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worldsworstreader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
Though I loved Giovanni’s Room, and was excited to read Another Country, upon reading I found it to be pessimistic, fatalistic, violent, cruel, and lonely. I was not invested in the characters like I had been when reading Giovanni’s Room. I thought they were flat and uninspiring, and much less real than David, Giovanni, and Hella had been. I thought the writing was tired and disjointed, and I found it much less impactful than James Baldwin’s other work I’ve read (Giovanni’s Room and The Fire Next Time). Honestly I thought there was quite a big comparison between Another Country itself and Vivaldo’s unfinishable and lacklustre novel. There were a few lines I quite liked: “so long, genius” from Ellis to Vivaldo; and “he wanted to leave before Jane precipitated a race riot” about Vivaldo. I didn’t much like Another Country, but I still love James Baldwin as an author and look forward to reading the rest of his works.
franwyyazg's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.75
superdewa's review against another edition
This was hard. I really wanted to love it, but I had a difficult time with his portrayal of women and his seeing acceptance of male characters’ misogyny. I am going to have to sit with this book for a while.
elisabeth2008's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
niionatan01's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lynecia's review against another edition
3.0
A cornucopia of themes, (love, the price of love...) character development (a group of friends are on a journey of self discovery in 1950s? (60s?) New York) and commentary (race, sexuality, gender...)but not much plot. That is fine with me, but I slogged through this one. A reading slump ensued and It took me a month to get through it, which I'll admit detracted from my overall reading experience. As a reader, I feel like I'm either only walking around the periphery of what Baldwin was trying to accomplish here, (and I do feel like I want to re-read) or I just didn't like it as much as I wanted, which disappoints me because my love for Uncle Jimmy is so great.
babyslayer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"You've got a bad case of penis envy" is the funniest thing I've ever heard
chassagnek's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
5.0
bookish_alone's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Truly an enchanting read. Made me slow down and just soak every single word in, taking everything fully. Loved it so much.
elyseyost's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
The prose is beautiful and thoughtful. The dialogue between characters is so natural and flows better than most other books I’ve read. Baldwin has a way of revealing his characters and their motivations so artfully throughout the story, while simultaneously revealing truths about their social and cultural fabric. He addresses the most daunting social and personal conflicts. His writing is a poignant observation of the world.
That being said, there were parts that were really hard to get through because of the misogyny, which is entrenched in not only the character’s, but (I would argue) Baldwin’s mindset as well. It was kind of disturbing how often people, mostly women, were described as “like a child” or “like a little girl” during sexual scenes. Baldwin also seems to have given all the women in the novel some weird fantasy about being “overtaken” and “forced” by men that comes too close to rape in my opinion.