Customer Reviews

Black Gold

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ms. Bunkley earns several accolades from me for her BLACK GOLD. It was refreshing to see the author develop every character in this story. If I attempted to name them I would have to honestly say everyone of them was equally and vividly depicted. It was as if you saw each character in the flesh or at least knew someone that looked just like that; almost a 3-D effect. Her scene depictions were also almost tangible. The time the author spent in recreating the era was truly appreciated, although I was slightly partial to the inclusion of Baton Rouge.

I think many African-American women could identify on some level with Lela, the Black and Beautiful heroine--Whether it was in the strength derived from a benevolent and custodial grandmother, or in finding and clinging to (whatever) "family" that is there for you when it seems you have no one else, or in being attracted to and/or marrying the wrong man...men, or in making mistakes, or in finding the inner fortitude to go on and overshadow your mistakes and bad choices and lastly by overcoming adversity. I can't say enough about the true Black gold I found or identified with in this book.

I only wish I can give the same weight of praise to the books ability to strike the heart aflame with its love scenes. But that withstanding, I truly enjoyed this historical redention by Ms. Bunkley and found it interesting and worth the reading. I wish some other authors would take as much time with their character development and research, as is evidenced by BLACK GOLD.

I am a big fan of Anita Richmond Bunkley's work. Her attention to detail and character development are first rate.

Black Gold was enthralling because it had the classic elements of family, love, greed and betrayal. Bunkley is a master storyteller and brings this novel full circle with a bitter twist on the heroine's love affair.

I especially appreciated the fact that the heroine, Lela, was not perfect. Although Lela was maniuplative and driven, she was realistic. She was someone I could imagine. I also enjoyed the treatment that Mrs. Bunkley provided for Carey, who I found intriguing.

I've always loved romance novels, but I've moved away from the fluffy beach reads and have embraced the more substantial genre embodied by this novel.

I enjoyed being involved with the characters. Bunkley really draws her readers in the stories. This book was well written with the show of a developed style. The author manages to keep your interest throughout the book.

Good Story!!!!

This book had engaging characters which were descriptively developed. There was a theme of greed, family ties and manipulation. Some would say the book was a bit too descriptive, slow to develop and left you hanging in parts

Black Gold was the first book I read by Anita Bunkley. I also enjoyed her other historical books such as Wild Embers.
This book opened my eyes to a whole new world that I did not know existed, Black Texas Oilers. After reading this book, I started researching the the topic and was in awe of the part of our history that is not recognized in books or films. As an aspiring film maker/screenwriter, I would love to turn this book into a film. Anita Bunkley did an excellent job in developing the characters, story, inputing the historical aspect, yet keeping the suspense. We need more books of this nature in our community to show we are more than stereotypes. We have depth and a strong history of people who strive against the odds and put in some serious hard work to accomplish the unthinkable.

I had never heard of this author before another author I admired recommened her. I liked the book very much. Character development is excellent. The reasons I gave the book a 4 rather than a five is for the following reasons:

One, I know this is not a romance novel. So I did not expect that many love scenes. However, I felt that the loves scenes that did come up wasn't well thought out and surely deserved more than 5 or 6 sentences.

There are few other things I want to mention that did not sit well with me regarding the cars vs. wagons, etc. I don't have the book close now to include excerpts.

However, Black Gold was an excellent read, and highly recommend it if you love good writing and story telling. This isn't a romance novel. I thought I would warn the romance fans. Serious readers please dare to read this book.

This was a great book!!! I'm glad when I can put a book down and realize I've learned something new about the history of the country. Anita Richmond Bunkley certainly did her research when she wrote this story. I held my attention the entire time I was reading it. There was never a dull moment within the pages of this book. "Black Gold" is simply a good read. I hope others will pick it up...because you want be disappointed!!!

Anita's work was recommended to me, and I'm glad I listened: I was swept up in the saga from the jump, and the characters seemed so real, I could literally see them and feel their emotions. Leela was a wonderful heroine, always dealing with the hand she was dealt, but never settling for less. It must have been hard to remain principled through such trials and tribulations, but her courage was inspirational. The other characters were also stunningly depicted, and the story was so enthralling that I sat through 3 LUNCH BREAKS W/ OUT EATING just so I could finish! Wonderful, lush novel: If you are a fan of historical romance, pick it up: you won't be sorry!

It took several attempts to continue reading the story! I must say I'm glad I stuck it out. This book turned out to be one of the best I've read in a long time. It was refreshing to see Leela portrayed as a strong minded African American. A woman who was smart, patient and self sufficient, who didn't give into the brash, sweet talking ways of Carey . It served as an inspiation for young African American women of today to set their goals and not be misdirected or distracted while achieving them. This was one book I found myself not being able to put down after the first couple of chapters.

The book was very descriptive. I felt as if I had taken a journey into history and had witness the entire saga. I personally felt the feelings of love as well as sadness with each character. I would definitely suggest this to others to read as well as the entire Cirle of Friends Book Club II.