Reviews with content warning for War - Pasărea Bunului Dumnezeu

Reviews tagging 'War'

Pasărea Bunului Dumnezeu by Ioana Filat, James McBride

6 reviews

giraffespotter's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring slow-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

4.0

I thoroughly enjoyed reading *The Good Lord Bird* by James McBride. The perspective being from a black boy following John Brown's hair brained antics was entertaining.

There was symbology in how religious John Brown the Old Man was, the titular good Lord bird, and General Tubman's scarf.

I am confused about it a few historical points. For one, what I don't know if it was made up in the beginning that there was a person in this church who wrote the old story and who seemed like he was either a man or a woman. I think it was just a plot device. I also want to check to see if Frederick Douglas was a hypocrite who only spoke out about slavery and didn't take action.

My favorite part was that John Brown's rated on Harpers ferry that helped spark the civil war is geographically close to where I grew up, so after Kansas and Connecticut and other travels, Onion, the narrator, described places that I am familiar with. The saddest part in the book was when young Frederick (not Frederick Douglass), one of the Old Man's sons accidentally shot a Good Lord bird. Frederick reminded me of the simple character in *Of Mice and Men*.

Another quirk in the storytelling was that Onion would finish talking about one character, and then spoil things by saying things like "that was the last I ever seen of him"

The major theme was being true to oneself even during slave time and being a courageous man rather than hiding out as a woman like Onion did.

John Brown was described to be a God-like character, he had a white beard, was old, and would pray to his men for hours on end. The old man would also preach with a lot of emotion. At the end, when he was to be hung for the raid on Harpers ferry, Onion described his first true smile as being like the face of God. It's a funny image to think of John Brown waving a Bible at Stonewall Jackson and Robert e Lee at the gates of heaven.

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tiamia1084's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny informative sad medium-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

4.5

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dllh's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced

3.5

I liked this one but it felt a little baggy at times. I felt like there were only so many times and ways in which I needed to see demonstrated that John Brown was super zealous about both his religion and his cause. Of course, it is a tall tale (with some basis in reality), and excess is a part of such tales. I won't read this one again, but I liked it and will keep reading McBride.

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boygirlparty's review against another edition

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adventurous funny informative 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

4.0

I’m ashamed to say i didn’t know much about abolitionist John Brown or the insurrection at Harper’s Ferry, but this book was just about the most clever & entertaining possible way to tell it. There are about a hundred genuine laugh-out-loud moments in this book, surprising for a book about such a serious subject. I’ll miss adventuring with little Onion. Faith is its own character in this book as well. Clever and compelling.

TW for lots of racial slurs

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shannynbarnett17's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I am a huge fan of historical fiction, and James McBride has become one of my new favorite authors. This is the second book I have read by him, with the first being Deacon King Kong. This book is slow-paced throughout the first 3/4 of the novel, but it REALLY picks up towards the end. The action-packed ending makes the book in my opinion. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in the American Civil War era. It gives an insightful look into the minds and thoughts of slaves, both still in bondage and free, throughout the country.

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larareads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny inspiring fast-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

4.25

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