Quote:
Originally Posted by BelleZora
The racism that permeated the characters’ attitudes was uncomfortable as it always is in a book that accurately reflects culture and era. But I am even less comfortable with historical novels that do not reflect prevailing attitudes so that the writer and readers can all feel better. If old books are expurgated and new historical novels free from the taint of racism, who can then understand the pain of the past and the enormous courage of the people who stood against it?
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A Town Like Alice is not a historical novel. Historical fiction is fiction written in the past. The author's past. This is a contemporary piece of fiction given when it is about and when it was written.
Overall, I liked the story. But the way in which it was written leaves something to be desired.