Books I've Read: The Blackwoods

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I'm a film lover and anything to do with the movies and movie stars is right up my alley.  So this book instantly appealed to me because it's about a family with many generations of movie royalty.  A Black family, no less!

Spanning close to a century, the book focuses on Blossom Blackwood and her rise to fame in the segregation era where casting Black actors was rare, then parallels this with the stories of two great-granddaughters who live in the present day.  The family has benefitted greatly from Blossom's fame, with various members, including one of the great-granddaughters being actors.

Personally, I found Blossom's story more interesting than the modern day story.  The struggles and sacrifices she had to make to live her dream were heartbreaking.  But Blossom refused to give up and refused to compromise herself and her integrity even when it would have made opening closed doors easier for her.  And some of the choices she was forced to make were heartbreaking.

In contrast, the problems her great-granddaughters face seem trivial - leaked nude photos for Hollis and an uncharacteristic blow up at media for Ardith, the actress.  I felt that both these characters were a little thinly drawn and not different enough from each other to justify both their stories being told.

The book centres around a long-held family secret which is revealed after Blossom's death.  The details are spun out in the chapters outlining Blossom's life and career; the effect it has on the family as a whole are dealt with in the present day sections.

Overall, I enjoyed this one despite the present day story not being as compelling or interesting as the one from the past.  The details of Hollywood both past and present felt authentic and the author clearly shares my love of old movies!

But don't just listen to me.  Here's the blurb:

From Boston Globe/Horn Book Award–winning author Brandy Colbert comes the story of four generations of a Hollywood family—an unforgettable tale of ambition, fame, struggle, loss, and love in America.

The Blackwoods. Everyone knows their name. Blossom Blackwood burst onto the silver screen in 1962, and in the decades that followed, she would become one of the most celebrated actors of our time—and the matriarch of the most famous Black family in Hollywood. To her great-granddaughters, Hollis and Ardith, she has always just been Bebe. And when she passes away, it changes everything. Hollis Blackwood was never interested in fame. Still, she’s surrounded by it, whether at home with her family or at the prestigious Dupree Academy among Los Angeles’ elite.

When private photos of Hollis are leaked in the wake of Blossom’s death, she is thrust into the spotlight she’s long avoided—and finds that trust may be a luxury even she can’t afford. Ardith Blackwood has always lived in the public eye. A television star since childhood, she was perhaps closer with Blossom than anyone—especially after Ardith’s mother died in a drug overdose. Ever since, she has worked to be everything her family, her church, and the public want her to be. But as a family secret comes to light and the pressures from all sides begin to mount, she wonders what is left beneath the face she shows the world.

Weaving together the narratives of Hollis, Ardith, and Blossom, award-winning author Brandy Colbert tells an unforgettable story set in an America where everything is personal, and nothing is private.