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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.
clairyairy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.0
kungfool's review against another edition
4.0
I finished the play last night and thought, like a lot of other readers, that this one was just okay, nothing like my favorite Wilson play, The Piano Lesson. But then as I was lying in bed this morning, not quite awake, I had this revelation about the character Floyd. He goes to jail because of a vagrancy law-- he goes to jail because he has no money! He makes money through music, but his guitar is in the pawn shop. The pawn shop owner wants $50 for the guitar, five time more than what Floyd pawned it for. What can Floyd do to get the guitar back, if the only way to get the $50 is to play a guitar he doesn't have? Here is August Wilson, once again, examining the complicated path to economic prosperity faced by African Americans, a path fraught with traps and barriers.
willa_reads_books's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.75
elenaakers's review against another edition
2.0
I wish I could’ve seen this performed instead of merely reading it. I’ve heard great things about this playwright but I didn’t feel particularly impacted by this play, which is probably part of not being able to see the more creative parts of hear the music woven through it. The voices did feel authentic, though, and I loved that this was set in Pittsburgh. The plot was fairly simple, and many of the characters, besides Hedley and I suppose Floyd, really blended together. Elements of it really reminded me of Of Mice and Men.
omnibozo22's review against another edition
5.0
Saw a post the other day about the upcoming film of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, by August Wilson. Back in the early 90s I wrote audience/teacher guides for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts play productions. For each play, I'd interview cast members, directors, backstage folks, and, when possible the authors of the plays. Every season the Center would do an August Wilson play, always directed by Israel Hicks. Fences, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Ma Rainey are the ones I remember. Powerful stuff. I look forward to the film version of Ma Rainey, though I didn't think much of the Denzel Fences. Didn't come close to the power of the play.
This one brought back the power of Fences
This one brought back the power of Fences
brandonstanwyck's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0