Dollbaby

By Laura Lane McNeal

Book Overview

A big-hearted coming-of-age debut set in civil rights-era New Orleans--a novel of Southern eccentricity and secrets When Ibby Bell's father dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1964, her mother unceremoniously deposits Ibby with her eccentric grandmother Fannie and throws in her father's urn for good measure. Fannie's New Orleans house is like no place Ibby has ever been--and Fannie, who has a tendency to end up in the local asylum--is like no one she has ever met. Fortunately, Fannie's black cook, Queenie, and her smart-mouthed daughter, Dollbaby, take it upon themselves to initiate Ibby into the ways of the South, both its grand traditions and its darkest secrets. For Fannie's own family history is fraught with tragedy, hidden behind the closed rooms in her ornate Uptown mansion. It will take Ibby's arrival to begin to unlock the mysteries there. And it will take Queenie and Dollbaby's hard-won wisdom to show Ibby that family can sometimes be found in the least expected places. For fans of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and The Help , Dollbaby brings to life the charm and unrest of 1960s New Orleans through the eyes of a young girl learning to understand race for the first time. By turns uplifting and funny, poignant and full of verve, Dollbaby is a novel readers will take to their hearts.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0143127497
• ISBN13: 9780143127499
• Release Date: June 2015
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.2" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

my new favorite

hits all the feels. Sad, angry, nervous from suspense, laughing out loud, and feelings of home. I cant bear to part with this book now and didnt want it to end. Lots of history of New Orleans and ways of life. You wont regret reading if you like HF.

Such a great book

Loved this Southern, atmospheric first novel and will be eagerly awaiting a new one.

This book is a testament to people of different races loving each other and their enduring loyalty a

I just finished “Dollbaby”. I cried so much at the end. I never expected the ending to be the way it was. This was a most wonderful book. Everyone should read it..... especially now. It shows endurance and fortitude to go on through adversity. It shows how to be kind and understanding and to be strong for yourself and others.