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jonbot666's review against another edition
3.0
This is a retelling of the tale of Robinson Cursoe of which I am not incredibly familiar. For me it became solely about colonialism and how stories are stolen and retold in ways that are unrepresentative of the people it purports to speak for. History is merely “his story” which is one perspective. Colonialists having enjoyed a monopoly on information and history itself were able to weave whatever narratives they desired with little chance for any minority group to rebut. The lack of agency Africans in this work and the character’s assumption that they are unintelligent is representative of how colonialism views cultural differences upon invasion. Many cultures and peoples took decades and centuries to recoup. In the immediate aftermath, irrespective of ability, were thought unable to use their own voice; to be unworthy of telling a story, incapable of communication. This slight novella makes me want to read the source material and compare the telling of the tale of Cursoe to the dissection of its construction.
irina_maria's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
1.25
This book fell incredibly flat for me. It went by so fast and I feel as though I was left with barely anything. I can appreciate the budding ideas about the mechanism of a narrative, but everything else it attempts to convey is so on the nose that the whole thing comes across as mediocre. I think you have much more to gain (in terms of interesting narrative structures, meditations on life and the horrors of colonialism) by carefully reading Defoe's text.
summmmmmmeeerrrt's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
helenhawken's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
marinaxanna's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
the ending made me want to throw the book fr???? i dont get it. i liked some parts but others were so incredibly strange to me. also many parts were just downright problematic. i cba writing a whole thing im just glad its over😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Racism
wrengaia's review
3.75
Coetzee is a delicate and powerful writer - Foe unwinds, rather than journeying towards conclusiveness, unravelling its own assumptions and acting as a swift but deadly attack on Defoe’s (rather awful) novel. Really very good; navigates not just colonialism but its very particular literary manifestations.
instagrahb's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
rachelmatsuoka's review against another edition
3.0
I was expecting it to be dry considering it was based off of Robinson Crusoe, but surprisingly it wasn't. I liked Susan Barton well enough as a protagonist and that she took care of Friday. I didn't like her relationship with Cruso nor with Foe, really. It didn't make sense to me. The ending was a trip, and if I really wanted to that would be an interesting thing to do a close reading of.
remuslibrary's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Cannibalism
brotlord's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Racism