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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In 1972 in the small town of Pottstown, Pennsylvania a skeleton was found at the bottom of a well. The residents of the Chicken Hill neighborhood hold the long held secret to what happened 47 years prior. This is their story. It is a story of how “kindness, love and principle” rule the world. A story that despite out difference, we are always one tribe.
This is what I would call a 500 advanced level book, one appropriate for the master’s level readers. Unfortunately, I may only be at a graduating senior level.
James McBride weaves a very intricately woven story of the diverse neighbors that live on the margins of the white, Christian town of Pottstown, PA. The first half of the book is spent weaving the web, the underlying connection, indebtedness and history that connect these many residents. This builds the tension for the second half, but feels somewhat slow and disjointed at times. Given the large cast of characters and the relationships, at times I had trouble following the silky threads, needing to reread or go back and look up information. The book definitely picked up at the halfway point and while I feel like I understood the underlying themes, they sometimes got lost in the web, unless the author randomly hit you over the head with some preachy parts. How the author resolved the plot lines was both expected and unexpected leaving me a little perplexed.
Overall, a good book with some challenging themes and fantastic writing, but requires a lot of thought and concentration, detailed note taking and some synthesis that I may or may not have interpreted correctly. (I’m just glad there is not a test
This is what I would call a 500 advanced level book, one appropriate for the master’s level readers. Unfortunately, I may only be at a graduating senior level.
James McBride weaves a very intricately woven story of the diverse neighbors that live on the margins of the white, Christian town of Pottstown, PA. The first half of the book is spent weaving the web, the underlying connection, indebtedness and history that connect these many residents. This builds the tension for the second half, but feels somewhat slow and disjointed at times. Given the large cast of characters and the relationships, at times I had trouble following the silky threads, needing to reread or go back and look up information. The book definitely picked up at the halfway point and while I feel like I understood the underlying themes, they sometimes got lost in the web, unless the author randomly hit you over the head with some preachy parts. How the author resolved the plot lines was both expected and unexpected leaving me a little perplexed.
Overall, a good book with some challenging themes and fantastic writing, but requires a lot of thought and concentration, detailed note taking and some synthesis that I may or may not have interpreted correctly. (I’m just glad there is not a test
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So. Good.
This novel contains all kind of commentary on racism, xenophobia, immigration, the false claim of the "American dream," ableism, and so much more.
This book reads like Midaq Alley and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; just about each chapter delves into a different character's life, and it has the feel of books I've read that were written and published some 60 years ago.
There are a lot of characters, but the author provides context so often that it's never difficult to keep track of who is who. And I love all the characters. I love the way each one is portrayed. How we seewhat Doc Roberts thinks of the immigrants entering the community, the guilt Chona feels when she realises what she's put her husband through, all of Dodo's anguish and fear. I love that, though Bernice is shy and mostly closed-off, she does what she can without hesitation to protect Dodo. I love that Paper is initially presented to the reader as a gossiper and a woman that breaks a man's heart every month, and later on the reader sees that she is also resourceful and kind. Addie and Nate, though we don't see much of their relationship until maybe halfway through the book, have a strong bond. Nate has a past, and Addie only cares for who she sees in him right then. Chona is... well, she's kind and does what is right and is not afraid to speak out on what is wrong. She kept her store open even though it was costing her and Moshe money, because it served children and adults who couldn't afford groceries. Moshe seems to lead a stressful life tbh, but he has so much love for his wife.
In this novel, we see a community come together to achieve a common goal: saving a boy who the state thinks should be sent to an asylum, because he's deaf and "possibly dumb."
McBride does an excellent job of making readers feel and care for his characters. There are novels that keep one entertained with their action, and there are novels that keep readers hooked because the characters are so well explored and the prose is just that captivating. All that goes on - all the action that goes on - in this novel could've probably been written in 100 pages or less. And I'm so glad it wasn't. The reader is provided with so much context that it feels like they are a part of the story.
That being said, I did feel like something was missing from the ending. Maybe that it was kind of rushed?
I can overlook that, though, because this is such a captivating, thought-provoking read.
This novel contains all kind of commentary on racism, xenophobia, immigration, the false claim of the "American dream," ableism, and so much more.
This book reads like Midaq Alley and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; just about each chapter delves into a different character's life, and it has the feel of books I've read that were written and published some 60 years ago.
There are a lot of characters, but the author provides context so often that it's never difficult to keep track of who is who. And I love all the characters. I love the way each one is portrayed. How we see
In this novel, we see a community come together to achieve a common goal: saving a boy who the state thinks should be sent to an asylum, because he's deaf and "possibly dumb."
McBride does an excellent job of making readers feel and care for his characters. There are novels that keep one entertained with their action, and there are novels that keep readers hooked because the characters are so well explored and the prose is just that captivating. All that goes on - all the action that goes on - in this novel could've probably been written in 100 pages or less. And I'm so glad it wasn't. The reader is provided with so much context that it feels like they are a part of the story.
That being said, I did feel like something was missing from the ending. Maybe that it was kind of rushed?
I can overlook that, though, because this is such a captivating, thought-provoking read.
The title made me not super interested in this one, but it was much better than I expected. Defn worth a read.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Glad that I read this book. I tried to when Book Vlub read it but just couldn’t t get into it, re-started it and really liked it. Sad, friendship, love, unfairness, understanding, trust.