Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Street

This is such an impactful story that is emotional, reflective and sad but not dark. Its not a dark book in the sense where it makes you feel dread or horror. But as you read, your emotions are neutral through all because its the weird feeling of relatability. Ann Petry tells the story in a way that it is too realistic that you can't help but be numb about it. It would be like watching a film of your own life, you know those emotions and you can't help but have no reaction to them. It's a weird feeling that I felt whilst reading but I'm not saying it as a bad thing. I liked it, because it made the ending much painful and unexpected. The ending is what completes the story, how heartbreaking it is but also shows the reality of it all. All loose ends are not tied up but rather left there because that's how life is. You never really tie it all together. We follow other characters that are so raw that the characters don't feel like characters but rather humans. It's as if I'm a scientist studying people forced in a horrible situation, taking notes and not being able to do anything but reflect and spread the knowledge I learned. That is the whole story, a study of humans trapped in the most narrowest of trails. Great story! Changed my thinking and overall enjoyed it.

Content Warnings

egmamaril's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

A Zola-esque character study. I wish someone would have told me to read Petry instead of Hemingway.

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violentcello's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

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

4.25

Content Warnings

mariaviola's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.5

“from the time she was born, she had been hemmed into an ever-narrowing space, until now she was very nearly walled in and the wall had been built up brick by brick by eager white hands.”

after finishing the street, all i can say is that this was a heartbreaking read, and what made it so heartbreaking was all of its honesty. there is no sugarcoating here—here is the story of a poor black single mother living in the 1940s and the things she goes through in trying to build a better life for her and her son. it’s raw and painful and some characters you will just want to hug and others you will want to beat the sh*t out of. it’s not very fast-paced but it’s a must-read in my opinion.

→ my rating ♡ 4.5/5 stars ←

Content Warnings

literaryhedgehog's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Simply put, The Street is breathtaking.
I’m her depiction of 1940s Harlem, Petry creates a narrative that is viscerally human. Her masterful use of multiple perspectives allows her characters to come to life as fully realized and independent human beings, while also showing how they are objectified and dehumanized by one another. The depiction of race, class, and gender is frank, beautifully articulated, and still very relevant to life in the 21st century. I have never seen a better depiction of the daily life of a woman, including the joys and anxieties of motherhood.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a reflective/serious read.

Content Warnings

bjdarby's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

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