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Returnable | Yes |
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Resolutions | Eligible for refund or replacement |
Return Window | 30 days from delivery |
Refund Timelines | Typically, an advance refund will be issued within 24 hours of a drop-off or pick-up. For returns that require physical verification, refund issuance may take up to 30 days after drop-off or pick up. Where an advance refund is issued, we will re-charge your payment method if we do not receive the correct item in original condition. See details here. |
Late fee | A late fee of 20% of the item price will apply if you complete the drop off or pick up after the ‘Return By Date’. |
Restocking fee | A restocking fee may apply if the item is not returned in original condition and original packaging, or is damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to Amazon or seller error. See details here. |
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The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel (Random House Large Print) Paperback – Large Print, September 12, 2023
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In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Moshe integrated his theater and where Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. When the state came looking for a deaf boy to institutionalize him, it was Chona and Nate Timblin, the Black janitor at Moshe’s theater and the unofficial leader of the Black community on Chicken Hill, who worked together to keep the boy safe.
As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us.
Bringing his masterly storytelling skills and his deep faith in humanity to The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride has written a novel as compassionate as Deacon King Kong and as inventive as The Good Lord Bird.
- Print length512 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherRandom House Large Print
- Publication dateSeptember 12, 2023
- Dimensions6.06 x 1.09 x 9.18 inches
- ISBN-100593743776
- ISBN-13978-0593743775
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- “Light is only possible through dialogue between cultures, not through rejection of one or the other.”Highlighted by 167 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Random House Large Print; Large type / Large print edition (September 12, 2023)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 512 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0593743776
- ISBN-13 : 978-0593743775
- Item Weight : 1.08 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.06 x 1.09 x 9.18 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
![James McBride](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41ZL7D4YL-L._SY600_.jpg)
James McBride is the author of the award-winning New York Times bestseller, The Color of Water. A former reporter for The Washington Post and People magazine, McBride holds a Masters degree in journalism from Columbia University and a B.A. from Oberlin College.
Photo from Goodreads.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the writing style well-written, colorful, and imaginative. They also say the characters are well-developed and the book is appealing and satisfying. Readers describe the themes as thought-provoking, gentle, and embracing all cultures. They describe the plot as surprisingly funny at times and sad at others. They say the storyline is great, historical, and emotional. Opinions are mixed on the complexity, with some finding it amazing and different, while others say it's confusing and disjointed at times.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the storyline great, worthwhile, and interesting. They also say the ending blew them away. Readers also say it's a must-read book on love, life, and different moral philosophies. They describe the writing as well-paced, imaginative, and beautifully portrayed.
"...It’s also just a damned good story!The narrative pulls you here and there, up and down, and when you meet Dodo, the sweet and barely..." Read more
"...McBride tells the story in an interesting way with complex dialogue and character development through flashbacks and memories that explain how and..." Read more
"A very unique tale. However, the ending left me up in the air with some of the other characters...." Read more
"...It also desperately needed humor. The book is grimly compelling. There are many profound and memorable moments in this book...." Read more
Customers find the writing style well-written, interesting, and beautifully written. They also mention that the book contains complex dialogue and character development.
"...McBride tells the story in an interesting way with complex dialogue and character development through flashbacks and memories that explain how and..." Read more
"...I found The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store to be a literary masterpiece full of beautiful prose, memorable characters, and a story that will keep you..." Read more
"...Beautifully written with moments of uproarious humor and stunning wisdom." Read more
"...The beginning chapters were rough. They didn't flow well as the cadence was off and therefore the story felt like it stumbled along ...." Read more
Customers find the characters in the book rich and detailed.
