Book Summary and Reviews of The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls

by Anissa Gray

  • Critics' Consensus (6):
  • Readers' Rating (41):
  • Published:
  • Feb 2019, 304 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

For fans of The Mothers and an American Marriage, this dazzling debut novel is about mothers and daughters, identity and family, and how the relationships that sustain you can also be the ones that consume you.

The Butler family has had their share of trials - as sisters Althea, Viola, and Lillian can attest - but nothing prepared them for the literal trial that will upend their lives.

Althea, the eldest sister and substitute matriarch, is a force to be reckoned with and her younger sisters have alternately appreciated and chafed at her strong will. They are as stunned as the rest of the small community when she and her husband Proctor are arrested, and in a heartbeat the family goes from one of the most respected in town to utter disgrace. The worst part is, not even her sisters are sure exactly what happened.

As Althea awaits her fate, Lillian and Viola must come together in the house they grew up in to care for their sister's teenage daughters. What unfolds is a stunning portrait of the heart and core of an American family in a story that is as page-turning as it is important.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Alternating among each sister's perspective, the story unravels at a measured pace, deliciously feeding the reader surprises about the past and present throughout. This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Caroline Leavitt's Cruel Beautiful World (2016), Tayari Jones' An American Marriage (2018), and other family dramas." - Booklist

"This is perfect for fans of Brit Bennett's The Mothers; readers will be deeply affected by this story of a family wrestling to support itself." - Publishers Weekly

"A deep dive into the shifting alliances and betrayals among siblings." - Kirkus

"I was immediately taken by the power and honesty of Anissa Gray's voice. She is a writer to watch, and this debut is not to be missed!" - Terry McMillan, New York Times bestselling author of I Almost Forgot About You and Waiting to Exhale

"A trio of sisters navigate the tricky waters of forgiveness in Gray's heartfelt, beautifully written debut...Get an extra copy for your best friend or your own sister; this is one you're going to want to talk about." - Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

"Gray beautifully captures the way strong women can piece a community back together, taking care of their loved ones while still figuring out how to care for themselves. A graceful debut that feels timely and important." - Karin Tanabe, author of The Gilded Years

This information about The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Anissa Gray Author Biography

Anissa Gray is the author of the novel The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls. She is also an award-winning journalist whose work has been featured in The Washington Post, CNN, and The Cut. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her wife.

Author Interview

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