Reviews

Deacon King Kong by James McBride

beanpod's review against another edition

5.0

Just finished Deacon King Kong, which just sank into me. The writing is wonderful. The characters so vivid, so perfectly placed in New York in 1969. The story of a man, his dead wife, his community and his sense of something needing to be done without knowing exactly what he’s doing. I loved this book so, so much.

jpiasci1's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

jkuhnert's review against another edition

5.0

Nice read

Enjoyed it thoroughly

ktkooy2's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

raybradbruh's review against another edition

3.5

irish/italian bagel shop in NYC should be a criminal offense

rjskitt's review against another edition

funny mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

rbreade's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

 Even McBride's secondary characters come across as rounded, and primary character, Cuffy Lambkin--note the low-key religious reference coded into the name--a.k.a., Sportcoat, a.k.a., Deacon King Kong, feels as if he could walk off the page and into the reader's house at any moment. And yet, even amid so much wonderful character development, McBride manages an intricate plot that moves back and forth in time and relies on multiple versions of the same event as told by different characters, each of whom adds to the reader's understanding of the novel's MacGuffin, a mysterious "bar of soap" around which the plot spins and unfurls. The effect is that of a blurry image gradually coming into focus and it's just one of the many pleasures of this story. 

booksiesteff's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

lren1983's review against another edition

funny hopeful fast-paced

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

4.25

augustboxer's review against another edition

hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

3.75