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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
4.5
This is another departure from my normal genres but despite the slow roll of the story, once I got into it, it was hard to put down. This is my 2nd read by LaValle and I’m hooked.
This is another departure from my normal genres but despite the slow roll of the story, once I got into it, it was hard to put down. This is my 2nd read by LaValle and I’m hooked.
This is one of the best books I've read in years. It has a thick, luscious plot, social commentary, magic, suspense, love, everything. It has everything. Get it.
A young father's world is turned upside down by the death of his son. That’s somewhat a spoiler, given it comes so late in the book, but it's also the central premise--which speaks to the pacing. The slow drift from the normal anxieties of early parenthood into the nightmare landscape of tragedy and supernatural elements requires a gradual build in order to be effective, but these aren't anxieties that interest me, and the pacing, exacerbated by the transparent and terse narrative voice, is tedious. The racial and economic tensions I find more effective, and the book's second half is significantly less mundane--bizarre, almost incoherent, a little pedantic, but more interesting. I'm the wrong audience for this, and my disinterest in the themes turns erstwhile strengths into weaknesses; I'm not sure how to appraise its more objective merit.
I can’t decide if I liked this or not.
But glad I read it before watching all of the show.
But glad I read it before watching all of the show.
Victor LaValle really knows how to pull the rug out from under you. The themes of fairy tales and folk legends mixed with anxieties of 21st century parenting created such a rich atmosphere.
Can't wait to watch the miniseries.
Can't wait to watch the miniseries.
Ughhhhhh. I am so frustrated by this book. I LOVED the first maybe third of it, and felt like it was going to be a five star book. The characters were interesting and complicated and there were scenes that were so sweet that I just smiled and smiled. And that sweetness made the eventual tension and horror of the plot even more gripping and visceral. But THEN things took this weird turn and I felt like nothing made sense and the story got boring and it just felt like a chore to finish it. I really wanted this to be better. I won't summarize the plot because you can read it in the description and I am still bitter about this book and don't feel like typing any more.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A deeply emotional, somewhat bizarre and entirely thrilling read!! When I had to put this book down, its story was never far from my thoughts. Incredible novel!
Don't even know what to say about this book.
It took my breath away and the ending was just fantastic.
I saw that some of my friends on Goodreads were reading this and I already had plans to read this because I loved LaValle's last book "The Ballad of Black Tom". I didn't think that this book would even hit what I loved from the previous book but it did. This book was just the best of the horror genre. I think I heard someone once say the way to best judge a story is if it sounds true. And this book felt true to me to the point I maybe turned some lights on cause I started getting a creepy feeling someone was watching me.
I also really loved that Lavelle takes his own observations about African Americans, about America, about where we are in the state of the world, about the internet, about mythology and just turns it into this book.
I delayed reading this for a couple of days just because I wanted to savor it and of course I just rushed right through this whole thing so that's just my initial thoughts on this book.
"The Changeling" follows Apollo Kagwa who is given the name of the god of the sun, but feels often out of step with the world around him. Raised by his mother after his father left them, he still feels the mark the absence of his father had on him as he grows up. Turning to books, because at least he can understand the worlds they open to him, he eventually becomes invested in the world of being a book dealer. When he comes across Emma Valentine, he thinks that his life has changed. And when they marry and have a son, he finally thinks that he has reached what has eluded him his whole life, a happy family.
I don't want to spoil, but I have to say this book has so many twists and turns, that I had no idea where the book would go next. Which is a great feeling. Sometimes while reading a book, I often feel like I can tell where the authors going because they use so much foreshadowing or just cliches in the writing that nothing's a surprise. So it's a wonderful feeling again to read a book like this and be surprised.
I thought that all of the characters in this book were so well-rounded and I really did think that Apollo, Emma, Emma sister, Apollo's best friend Patrice, I could feel like I was in the room with them when certain scenes were happening. I definitely have a lot of questions about Apollo's mother and to thought that LaValle left a hanging thread. Or maybe I just didn't read closely enough.
I thought the writing was very good and I just love the initial setup. I mean I definitely think a word for the wise is that when you start to read this book it might read as a typical fairy tale with a bit of horror, but everything just worked. The flow was great too.
The setting was New York, but a New York I haven't read about in years. Most days if New York is the setting, the main character is either living in a great place with a roommate and a lot of room, and or someone working at a job that makes six figures, so New York is super exciting. Heck, even when the plot is contemporary it seems like authors are reluctant to say hey, if you like bed bugs, come to New York.
The ending was a surprise. After reading "The Ballad of Black Tom" I know LaValle can go dark. Very good!
It took my breath away and the ending was just fantastic.
I saw that some of my friends on Goodreads were reading this and I already had plans to read this because I loved LaValle's last book "The Ballad of Black Tom". I didn't think that this book would even hit what I loved from the previous book but it did. This book was just the best of the horror genre. I think I heard someone once say the way to best judge a story is if it sounds true. And this book felt true to me to the point I maybe turned some lights on cause I started getting a creepy feeling someone was watching me.
I also really loved that Lavelle takes his own observations about African Americans, about America, about where we are in the state of the world, about the internet, about mythology and just turns it into this book.
I delayed reading this for a couple of days just because I wanted to savor it and of course I just rushed right through this whole thing so that's just my initial thoughts on this book.
"The Changeling" follows Apollo Kagwa who is given the name of the god of the sun, but feels often out of step with the world around him. Raised by his mother after his father left them, he still feels the mark the absence of his father had on him as he grows up. Turning to books, because at least he can understand the worlds they open to him, he eventually becomes invested in the world of being a book dealer. When he comes across Emma Valentine, he thinks that his life has changed. And when they marry and have a son, he finally thinks that he has reached what has eluded him his whole life, a happy family.
I don't want to spoil, but I have to say this book has so many twists and turns, that I had no idea where the book would go next. Which is a great feeling. Sometimes while reading a book, I often feel like I can tell where the authors going because they use so much foreshadowing or just cliches in the writing that nothing's a surprise. So it's a wonderful feeling again to read a book like this and be surprised.
I thought that all of the characters in this book were so well-rounded and I really did think that Apollo, Emma, Emma sister, Apollo's best friend Patrice, I could feel like I was in the room with them when certain scenes were happening. I definitely have a lot of questions about Apollo's mother and to thought that LaValle left a hanging thread. Or maybe I just didn't read closely enough.
I thought the writing was very good and I just love the initial setup. I mean I definitely think a word for the wise is that when you start to read this book it might read as a typical fairy tale with a bit of horror, but everything just worked. The flow was great too.
The setting was New York, but a New York I haven't read about in years. Most days if New York is the setting, the main character is either living in a great place with a roommate and a lot of room, and or someone working at a job that makes six figures, so New York is super exciting. Heck, even when the plot is contemporary it seems like authors are reluctant to say hey, if you like bed bugs, come to New York.
The ending was a surprise. After reading "The Ballad of Black Tom" I know LaValle can go dark. Very good!