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vickymcckey's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
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? Yes
5.0
This is the kind of book that needs a separate book to explain all the references you missed the first time. My advice to anyone reading it who wants to derive as much meaning as possible is to annotate like a nerdy high schooler. Color code references and keep wikipedia by your side to look up any word that seems even a little bit intentional. Because I promise you, it’s all intentional. Parts of this book are disturbing, parts dryly humorous, parts hopeful or sad, but every word has thought behind it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Blood, Racism, Death, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Incest, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Medical content, Cursing, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Infidelity, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Vomit
needlebrook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
Dense- so very dense. it'll be helpful to pull up the litcharts summary webpage for some of the chapters. It can get real confusing at times.
The beginning of the book is intriguing but can get to be a bit of a slog after the first handful of chapters(was considering abandoning this book during the dreamlike narration from Trueblood. Very glad I decided against it.)
But, after the narrator arrives in Harlem and starts to adapt to his surroundings, the book quickly picks up the pace and seemingly goes at break-neck pace for the rest of it.
All in all, I won't be forgetting this book very easily.
The beginning of the book is intriguing but can get to be a bit of a slog after the first handful of chapters(was considering abandoning this book during the dreamlike narration from Trueblood. Very glad I decided against it.)
But, after the narrator arrives in Harlem and starts to adapt to his surroundings, the book quickly picks up the pace and seemingly goes at break-neck pace for the rest of it.
All in all, I won't be forgetting this book very easily.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Murder, and Police brutality
Moderate: Hate crime and Slavery
Minor: Classism and Racial slurs
nunchikoi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
An incredible work by Ellison who manages to balance a magical reality that is also prescriptive to quantum physics; thoroughly examining Black experiences in North America, Ellison uniquely incorporates specific 'Negro-American' culturalisations like folkloric motifs in his story-telling. This results in a magnetic kind of writing which swings between being poetic and clinical, a fictional story which testifies to real historical experiences and events, and a narrator who keeps the reader at arms length but also confides in and almost prays to you.
Through this, Ellison constructs a compelling portrait that his contemporaries otherwise neglected: he demonstrates how Black characters in a novel can be complex and nuanced, with fully-realised moral, philosophical, and intellectual capacities.
Through this, Ellison constructs a compelling portrait that his contemporaries otherwise neglected: he demonstrates how Black characters in a novel can be complex and nuanced, with fully-realised moral, philosophical, and intellectual capacities.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest and Violence
Moderate: Classism and Racism
lindseyas's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A coming of age novel like you've never seen before. Set in the mid-1900s in a city where everything is happening all of the time, the unnamed southern Black man, our protagonist, is lost in the chaos. Told from an extremely early point in his life that he should just give in to the white man and white society, the protagonist goes with the flow easily, aiming to please and not be noticed as different. But when he makes his way to New York City, he's forced to be noticed. The protagonist is used as a political prop by a movement that cares little about him, is fought over by opposing sides and is worshipped only for his powerful voice and body — not for his character, his intelligence or his kindness. The protagonist is not treated as a human being, but as a way of being, as a set of values and to further an agenda that he is barely involved in. This novel is all about what being caught in the wave of history is like, and how invisibility, despite its loneliness and often futile attempt at security, is the only escape if we want to hold ourselves dear.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Death, Classism, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Blood, Police brutality, and Rape
lonicera_fragrantissima's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Classism, Racism, and Violence
matthewosborne's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a very interesting book.
Something that resonated with me was how much of this book is still relevant 70 years after it was first published. Which is sad and disheartening.
As the book progressed I found there to be a number of themes that resonated with some of my own experiences.
Something that resonated with me was how much of this book is still relevant 70 years after it was first published. Which is sad and disheartening.
As the book progressed I found there to be a number of themes that resonated with some of my own experiences.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Classism, and Racism
lydvos's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Hate crime, and Classism
Moderate: Misogyny and Mental illness
ashley_1206's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
3.5⭐️
guys i actually liked this book but it was so damn long. but the symbolism, message, and everything from a literary standpoint was good. it’s definitely my favorite summer reading book for ap lit! but please classics STOP HAVING LONG CHAPTERS.
guys i actually liked this book but it was so damn long. but the symbolism, message, and everything from a literary standpoint was good. it’s definitely my favorite summer reading book for ap lit! but please classics STOP HAVING LONG CHAPTERS.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, and Cursing
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