"...Early on, we meet the arresting Jewess, Chona. Chona is an unforgettable female protagonist—I’m keeping her in my journal of best. female...." Read more
"...the story in an interesting way with complex dialogue and character development through flashbacks and memories that explain how and why they are..." Read more
"...Store to be a literary masterpiece full of beautiful prose, memorable characters, and a story that will keep you wanting to read one more chapter..." Read more
"...The final outcome of the characters is satisfying and right. Great book!" Read more
Customers find the themes in the book thought-provoking, uplifting, and refreshing. They say it comprehensively examines race and religion in Pottstown, PA in 1930s America. Readers also mention that the book has them smiling, laughing, crying, and learning.
"...James McBride is a kind, gentle soul, and his writing reflects this—his ability to bring the world together in a novel. He honors humanity...." Read more
"...characters and their stories begin to connect and the result is an emotional, touching, sometimes infuriating, engrossing story...." Read more
"...Beautifully written with moments of uproarious humor and stunning wisdom." Read more
"...The book is grimly compelling. There are many profound and memorable moments in this book...." Read more
Customers find the narrative in the book historical, emotional, and seamless. They also appreciate the diverse characters and the interplay between them. Readers describe the book as an intensely honest, human book with characters they will always love. They say it's an interesting book about racism and the interactions between people. They mention that the book is an interesting read for book group discussions, and that the ethnic melding was written masterfully.
"...We all found the book realistic and a thought provoking read." Read more
"What an amazing writer. The stories of such diverse people and the interplay between them is spellbinding...." Read more
"...because of the engaging plot, the rich characters, and the humanity that it expressed. And he’s great at giving characters such colorful speech. “..." Read more
"This is a must read book on love, life, different moral philosophies. It is set around 1936 in small town Midwest...." Read more
Customers find the plot surprisingly funny at times, interesting, and playful. They also appreciate the sharp dialogue and great interwoven story. Customers also mention that the book has touches of humor, tragedy, and heartbreaking cruelty that create an eery prophecy.
"...Beautifully written with moments of uproarious humor and stunning wisdom." Read more
"...It’s an interesting story with many characters, sad and funny." Read more
"My headline says it all: this book is full of humor, shrewd insights into human bahavior, and has a surprisingly upbeat view of the potential of..." Read more
"...It was very interesting/sad to learn a little more about immigrants and African Americans and their experience and perspective in 1930s America...." Read more
Customers find the book appealing, satisfying, and full of lovely people. They also say it shines with the power of love in a community.
"...Jazz music conjures that raspy, soulful, edgy flavor, blended from a mix of cultures and harmonies...." Read more
"...I can't think of Monkey Pants without tears--so beautiful)" Read more
"...full of humor, shrewd insights into human bahavior, and has a surprisingly upbeat view of the potential of our society to overcome racism and other..." Read more
"This is a beautifully written book about ugly subjects...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the complexity of the book. Some find it relatable and full of wit, weaving different story lines together. They also find the interplay between the characters spellbinding and overwhelming. However, others find the writing confusing, chaotic, and disorganized. They say the story drags on with unnecessary details and is disjointed.
"...The stories of such diverse people and the interplay between them is spellbinding. The final outcome of the characters is satisfying and right...." Read more
"I start by saying I liked this book.. It seemed a little scattered as books go, The characters were all well developed and as a reader I..." Read more
"...Score one for book clubs! I found “the story” easy to follow in anticipation of finding out what happened in this community...." Read more
"This book had a very slow plodding disconnected and often confusing start...." Read more
Reviews with images
![Heart wrenching and heart warming novel](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/transparent-pixel._V192234675_.gif)
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This is the first book I’ve read by McBride (definitely more to come), so pardon my schoolgirlish, giggly first crush for the way that his writing lifts me up, how his words and characters opened my heart, only to break it, and then put it back together in a most absolute and tender way. James McBride is a kind, gentle soul, and his writing reflects this—his ability to bring the world together in a novel. He honors humanity. We are all connected, and this author compels that naturally from his characters. Now, how great is that, yeah?
I want to put this in your hands and promise you a magnificent reading experience. It starts off in a shaggy dog kind of way, with an ensemble of characters, several who possess whimsical names like Fatty, Big Soap, Monkey Pants, Dodo. And their names fit flawlessly to their nature. The story starts with a 1972 prologue—a human skeleton is found in an old abandoned well, and then the body of the story begins in 1936 in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, a place called Chicken Hill, where Jews, immigrants, and Black folks lived side by side, sometimes in harmony, other times in discord, but here’s the thing—the goodness of people, the kindness of their hearts—that is what ultimately rises to the top.
For the story to unfold, there has to be some sinister aspects, too—aren’t we still fighting the fight of ignorance, bigotry, corruption, meanness? But, in the McBride world, well, we also follow the long stretch of yarn as it wends around this way and that, through streets and backyards, dirt roads, onto hills and a shul and a church, through tunnels and a dance hall. And The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store.
I don’t need to rehash the plot, but there are a few fun facts about this book worth mentioning in a review. Such as, there are an abundance of characters introduced early on, and then again later on, before the plot actually launches. That’s the shaggy part. We don’t get to the plot too quickly—instead, Mcbride takes his time, builds the characters. They are already leaping off the pages by the time the plot rolls in.
There are subplots, too, but in the end, they all weave their chords and come together. McBride may slow your roll at first, but it’s a winning bonanza of breadth and depth, from the smallest detail to the broadest design. Scenes that seem initially inconsequential become key notes later on.
Early on, we meet the arresting Jewess, Chona. Chona is an unforgettable female protagonist—I’m keeping her in my journal of best. female. characters. ever. She is handicapped with a limp—but her limp doesn’t stop her strength of purpose, her fierce dignity, her bounteous benevolence, her gentle grace, and her consummate integrity. You will fall in love with her, just like Moshe, the theater and dance hall owner, did. Moshe and Chona dared to welcome change and inclusivity to their part of the world.
At this time, in the 1930s, Black people were almost exclusively cast in menial jobs. But Moshe books Black jazz bands to play at his theater, and successfully includes all tribes together at the dance hall, who “frolicked and laughed, dancing as if they were birds enjoying flight for the first time.” Chona runs the grocery store, and extends credit to anyone who can’t afford to pay; she rarely keeps a record of their debt. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store may lose money, but it is rich in goodwill and kindness.
Back to this being like a musical book—a jazzy book. Jazz music conjures that raspy, soulful, edgy flavor, blended from a mix of cultures and harmonies. McBride embraces those diverse, insistent, zingy, soul-stirring rhythms and blues into the narrative threads of his novel. I can hear the swing and the chase, the boogie and the blues, the sounds that go everywhere at once and jelly roll the story within a complex set of fusion and feelings. It’s also just a damned good story!
The narrative pulls you here and there, up and down, and when you meet Dodo, the sweet and barely teenaged deaf kid, your protective instincts will wrap yourself around him and never want to let him go. And, when Dodo meets Monkey Pants—well, this right there—the heart of the novel that will break you in pieces.
At times, I had a wellspring of tears—not just for joy or anguish. Sure, comedy and tragedy fill these pages. But McBride’s natural humanity and gentle nature is the colossal, phenomenal heart of the book. The author steps aside, he doesn’t ever intrude. The core of the narrative are the characters. Their cacophony becomes a coda for living large.
This tale made me want to be better, to do better, to open my eyes to all the missed connections, to fix the broken chords and forge new ones, and seek eternally to strengthen them. We are humanity, we are the essential substance to add love to the world, one modest good deed at a time. That is The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store.
When the title was selected as our book club read for August, however, I knew it was time to pull it from the shelf and give it a try, and am I ever glad I did!
I found The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store to be a literary masterpiece full of beautiful prose, memorable characters, and a story that will keep you wanting to read one more chapter simply to meet more of its interesting characters, folks with names like Fatty, Paper, Dodo, and Monkey Pants, with personalities as bold and well-developed as their names might suggest.
Top reviews from other countries
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Unusual, historical and draws you in, a page turner.
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Disappointing book