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On the Rooftop
On the Rooftop | Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
10 posts | 14 read | 14 to read
A stunning novel about a mother whose dream of musical stardom for her three daughters collides with the daughters' ambitions for their own lives--set against the backdrop of gentrifying 1950s San FranciscoAt home they are just sisters, but on stage, they are The Salvations. Ruth, Esther, and Chloe have been singing and dancing in harmony since they could speak. Thanks to the rigorous direction of their mother, Vivian, they've become a bona fide girl group whose shows are the talk of the Jazz-era Fillmore.Now Vivian has scored a once-in-a-lifetime offer from a talent manager, who promises to catapult The Salvations into the national spotlight. Vivian knows this is the big break she's been praying for. But sometime between the hours of rehearsal on their rooftop and the weekly gigs at the Champagne Supper Club, the girls have become women, women with dreams that their mother cannot imagine.The neighborhood is changing, too: all around the Fillmore, white men in suits are approaching Black property owners with offers. One sister finds herself called to fight back, one falls into the comfort of an old relationship, another yearns to make her own voice heard. And Vivian, who has always maintained control, will have to confront the parts of her life that threaten to splinter: the community, The Salvations, and even her family.Warm, gripping, and wise, with echoes of Fiddler on the Roof, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton's latest novel is a moving family portrait from "a writer of uncommon nerve and talent" (New York Times Book Review).
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review
ChantalReads
On the Rooftop | Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
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Mehso-so

This is so much like Fiddler on the Roof; obviously, the setting and characters are different, but the themes and plot are strikingly similar.
I did find myself having to reread many passages - I just am not a big fan of the writing.

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GidgetsTreasures75
On the Rooftop | Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
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Pickpick

11-17-22: My 115th finished book of 2022! It‘s 1953 in the San Francisco neighborhood called the Fillmore. Vivian, a mother to 3 talented singers, is trying to make them stars. Known as The Salvations, Ruth, Esther, & Chole seem to want to make it big and are due to audition for a club in LA, but now that they are adults, their priorities are changing. A portrait of a family who love one another deeply and care for their community.

GidgetsTreasures75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣1️⃣1️⃣5️⃣ 2y
9 likes1 comment
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Cathyloves2read
On the Rooftop | Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
Mehso-so

This book was different than I expected. All in all, I found it to be mediocre. As I read it, there were times I thought to myself that I‘m not the right audience for the story. I didn‘t especially find any of the characters likable. I thought the book would get more into the music aspect than it did.

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MaureenMc
On the Rooftop | Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
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Pickpick

Engaging and beautifully written story of a mother‘s dreams for her girl group daughters, and what happens when the daughters‘ own dreams diverge from hers. I enjoyed getting to know Vivian, Ruth, Esther and Chloe, and their friends and family in 1950s San Francisco. The author noted in her acknowledgments that she wrote this book as an homage to Fiddler on the Roof. As soon as I read that, I could see how she did that. 🤯

Cathythoughts Lovely review ❤️👍🏻 2y
MaureenMc @Cathythoughts Thank you. 😊 2y
44 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Aims42
On the Rooftop | Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
Mehso-so

This was a #GoodNotGreat and a #BorrowDontBuy read for me. I feel like there was so much happening that the author couldn‘t really give any one storyline the attention needed to make this a great read. I just kept thinking, “And then what happened? No, don‘t jump to her, go back to the other plot and dig deep!!” A strong “meh” 3 star, so-so read.

EvieBee I returned the audio to the library and chocked it up to a reading slump but now thinking it just didn‘t grab me. 2y
Aims42 @EvieBee Yep, definitely didn‘t grab me either. I think this was the slowest I‘ve ever read a 290 page book because I just couldn‘t muster the energy to want to continue 😒 2y
27 likes2 comments
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Aims42
On the Rooftop | Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
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Windows open on Oct. 10? No complaints!! 😍 My current read is a good, not great read. For some reason I can‘t get swept away with the story. I‘ll finish it, the story is good, just not a “OMG, I have to put everything else on hold so I can devour this book” 🫤

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Hooked_on_books
On the Rooftop | Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
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Mehso-so

Stage mom Vivian wants her daughters to fulfill her music dreams by becoming a girl group. I‘ve read and liked MWS before, but this one didn‘t hit for me. I liked the premise, but I feel like she tried to do too much and didn‘t do justice to many of the plot lines. There‘s one plot point in particular that is dropped in and should reverberate but doesn‘t, and that bothered me.

Megabooks I have this out from the library now. I won‘t go in with high expectations. 2y
MyNamesParadise Oh dang. I bought this one bc it‘s a Reese‘s book club pick but I‘m not expecting it to be one of my favorites. 2y
46 likes1 stack add2 comments
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marleed
On the Rooftop | Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
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Pickpick

I saw this cover and dove in without reading what the story was about. The story envisioned about a black 50s girl group was really just the setup for a bigger story of three sisters‘ struggles to live (or not) their mama‘s dreams. Once I got over my misconception, I really liked it. ↓

marleed As a Reese Witherspoon selection I could vividly imagine the atmosphere in a screen adaptation. 2y
74 likes5 stack adds1 comment
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KristiAhlers
On the Rooftop | Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
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Pickpick

Today was dads last follow up Dr appointment and whilst he had an echocardiogram done I kept company with this read! This is so good. Told from multiple POV‘s this is a story about family and dreams and there was so much emotion. Truly enjoyed this one. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

jlhammar I really enjoyed The Revisioners and am very intrigued by the Fiddler on the Roof echoes mentioned in the description. Look forward to giving this one a try! 2y
KristiAhlers @jlhammar this was my first time reading her. But I‘ll definitely look for her other title. She‘s got a beautiful writing voice. 2y
56 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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jlhammar
On the Rooftop | Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
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September BookPage has arrived! Looking forward to the new Margaret Wilkerson Sexton. I think it is the new Reese‘s Book Club pick. I really enjoyed her last novel, The Revisioners.