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sbreadsfantasy's review
5.0
Mirror Image of Today
While the events and the setting are in the past, I was struck by the way attitudes of the characters mimic attitudes today. This was such a good read. I wish I’d come across it earlier.
While the events and the setting are in the past, I was struck by the way attitudes of the characters mimic attitudes today. This was such a good read. I wish I’d come across it earlier.
alannathellama's review
3.0
This book is definitely better than the last book for this class, as it’s so much less preachy about mundane bullshit. I think it’s a really important novel, as it points out so much hypocrisy in history that is probably purposefully erased, although it did seem to have some lukewarm solutions to the problems it described. It’s really caught between what it wants to be to fit in with the literature of the time and what it needs to be in order to be more impactful. I overall didn’t really mind reading it. I think I am severely lacking in brain cells right now so maybe I would have more thoughts at some other time.
alana_f's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
lilycarotherss's review
challenging
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
jaredpence's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting and revealing depiction of the 1898 Wilmington race riot (or massacre) where a North Carolina town's mostly black population was killed and frightened off by white supremacists to an extent that the city has not recovered over a century later. Major Carteret revealed his completely irrational white supremacist stand, Lee Ellis showed the complicity of well intentioned but weak willed onlookers, Tom Delamere proved the capacity for race based cruelty and criminality, Sandy and Dr. Miller demonstrated the frustrating powerlessness of black people, and Janet Miller illustrated the pain and brutality experienced by black people who endure shunning and hatred from relatives, not to mention theft and the murder of their children.
michael__'s review against another edition
5.0
“We are all puppets in the hands of Fate, and seldom see the strings that move us."
The Marrow of Tradition is incredible. I loved it so much that I stayed home from school for the first half of the day just to finish it. I think I enjoyed this book so much because it reminded me of A Tale of Two Cities in the way the plot unfolded. It involved a complicated web of characters and subplots, but as the story evolved, all the characters intertwined and came together. Any author who writes a story with a huge lot of unconnected characters and, through a story, can slowly connect all of them can win over my heart in a snap.
This novel is a fictional depiction of the social and political struggles that led up to the Race Riot of 1898. Even though Chesnutt's narrator has a very straightforward way of relaying the events that take place in the story, I still felt the superficiality of the white people's worries regarding the African Americans of Wilmington. Chesnutt did a very nice job of making the whites' disgust seem unwarranted, especially toward the end.
Like I said before, I find it impressive how the author intermingled so many separate storylines while simultaneously building complex, interesting characters. Racism, love triangles, murder, gambling addictions, family drama, and possessed babies can all be found within these pages, but not once did the plot seem too bogged down. Chesnutt did a fantastic job of letting each separate storyline run smoothly into the next, and I forever applaud him for it.
This book may not be for everyone, but I still recommend you give it a try. I loved every page of it.
The Marrow of Tradition is incredible. I loved it so much that I stayed home from school for the first half of the day just to finish it. I think I enjoyed this book so much because it reminded me of A Tale of Two Cities in the way the plot unfolded. It involved a complicated web of characters and subplots, but as the story evolved, all the characters intertwined and came together. Any author who writes a story with a huge lot of unconnected characters and, through a story, can slowly connect all of them can win over my heart in a snap.
This novel is a fictional depiction of the social and political struggles that led up to the Race Riot of 1898. Even though Chesnutt's narrator has a very straightforward way of relaying the events that take place in the story, I still felt the superficiality of the white people's worries regarding the African Americans of Wilmington. Chesnutt did a very nice job of making the whites' disgust seem unwarranted, especially toward the end.
Like I said before, I find it impressive how the author intermingled so many separate storylines while simultaneously building complex, interesting characters. Racism, love triangles, murder, gambling addictions, family drama, and possessed babies can all be found within these pages, but not once did the plot seem too bogged down. Chesnutt did a fantastic job of letting each separate storyline run smoothly into the next, and I forever applaud him for it.
This book may not be for everyone, but I still recommend you give it a try. I loved every page of it.
nuhafariha's review
4.0
Set in the post Reconstruction South, The Marrow of Tradition is a Black comedy of sorts. With bitter irony, Chesnutt explores what happens when racial tensions escalate in a Southern town. The dramatic flourishes make this a book worth checking out!
ethanawang's review
challenging
dark
informative
- 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? Yes
4.0