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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not in the right headspace for this novel, and I know this is one that requires my full attention.
“It’s got to be costing you something to hang on to old pains. Just look at you[...] I expect fire to come blasting out of your nostrils any minute. It takes something out of you, Velma, to keep all them dead moments alive[...] But here you are still fired up about it, still plotting, up to your jaws in ancient shit.”
TSE follows Velma Henry’s healing ceremony — conducted by the healer of the district Minnie Ransom — after an attempted suicide. She is resisting the process (Minnie asks her, “Do you want to be well?”), too caught up in her past to accept a way forward. Velma is a complicated character: she is an activist, a feminist, a community organiser, but the pressures of life and all these things have proved too much for her. She is a woman who gives her life to her community and to her marriage, but is ultimately alone with her darkness.
Minnie and her spirit guide “Old Wife” make for an interesting pair! Their dialogue can throw you off, but it is filled with deep reflections. Bambara wrote rich characters. And the language of TSE is well, enchanting.
This book feels as though it is going at 100kms an hour! I feel like I’ve been in a speeding car reading it, but I love the sensation and thrill of the ride. It feels extremely fast because of the way it is written, and not necessarily because of its content. The stories of the people are quotidian, remarkable only because the mystical is part of their every day lives, and the fabric of their lives is mystery and wonder. But their lives are ordinary lives reaching for survival.
It also feels fast because Bambara’s writing moves quickly, each sentence packed with so much detail that you must read certain parts two or three times to accurately appreciate its meaning and mood, and to be able to follow the turns in the text without getting lost. If Bambara is a driver, she writes as though she is the kind of driver who likes to take unexpected turns, even switching mid-sentence to another scene. But if you buckle up and surrender to her style, you’ll be glad you came along for the ride!
TSE follows Velma Henry’s healing ceremony — conducted by the healer of the district Minnie Ransom — after an attempted suicide. She is resisting the process (Minnie asks her, “Do you want to be well?”), too caught up in her past to accept a way forward. Velma is a complicated character: she is an activist, a feminist, a community organiser, but the pressures of life and all these things have proved too much for her. She is a woman who gives her life to her community and to her marriage, but is ultimately alone with her darkness.
Minnie and her spirit guide “Old Wife” make for an interesting pair! Their dialogue can throw you off, but it is filled with deep reflections. Bambara wrote rich characters. And the language of TSE is well, enchanting.
This book feels as though it is going at 100kms an hour! I feel like I’ve been in a speeding car reading it, but I love the sensation and thrill of the ride. It feels extremely fast because of the way it is written, and not necessarily because of its content. The stories of the people are quotidian, remarkable only because the mystical is part of their every day lives, and the fabric of their lives is mystery and wonder. But their lives are ordinary lives reaching for survival.
It also feels fast because Bambara’s writing moves quickly, each sentence packed with so much detail that you must read certain parts two or three times to accurately appreciate its meaning and mood, and to be able to follow the turns in the text without getting lost. If Bambara is a driver, she writes as though she is the kind of driver who likes to take unexpected turns, even switching mid-sentence to another scene. But if you buckle up and surrender to her style, you’ll be glad you came along for the ride!
“It’s got to be costing you something to hang on to old pains. Just look at you[...] I expect fire to come blasting out of your nostrils any minute. It takes something out of you, Velma, to keep all them dead moments alive[...] But here you are still fired up about it, still plotting, up to your jaws in ancient shit.” — #ToniCadeBambara , #TheSaltEaters
TSE follows Velma Henry’s healing ceremony — conducted by the healer of the district Minnie Ransom — after an attempted suicide. She is resisting the process (Minnie asks her, “Do you want to be well?”), too caught up in her past to accept a way forward. Velma is a complicated character: she is an activist, a feminist, a community organiser, but the pressures of life and all these things have proved too much for her. She is a woman who gives her life to her community and to her marriage, but is ultimately alone with her darkness. Minnie and her spirit guide “Old Wife” make for an interesting pair! Their dialogue can throw you off, but it is filled with deep reflections. Bambara wrote rich characters. And the language of TSE is well, enchanting.
This book feels as though it is going at 100kms an hour! I feel like I’ve been in a speeding car reading it, but I love the sensation and thrill of the ride. It feels extremely fast because of the way it is written, and not necessarily because of its content. The stories of the people are quotidian, remarkable only because the mystical is part of their every day lives, and the fabric of their lives is mystery and wonder. But their lives are ordinary lives reaching for survival.
It also feels fast because Bambara’s writing moves quickly, each sentence packed with so much detail that you must read certain parts two or three times to accurately appreciate its meaning and mood, and to be able to follow the turns in the text without getting lost. If Bambara is a driver, she writes as though she is the kind of driver who likes to take unexpected turns, even switching mid-sentence to another scene. But if you buckle up and surrender to her style, you’ll be glad you came along for the ride!
TSE follows Velma Henry’s healing ceremony — conducted by the healer of the district Minnie Ransom — after an attempted suicide. She is resisting the process (Minnie asks her, “Do you want to be well?”), too caught up in her past to accept a way forward. Velma is a complicated character: she is an activist, a feminist, a community organiser, but the pressures of life and all these things have proved too much for her. She is a woman who gives her life to her community and to her marriage, but is ultimately alone with her darkness. Minnie and her spirit guide “Old Wife” make for an interesting pair! Their dialogue can throw you off, but it is filled with deep reflections. Bambara wrote rich characters. And the language of TSE is well, enchanting.
This book feels as though it is going at 100kms an hour! I feel like I’ve been in a speeding car reading it, but I love the sensation and thrill of the ride. It feels extremely fast because of the way it is written, and not necessarily because of its content. The stories of the people are quotidian, remarkable only because the mystical is part of their every day lives, and the fabric of their lives is mystery and wonder. But their lives are ordinary lives reaching for survival.
It also feels fast because Bambara’s writing moves quickly, each sentence packed with so much detail that you must read certain parts two or three times to accurately appreciate its meaning and mood, and to be able to follow the turns in the text without getting lost. If Bambara is a driver, she writes as though she is the kind of driver who likes to take unexpected turns, even switching mid-sentence to another scene. But if you buckle up and surrender to her style, you’ll be glad you came along for the ride!
It was difficult to get into the book for me. I found myself spacing out sometimes. I plan to revisit in the future when I’m “ready”.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
This was a difficult read. And by that I mean I had to read the first chapter about 3 times before I understood what was going on.
Toni Cade Bambara writes in an unconventional way. Interweaving dialogue with thoughts with events in the room, memory, events across the street, conversations with spirit guides.
But once I got used to her writing style, I was able to enjoy the narrative. Of the weary activist with a fractured mind finding restoration in Black feminine spirituality. Of the weary town, with a fractured communities finding restoration in the same.
Toni Cade Bambara writes in an unconventional way. Interweaving dialogue with thoughts with events in the room, memory, events across the street, conversations with spirit guides.
But once I got used to her writing style, I was able to enjoy the narrative. Of the weary activist with a fractured mind finding restoration in Black feminine spirituality. Of the weary town, with a fractured communities finding restoration in the same.
This was quite the journey and listening experience. The narrator did a fantastic job of moving through the various streams of consciousness and character voices. I'd like to reread this with my eyes.
Read for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2023 prompt number two.
Read for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2023 prompt number two.
McElroy fan? Then this book is for you, chum - a BURIED classic that Uncle Joe would GoldStar in all of its Doppler shifting brilliance. Experimental Fiction to great success.
The last 30 pages or so, when I knew it was ending, I thought back to "Women and Men" and how excited I was when I still had 500 pages to go. I only wish this work was longer.
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes