The third book in the series that started with A Virtuous Ruby and continued with A Most Precious Pearl, A Treasure of Gold takes place entirely in Pittsburgh. Nettie, the middle sister of five, has moved to Pittsburgh to stay with her older sisters after spending a couple of years touring the country leading revival meetings. After the death of one of the ministers, she is trying to find a new life in Pittsburgh, which starts on a dramatic note when she saves the life of a numbers man who was shot in a nearby alley.
Jay lost his first wife to a wasting disease and is raising his daughter Goldie on his own. Nettie's family thinks Jay is a gangster who runs a gambling hall, but he's also something of an unofficial bank for black people who are unable to get loans or support from commercial banks. Nettie becomes his daughter's nanny and runs a church school for black children when their school closes for weeks at a time due to overcrowding.
Much like in A Most Precious Pearl, I found the plot devices that kept Nettie and Jay apart to be more frustrating than compelling, but the overall setting and world of the book was really interesting. All three books have had detailed bibliographies that I will definitely be checking out once I've completed this challenge, but on the whole the story itself didn't do a whole lot for me.
Grade: C
Jay lost his first wife to a wasting disease and is raising his daughter Goldie on his own. Nettie's family thinks Jay is a gangster who runs a gambling hall, but he's also something of an unofficial bank for black people who are unable to get loans or support from commercial banks. Nettie becomes his daughter's nanny and runs a church school for black children when their school closes for weeks at a time due to overcrowding.
Much like in A Most Precious Pearl, I found the plot devices that kept Nettie and Jay apart to be more frustrating than compelling, but the overall setting and world of the book was really interesting. All three books have had detailed bibliographies that I will definitely be checking out once I've completed this challenge, but on the whole the story itself didn't do a whole lot for me.
Grade: C
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