Evaristo has been praised for her historical approach within Blonde Roots. On Bookmarks May/June 2009 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a (4.00 out of 5) from based on critic reviews with a critical summary saying, "Transcending labels and genres, Blonde Roots is an enthralling, eye-opening story".[4][5]
In the UK, The Independent declared: "In her new novel, Bernardine Evaristo, never one to shrink from an experiment, has taken her boldest step to date and turned the whole thing on its head... One of the best things about this book is its bittersweet, riotous humour...Running through these pages is not just a feisty, hyperactive imagination asking 'what if', but the unhealed African heart with the question, 'how does it feel?'. This is a powerful gesture of thematic ownership by one of the UK’s most unusual and challenging writers."[6] Meanwhile, Publishers Weekly in the US stated: "British novelist Evaristo delivers an astonishing, uncomfortable and beautiful alternative history that goes back several centuries to flip the slave trade....Evaristo's intellectually rigorous narrative constantly surprises.... This difficult and provocative book is a conversation sparker."[7]
