Victoria Christopher Murray

The life of Bell da Costa Greene (nee' Belle Greener) is important to the history of our nation. That being said, this book should have been written as a nonfiction biography. Readers will know up front that they are reading to learn something. Yes, the novel can instruct, but as biographical fiction, there were several problems. First of all, there really wasn't a "story" here. The plot was her life. It was BORING in many parts...I love books, but the characters were buying books and art and the conflict was about who could outbid other collectors. (Who cares?!)
Novels can also get into the heart and soul of the characters. I never felt that in this story. She is rather flat as a character. Belle lamented about having to be white in the public, but "colored" when she came home and laid her head down on her pillow. We know this because she states it but, we, as readers, don't get deep enough into her interior life to feel her experience. The romance in the book was slightly more interesting, but her vacillating about her love interest's despicable behavior doesn't seem to be in line with her character's personality- a strong, educated and business savvy career woman who can read a room and use her people skills to out- maneuver social and business competitors.
What really made this book painful to read was that the authors created stilted dialogues between characters written to "instruct" the readers on art, racial issues, history, and feminism. I skimmed most of these lectures/monologues. Overall, I found it a chore to read. I only completed it because it was a selection for my book club.… (mer)

An entertaining and unobjectionable fictionalization of the true story of Belle da Costa Greene, the respected and celebrated librarian responsible for helping JP Morgan assemble his formidable library in turn-of-the-century New York - who was, in fact, Belle Greener, a black woman passing as white.

I'm always intrigued by the choices that authors make when fictionalizing historical personages. Authors Benedict and Murray have chosen perhaps the safest path, characterizing Greener as bold but not too bold (she's saucy but knows better than to offend her mentor), passionate but not too passionate, paranoid about being discovered but not so paranoid that she takes drastic precautions, such as disowning her family. Not that I'm dinging their choices. There's nothing here that feels offputtingly anachronistic, and Greene's struggle to reconcile the radical ideals of her father with the conservative rationalizations of her mother authentically represents both sides of the issue. Just saying that other authors might have crafted this into quite a different story ... something more nuanced and complex, but probably also harder to market.

And there's more here to enjoy than Greene's story. The authors have incorporated an exploration of the considerations involved in assembling & curating a large collection, insights into the history of rare manuscripts, and an opportunity to gape at the excesses of the uber-wealthy (the "red party" that Greene attends is particularly outrageous). All this was enough for me to forgive the relatively pedestrian writing style, shallow characterizations, and lackluster dialog.

While Benedict and Murray may have chosen a relatively safe and conservative interpretation of the historical facts, at least they've shaped them into an entertaining and informative read.… (mer)

This biographical novel was about the little-known Belle da Costa Greene, the "personal librarian" of wealthy financier J. P. Morgan and curator of his originally-private library/museum.  Greene was born Belle Marion Greener in 1879 to African-American parents, but changed her name to aid in passing as white.  The "da Costa" was to indicate a Portuguese heritage as an explanation for a darker complexion.  Her mother and all her siblings also changed their surname to Greene, to separate themselves from their estranged husband/father, Richard Greener, a racial justice advocate, so they could all pass as white.

As I've noted in other reviews of her work, I'm not particularly fond of Marie Benedict's writing style, and this book (like the others of hers I've read) was overly long and detailed.  And yet, I continue to read her books, because she chooses interesting, little-known women to write about.  She did have a co-author for this one,  African-American Victoria Christopher Murray, which was a plus.  I also appreciate their sharing of the sources they used in the post-novel historical note.… (mer)