Reviews - Not Without Laughter

153 reviews for:

Not Without Laughter

Langston Hughes

4.1 AVERAGE

caitie711's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective tense 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

kobusu's review

4.75

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Langston Hughes is best known for his poetry, but his narratives are arguably his strongest suit.

reviewsbylola's review against another edition

4.5

slow-paced

lilias's review against another edition

3.75

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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: No

I love novels written by poets, and Langston Hughes is one of the best. At first I was surprised by this book because I expected … maybe grander language, more ornate descriptions? But the mastery of this book is in the subtleties and the details. Hughes tells the story of his characters with such care.

Sandy is a young Black boy growing up in a small, predominantly white, Kansas town. He is raised by his mother, aunts, and grandmother. Occasionally his father shows up, too. From page one, I cared deeply about Sandy. We go along with him through little vignettes of everyday life, and a sign of great character development is how much I worried about him and wanted to protect him as I read. One of his aunts also stood out to me as someone I cared about. Reading this short novel, I was heart-warmed by the love the family has for each other and heart-broken by the realities of racism and poverty.