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leb's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
read_y_gonzales's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jenniferstringer's review
3.0
Spoiler Alert!!!
I'm on the fence between 3 & 4 stars with this one...I found the story line compelling if not terribly well written. I liked meeting the distinct characters and always wanted to know what would happen next. However, I found the Tadpole Angel to be contrived and rather racist ( great, white savior and all that) and meeting the judge again in the end was over the top...life isn't so neat and tidy. Besides, I think a case could be made that the judge was the determining factor in Peekay refusing to go along with the racism of his day - had he not experienced first hand the brutality of prejudice himself, he may well have joined the rest of his kind in their hatred and grown up to be rather ordinary...
I'm on the fence between 3 & 4 stars with this one...I found the story line compelling if not terribly well written. I liked meeting the distinct characters and always wanted to know what would happen next. However, I found the Tadpole Angel to be contrived and rather racist ( great, white savior and all that) and meeting the judge again in the end was over the top...life isn't so neat and tidy. Besides, I think a case could be made that the judge was the determining factor in Peekay refusing to go along with the racism of his day - had he not experienced first hand the brutality of prejudice himself, he may well have joined the rest of his kind in their hatred and grown up to be rather ordinary...
ofjohnson's review
I'm just not into male protagonists right now. Nor am I interested in reading so much trauma
endless30's review
5.0
I really loved this book, largely because of its characters. In fact, the main character was one of my favorites of all time and because of him, I didn't want the story to end. Not the fastest read and maybe not the best written book ever, but very memorable and enjoyable.
taitlawsen's review
5.0
Power fantasy but also an incredible book. My first great novel growing up and my go-to answer to the dreaded favourite book question.
jaojins's review
5.0
The Power of One is just plain excellent. One boy sees a lot in just the first part of his life. This book took me a long time to read, but I enjoyed every minute of it.
chris_kellie's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
lindamooreauthor's review
3.0
A great beginning--but the finish was too abrupt. Really felt like the author just ended the book or wanted to write a sequel. It was incomplete.
barbaraskalberg's review
3.0
I don't know truly how to rate this one. The first bit was hard to get into and a bit boring, but b/c of the great reviews and the number of "Must read" lists it's on, I kept with it. Peekay is a likable character and I enjoyed learning a bit about South African political history during the late 30s through early 50s, as I know nothing about South Africa. There were stretches that were easy to skim. Tighter editing probably would have helped that. Overall I'm quite happy I read and wouldn't hesitate to recommend to an avid reader, but the casual reader, probably not.