Reviews

Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford

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owlizabeth's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

papa_egg's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious 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

4.0

Just a really good noir, with twists and turns and an imaginative setting. I wasn't surprised to learn that China Melville gave input early on as this reminded me strongly of The City and the City.

faev's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.0

Imagine if disco Elysium was a book and also less good.

nfiertz's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

happyknitter2020's review against another edition

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Didn't like the writing style, every sentence starts with he said '....'

rachelevelyn's review against another edition

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4.0

I did really enjoy this but I didn’t LOVE it as I have done the other two spufford fiction books I’ve read. The world building was great but I wish that he had explained how the world was created at the start rather than at the end. For someone non American and not super familiar with us history in the 19th/early 20th centuries I feel I lost a lot of references.

My favourite bits were him travelling across the city, which were beautifully imagined, however there just felt like too many characters and too many sub plots to truly get a sense of the intrigue at the centre.

kmowery's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

motherofladybirds's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny informative mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

oz2021's review against another edition

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challenging informative mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

babsbee's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

I was really looking forward to reading this from the blurb I'd read, and I enjoyed the concept of the book. I liked not knowing everything about the society of Cahoka and learning about all the different characters. However,

I really really hated the ending of it. Joe was so happy and then he dies? Okay, he dies a hero saving the woman he loves and can't have and also the city, but still...

. The book did start out rather slow for me, but the last third of it was action packed. I will say that one should read the acknowledgments of the author at the end of the book. It explains how/where the alternate history starts and the very last paragraph of his acknowlegements does give a little insight into something that happens in the book.

Content Warnings

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