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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
Great book about a terrible subject. I wanted to be able to give this book a 5 but the ending seemed a little short for me and there were parts of the story that were just a little to unbelievable for me. The tragic and terrible life that became the normal for those in slavery bothered me but I am sure it is that bad and worse. What I thought was unbelievable was that Meena seemed to always have luck on her side. More often than not, while others were starving, beaten, or even killed it seemed that she had just enough money, a kinder owner and the skills to keep her just a little ahead of the others.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
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:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Otherwise known as The Book of Negros in Canada. This is one of my all time favourite books. Amadella's is one of my all time favourite character arcs
I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. Looking at all of the glowing reviews this book has, I guess I simply did not 'get' it. I suppose I was expecting too much from it.
I found it extremely tough to get through. And yes, the depictions of the slave trade horrifying and brutal (as it should be - with the distance that time has given us to these atrocities, it's necessary to have these visceral reminders). My complaint lies more in the fact that I found the pacing of the story a detriment to my reading experience, making it a very slow read for me. Despite reading pages upon pages, I felt like the narrative didn't really move forward in the beginning. While the plot does start to pick up, the time jumps left me cold. I understand intuitively the reason for this choice but it did nothing but abruptly end a storyline I was beginning to find interesting. As I got closer to the end, suddenly, the plot felt so rushed. I don't think I've ever read a book that felt too long and yet, not long enough.
I found it extremely tough to get through. And yes, the depictions of the slave trade horrifying and brutal (as it should be - with the distance that time has given us to these atrocities, it's necessary to have these visceral reminders). My complaint lies more in the fact that I found the pacing of the story a detriment to my reading experience, making it a very slow read for me. Despite reading pages upon pages, I felt like the narrative didn't really move forward in the beginning. While the plot does start to pick up, the time jumps left me cold. I understand intuitively the reason for this choice but it did nothing but abruptly end a storyline I was beginning to find interesting. As I got closer to the end, suddenly, the plot felt so rushed. I don't think I've ever read a book that felt too long and yet, not long enough.
Made me rethink everything I take for granted, such and interesting depressing time during our history.
dark
emotional
sad
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:
No
I loved this book- on of my favourites of all time. You can't help but admiring and loving Aminata and wanting her to be victorious - she remains herself and keeps her dignity despite horrendous treatment and turns of fate. Highly recommend!