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franka17's review against another edition
3.0
In his novel "The Kingdom of This World," Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier paints beautiful images of colonial Haiti that are tinged with his signature use of magical realism and flowery language that makes him such a master of this style and a pioneer of one of Latin America's most signature genres. This novel delves into some of Latin America's most difficult social questions and explores some of the colonial history of Haiti. Carpentier's discussion of cultural diversity and the struggle for power is fascinating, especially when told in Carpentier's interesting literary style.
At times, though, Carpentier's extravagant writing made the book hard to follow. Complex sentences with references to a good deal of cultural references were frequent, and occasionally made the plot hard to follow. At other times, though, this flowery language made for beautiful passages that grasp the reader. Additionally, Carpentier's use of short chapters made for an interesting read as it made the story progress quickly, but at times it felt as if these short vignettes of situations and characters prevented the necessary character development that helps readers become connected to the characters.
Overall, though, I did enjoy this book, and felt that Carpentier painted a beautiful picture of the country of Haiti and some of the questions that they struggle with even to this day.
At times, though, Carpentier's extravagant writing made the book hard to follow. Complex sentences with references to a good deal of cultural references were frequent, and occasionally made the plot hard to follow. At other times, though, this flowery language made for beautiful passages that grasp the reader. Additionally, Carpentier's use of short chapters made for an interesting read as it made the story progress quickly, but at times it felt as if these short vignettes of situations and characters prevented the necessary character development that helps readers become connected to the characters.
Overall, though, I did enjoy this book, and felt that Carpentier painted a beautiful picture of the country of Haiti and some of the questions that they struggle with even to this day.
didis_books's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
princeton_c's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The blurb on the back of my book said it was about the reign of Henri Christophe while in actually it was only like 15-20 percent of it. A relatively fun books, but one that was obviously written by an outsider whose narrator is essentially what a junior partner would image goes on in the mind of a minstrel. We’re past this.
marmarta's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
trixi3's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
owenpeak's review against another edition
3.0
The way this illustrated such a vivid portrait of life in Haiti in the transition out of slavery was fascinating; the incorporation of voodoo practices, magic and Yoruba religion into the story made it so engaging and emblematic of a type of slave narrative I’ve never read before. I found the language quite difficult since many of the words were alien to me and Carpentier’s choice to not include any dialogue meant that the plot was quite difficult to follow at times. Even so, I still enjoyed this and found Ti Noel (the narratives only fictional character) such an intriguing and engaging protagonist, especially at the denouement when he reflects upon race and the toxic cycles that are brought about by slavery.
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
3.0
This is a modern classic by Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier about the revolution in Haiti. First published in 1949, this is not a book that would be written today; it's overwhelmingly male-oriented, with women existing mainly as objects of lust, prostitutes or to rape. And there's some interesting phrasing around issues of race. But setting that aside, this is an interesting look a the first successful slave rebellion in the western world.
The novel is told primarily through the eyes of an enslaved Black man named Ti Noel, who witnesses the first attempts to break free, lives through the successful revolt, accompanies the man who enslaved him to Cuba and finally returns to Haiti, where he lives through the oppressive reign of Henri Christophe and long after, always just trying to live free in that corner of Haiti he considers home. This is a slender novel that packs a lot in, provides a lot of information while being full of action, magic realism and life.
The novel is told primarily through the eyes of an enslaved Black man named Ti Noel, who witnesses the first attempts to break free, lives through the successful revolt, accompanies the man who enslaved him to Cuba and finally returns to Haiti, where he lives through the oppressive reign of Henri Christophe and long after, always just trying to live free in that corner of Haiti he considers home. This is a slender novel that packs a lot in, provides a lot of information while being full of action, magic realism and life.