Reviews

Passing by Nella Larsen

garleighc's review

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

mercurialrush's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

moo_remus's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

An interesting reflection on passing as white and whether that actually makes life any easier. It focuses on a rather complex friendship where honestly neither of them are very good at being friends. The ending was very dramatic and unexpected but I guess is an accumulation of everything that has been happening. I think the author does a good job of letting you into the perspective of the main character.

kolivereads's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 stars.

Mostly rounded down for a slow start to the book that had me struggling to finish it.

lesserjoke's review against another edition

3.0

An interesting 1929 novella about a black woman's friend crossing the color line to present as white instead. The racial insights (and potential queer subtext) from almost a century ago are worth checking out, but the ending plays into the regrettable trope of the 'tragic mulatto' -- an element only somewhat mitigated by the fact that author Nella Larsen was a light-skinned person of mixed-race heritage herself -- and the text's function as a morality play seems dubious by today's standards. I also think I just want more from the conclusion of the book in general, which doesn't offer much in the way of falling action or denouement.

There's apparently a movie adaptation coming to Netflix soon starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga; I'll be curious to see how the material has been updated or not when that gets released later this year.

[Content warning for racism including slurs.]

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dkdahl's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

algriffin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.75

setlledbullet9's review against another edition

I just didn’t like it

lena_kellogg's review against another edition

dark informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

ree_ree's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.0