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charlottekook's review against another edition
3.0
the last (and longest) story is by far the best, very poignant. i'd give that one 4*s
i feel like i would have enjoyed this more if i had read it physically rather than listening to an audiobook as it was kind of hard to differentiate between the stories. i'd like to read it again as an actual book.
i feel like i would have enjoyed this more if i had read it physically rather than listening to an audiobook as it was kind of hard to differentiate between the stories. i'd like to read it again as an actual book.
nadiawesome's review against another edition
5.0
Ellison sure was obsessed with trains here. ‘Mister Toussan’ was my favourite one, so funny and well written
ohwretchedme's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
mszy_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Powerful collection of stories. I especially loved the Buster and Riley stories, and the namesake short story at the end ❤
sxpydo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
remigves's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rottenjester's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
literaryinfatuation's review
3.0
I loved the writing, its lyricism and smoothness; I loved the topics, drawing from Ellison’s personal experience riding the freight trains and working odd jobs to save for tuition. Having just read Angela Y. Davis’ “Women Race & Class”, I felt that Ellison was able to portray in fiction the struggles that Davis recorded. I found the first story, “A Party Down at the Square” shocking, painful, raw. I found myself reading it again and again before I could move on to the next.
BUT, I am not a big fan of how John Callahan put it all together. See, some stories have common characters. Now, they are not related to each other and were published in magazines years apart. But Callahan put them all together, one after the other, as well as all stories about riding freight trains. That messes up with my brain that tries to join the dots when there’s nothing there. Was he trying something, some effect that goes over my head?
BUT, I am not a big fan of how John Callahan put it all together. See, some stories have common characters. Now, they are not related to each other and were published in magazines years apart. But Callahan put them all together, one after the other, as well as all stories about riding freight trains. That messes up with my brain that tries to join the dots when there’s nothing there. Was he trying something, some effect that goes over my head?
nicolemillo's review
2.0
I particularly appreciated the introduction which explains a lot about Ellison's perspective, the first story which tells of a lynching from a white man's perspective–impassive but for his telltale physical response to the cruelty–and last story about a black pilot who has crashed and requires medical assistance. The rest was fine too, but didn't speak to me so much.
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