my gut and stood out in full color in my head; all of that is true, of course, but that's not why I held an electronic device to my chest after reading the last page. That's a thing I do, physically hold onto books in an effort to extend the connection that was made just a tad longer. The act was well earned here.
A simple/not simple at all way to describe The Caged Butterfly would be Gone With the Wind meets Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. There was a sweeping sense to the story that felt vaguely Legends of the Fall ish. And while it's definitely not of the same subject matter, it has the romanticism of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and much of the backdrop racism found in To Kill a Mockingbird and The Bluest Eye. Anyone who enjoyed any of the books I brought up here will understand what I am trying to convey as to how well done this novel truly is.
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