Reviews

The Darker Face of the Earth by Rita Dove

saberchild's review

4.5

Strong scenes, very colorful characters. I don't know if the overarching theme came across to me, but the smaller messages were communicated well. Would love to watch this on the stage or screen.

gaviaroma's review

challenging dark informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

freddie's review

3.0

Interesting reinterpretation of the Oedipus Rex story. The characters may feel a bit thin, but the story feels somewhat fresh.

books_and_cha's review

5.0

My friend suggested we go see a staged reading of this play, and that's how I first stumbled along this work. Rita Dove came to the showing, and I wanted to do my research before I met her. I read her collection, Thomas and Beulah, before the showing, and while it was an enjoyable read, I didn't love it. I went to the showing with an open mind, and I loved the play. It was so powerful, especially the second act when everything churns and comes together like a tornado. The writing itself was lyrical and beautiful. It was dark, twisted, hard-hitting and absolutely brilliant.
The characters were great. While I wasn't sympathetic towards Augustus and Amahlia, I really loved Phoebe (she was my favorite).

ellasm's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

kaciecrider's review

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

illybelliot's review

4.0

This was a really enjoyable read once you got a little way into the play. I found it fairly predictable but I imagine it would probably be performed very well on stage. I found the characters hard to separate and kept getting them muddled up but this soon disappeared and you were left with very detailed characters that you could imagine thoroughly.

karianne791's review

4.0

Interesting retelling of Oedipus. Even if you know the host text and can predict the events somewhat, it is still entertaining and a new spin on the Oedipus most people are familiar with.

supermanabi's review against another edition

4.0

Let me begin by saying this particular review is for both the original version of The Darker Face of the Earth published in 1994 and the completely revised version that was published in 1996. These two stories are very different, but they’re both amazing reads. In fact, I think I got even more from the story by reading both versions—drastically alternate endings and all—than I originally had from just reading the 1996 version suggested by my professor. Read the full review here

sofiawilhelmina's review

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

3.5