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ponch22's review against another edition
4.0
Woo boy... This is embarrassing...
Last year, I started reading through [a:August Wilson|13944|August Wilson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1321642333p2/13944.jpg]'s Century Cycle. I've already read [b:Ma Rainey's Black Bottom|516792|Ma Rainey's Black Bottom|August Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1439819148l/516792._SY75_.jpg|504726], [b:Jitney|764327|Jitney|August Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348042927l/764327._SY75_.jpg|750403], [b:Fences|539282|Fences (The Century Cycle #6)|August Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1481833774l/539282._SY75_.jpg|60745], [b:The Piano Lesson|4100547|The Piano Lesson|August Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451284437l/4100547._SY75_.jpg|171424], [b:Joe Turner's Come and Gone|783918|Joe Turner's Come and Gone|August Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1400863511l/783918._SX50_.jpg|60728], & [b:Two Trains Running|239396|Two Trains Running|August Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388205425l/239396._SY75_.jpg|231896], but I sort of hit a wall when it came to book #7—[b:Seven Guitars|332375|Seven Guitars|August Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1354209977l/332375._SY75_.jpg|322918].
A play should not take me over a month to read!
I'm pretty sure I saw a production of Seven Guitars back in the early 2000s out in Harrisburg—the title sounds familiar, as do pieces of the plot (mostly, I feel like I’ve seen a set design for this backyard) but most of the story felt new to me. As I read it over the past ~4 weeks, I had trouble remembering the characters—I'm not sure if that's because they're written a little less distinctly as previous creations of Wilson or if it was just the long, stretched-out way I was reading it.
I read [a: Tony Kushner|35822|Tony Kushner|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1209471902p2/35822.jpg]'s foreword after reading the play, and it helped me appreciate the story a little more (giving it 4* now, instead of 3*)—like I completely missed that the first scene flows directly into the last scene and the rest of the play acts as a flashback! Missing (forgetting?) how the play started really made the huge moment in the penultimate scene hit so much harder because I didn't know what was going to happen (although I did sort of expect it).
The play definitely feels like it has a lot to offer for anyone willing to sit down and analyze and study the text; but as a simple (very long) read, it didn't quite work for me.
Last year, I started reading through [a:August Wilson|13944|August Wilson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1321642333p2/13944.jpg]'s Century Cycle. I've already read [b:Ma Rainey's Black Bottom|516792|Ma Rainey's Black Bottom|August Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1439819148l/516792._SY75_.jpg|504726], [b:Jitney|764327|Jitney|August Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348042927l/764327._SY75_.jpg|750403], [b:Fences|539282|Fences (The Century Cycle #6)|August Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1481833774l/539282._SY75_.jpg|60745], [b:The Piano Lesson|4100547|The Piano Lesson|August Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451284437l/4100547._SY75_.jpg|171424], [b:Joe Turner's Come and Gone|783918|Joe Turner's Come and Gone|August Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1400863511l/783918._SX50_.jpg|60728], & [b:Two Trains Running|239396|Two Trains Running|August Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388205425l/239396._SY75_.jpg|231896], but I sort of hit a wall when it came to book #7—[b:Seven Guitars|332375|Seven Guitars|August Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1354209977l/332375._SY75_.jpg|322918].
A play should not take me over a month to read!
I'm pretty sure I saw a production of Seven Guitars back in the early 2000s out in Harrisburg—the title sounds familiar, as do pieces of the plot (mostly, I feel like I’ve seen a set design for this backyard) but most of the story felt new to me. As I read it over the past ~4 weeks, I had trouble remembering the characters—I'm not sure if that's because they're written a little less distinctly as previous creations of Wilson or if it was just the long, stretched-out way I was reading it.
I read [a: Tony Kushner|35822|Tony Kushner|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1209471902p2/35822.jpg]'s foreword after reading the play, and it helped me appreciate the story a little more (giving it 4* now, instead of 3*)—like I completely missed that the first scene flows directly into the last scene and the rest of the play acts as a flashback! Missing (forgetting?) how the play started really made the huge moment in the penultimate scene hit so much harder because I didn't know what was going to happen (although I did sort of expect it).
The play definitely feels like it has a lot to offer for anyone willing to sit down and analyze and study the text; but as a simple (very long) read, it didn't quite work for me.
evvyyreads_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tracithomas's review against another edition
3.0
I love August Wilson he’s an all time great, but this play isn’t my favorite. It’s still very good but it doesn’t really ever hit its stride. The characters never fully captured me.
kimberly_levaco's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
A lyrical play that deals with the life of one but is reflective of the life of all.
bwguinig's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
joeyrei's review against another edition
5.0
“God is in his heaven and he staying there. He must be up there cause a lot of things down here he don’t know. He must not know about it. If he did, it seem like he would do something about it.”
jonesam30's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-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
4.0
rose_peterson's review against another edition
4.0
"My mama ain't had two dimes to rub together. And ain't had nothing but one stick. She got to do without the fire. Some kind of warmth in her life. I don't want to live in a cold house. It a cold world, let me have a little shelter from it. That's all I want. Floyd Barton is gonna make his record. Floyd Barton is going to Chicago."
elturko64's review against another edition
4.0
Another great book by August Wilson. Seven Guitars is about a group of friends trying to make it big in Chicago through their music career. What Wilson does really well is character's and dialogue. I was glued to the book every time I read it. Seven Guitars also has a lot of biblical themes which I really enjoyed. My only complaint is that the story started off slow but it got a whole lot better from there. Seven Guitars is a very moving story that should be read.