Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
One of my favorite reads in a very long time. A story to treasure.
dark
emotional
funny
sad
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
My first book by James McBride and I am now a major fan. The dialogue & dialect was excellent and I just loved the characters. Having lived in Brooklyn back in the early 80s (not the current Brooklyn), the story really resonated with me (though it took place in 1969. Loved it and highly recommend it.
Ann mailed me this, and am I glad she did. It is a rollicking, powerful, heart breaking/heart warming story of a ton of things--incredible to have read it after The Warmth of Other Suns and Caste, because so many echoes tie them all together! I would like to have dinner with James McBride. He reminds me of both Charles Dickens and Terry Pratchett. :)
Not a quick read, but a memorable one. HUGELY recommended.
Not a quick read, but a memorable one. HUGELY recommended.
This book didn’t hold my attention well in the beginning, despite being initially drawn in by the brilliantly named characters - Hot Sausage, Bum-Bum, Pudgy Fingers, and of course the titular Deacon King Kong aka Sportcoat. I think I really started to get sucked when the Governor tells his story, even at the time you have no idea how it relates to Sportcoat shooting a drug dealer in broad daylight. James McBride ties it all together hilariously (Earl, the hapless hitman) heartwarmingly (the unlikely relationships - Sister Gee and Potts, Sister Paul and Guido) and heartbreakingly (Sportcoat’s redemption). I chose this book because I’d send it hyped on social media and I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. In fact I loved it, my favourite book of the year to date.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
"God was forever generous with His gifts: hope, love, truth, and the belief in the indestructability of the good in all people."
i loved this book! so sad that it’s over. great characters, great writing
I was so wrong about this book. Honestly I only put it on my to-read list because it had such good reviews and I only actually started reading it because my library had a 'skip-the-line' copy available. I thought this would be a story where the focus was on a hard look at society through the lens of a fictional story set in public housing with no real attention paid to the plot or story other than as a vehicle for the overall message about how messed up society is in terms of racism and how it shapes all societal opportunities and interactions, the drug trade, things like that. Books like that definitely have their time and place, I'm just tired of reading about horrible things and I wasn't really looking forward to reading what I thought was another book in that vein. I was so very wrong.
This book is amazing. Surprisingly funny, just sharp enough to make me think but not make me feel stupid, the characters are all insanely likable and real, I don't know that I have a bad thing to say. The plot has elements of a treasure hunt, romance, mystery, action, and so much more. That isn't to say that important topics like race relations and the cycle of poverty aren't touched on at all, they're just wrapped in a story that's charming and hard and bittersweet and hopeful all at the same time. The ending was maybe vague on a few bits, but mostly all the loose ends were tied up. I loved getting to be a part of the community in this book for a bit and I'm really glad I read this.
This book is amazing. Surprisingly funny, just sharp enough to make me think but not make me feel stupid, the characters are all insanely likable and real, I don't know that I have a bad thing to say. The plot has elements of a treasure hunt, romance, mystery, action, and so much more. That isn't to say that important topics like race relations and the cycle of poverty aren't touched on at all, they're just wrapped in a story that's charming and hard and bittersweet and hopeful all at the same time. The ending was maybe vague on a few bits, but mostly all the loose ends were tied up. I loved getting to be a part of the community in this book for a bit and I'm really glad I read this.