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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
This story is based on actual documented historical characters:
Bob is a black slave who escapes from his Spanish master in Pensacola, Florida, leaving behind his wife Winna and daughters to seek his freedom. Bob and Winna didn’t choose one another, but were put together by his master, after Bob was denied the woman he loved to begin with. On the run, he meets up with a white man called Cat who has labeled himself a killer, as well as a Muskogee Indian by the name of Istillicha, or "Man-slayer".
Cat is a rather enigmatic character, not speaking much of his past, but Istillicha is seeking revenge of the woman who wronged him. The three join up together and wind up involved in a mass murder and robbery, which leads to them being hunted by a Frenchman by the name of Le Clerc who has been living with Creeks (otherwise known as Muskogee, the same tribe as that of Istillicha), where he has been documenting "the divergences of man". Le Clerc has a history as a bounty hunter, and meter of justice, all while studying the very men he is hunting.
The book shifts perspectives between these men, as well as that of Bob's wife Winna. Bob begins with his story as a young slave boy and life with his mother and big brother in Virginia. He is later sold, and finds himself in Pensacola, owned by a master who decides to pair him up with a female slave from a neighboring plantation. Bob and wife Winna make due, finding a certain comfort and solace in one another, but Bob is restless. He remembers his brother's tales of freedom and of a black man on a donkey.
Eventually he gains his master's trust and is given the freedom to ride a horse to trade rum with the Creeks, taking him from the plantation for days at a time. This trust and freedom is what allows Bob to escape undetected one day.
Oh, this is such a hard review for me. I wanted to love this book. I was introduced to the author through her last novel The Story of Land and Sea, which I enjoyed, and I'm a fan of slave narratives and southern lit. But this is a tough one for me. At times there was beautiful prose, and other times it was very trying and even boring.
The narrative of Cat (which was unfortunately one of the longest chapters) was very difficult for me to get through. The writing used to relay his tragic narrative was stilted and draining, and oftentimes rambling. I know it is symbolic of his mind, and a useful tool toward that end, but knowing that didn’t make reading it any easier. But then I really enjoyed reading Winna’s narrative, as well as Istillicha. Le Clerc and Bob were okay, but Cat was almost unbearable. If I hadn’t had a commitment to read the book, I may have given up on it during Cat's long period. And that would have been a shame, because it would have meant missing out on Winna, and Istillicha, and a really clever story wound up in there.
I know a lot of this is my own fault. I’m a relatively lazy reader. I don't want a challenge. I don't like to read a book heavily symbolic or laden with descriptive text. I'm not going to read a lot of the classics for that reason. I don't care for stilted writing (which is what most of Cat's narrative was), which is why I have yet to get through Cormac McCarthy's The Road. I just like a good story to get lost in. This book wasn't a victim of “bad” writing, but much of it simply wasn't "fun" for me. I just didn’t enjoy reading half of the story. Much of the time it felt arduous, like a textbook. I had to trudge through Cat's chapter like it was quicksand. The first half of the book was a trial; the second half was a pleasure.
My final word: I'm so torn. I recognize what a clever story this was, and how inspired. It was full of emotion and compassion, heartache and tragedy. And ironically, despite the fact that I barely made it through Cat's narrative, he actually wound up being my favorite character: the boy who only wanted to be loved. So the author was very effective in her writing, and I grew to love him despite myself. A religious theme develops throughout the story, one of redemption and sacrifice and forgiveness. So it comes down to this: If I were rating this book based on my enjoyment of it, I'd probably give it a B-. I just didn't enjoy it enough. But for the author's clever weave of the story, for her effectiveness in getting me to care so much for Cat, and her development of the characters...for that I have to boost my rating to a solid B+. Muted and austere, it was a good effort full of heart.
I'd give this about 3.5 stars.
Bob is a black slave who escapes from his Spanish master in Pensacola, Florida, leaving behind his wife Winna and daughters to seek his freedom. Bob and Winna didn’t choose one another, but were put together by his master, after Bob was denied the woman he loved to begin with. On the run, he meets up with a white man called Cat who has labeled himself a killer, as well as a Muskogee Indian by the name of Istillicha, or "Man-slayer".
Cat is a rather enigmatic character, not speaking much of his past, but Istillicha is seeking revenge of the woman who wronged him. The three join up together and wind up involved in a mass murder and robbery, which leads to them being hunted by a Frenchman by the name of Le Clerc who has been living with Creeks (otherwise known as Muskogee, the same tribe as that of Istillicha), where he has been documenting "the divergences of man". Le Clerc has a history as a bounty hunter, and meter of justice, all while studying the very men he is hunting.
The book shifts perspectives between these men, as well as that of Bob's wife Winna. Bob begins with his story as a young slave boy and life with his mother and big brother in Virginia. He is later sold, and finds himself in Pensacola, owned by a master who decides to pair him up with a female slave from a neighboring plantation. Bob and wife Winna make due, finding a certain comfort and solace in one another, but Bob is restless. He remembers his brother's tales of freedom and of a black man on a donkey.
Eventually he gains his master's trust and is given the freedom to ride a horse to trade rum with the Creeks, taking him from the plantation for days at a time. This trust and freedom is what allows Bob to escape undetected one day.
Oh, this is such a hard review for me. I wanted to love this book. I was introduced to the author through her last novel The Story of Land and Sea, which I enjoyed, and I'm a fan of slave narratives and southern lit. But this is a tough one for me. At times there was beautiful prose, and other times it was very trying and even boring.
The narrative of Cat (which was unfortunately one of the longest chapters) was very difficult for me to get through. The writing used to relay his tragic narrative was stilted and draining, and oftentimes rambling. I know it is symbolic of his mind, and a useful tool toward that end, but knowing that didn’t make reading it any easier. But then I really enjoyed reading Winna’s narrative, as well as Istillicha. Le Clerc and Bob were okay, but Cat was almost unbearable. If I hadn’t had a commitment to read the book, I may have given up on it during Cat's long period. And that would have been a shame, because it would have meant missing out on Winna, and Istillicha, and a really clever story wound up in there.
I know a lot of this is my own fault. I’m a relatively lazy reader. I don't want a challenge. I don't like to read a book heavily symbolic or laden with descriptive text. I'm not going to read a lot of the classics for that reason. I don't care for stilted writing (which is what most of Cat's narrative was), which is why I have yet to get through Cormac McCarthy's The Road. I just like a good story to get lost in. This book wasn't a victim of “bad” writing, but much of it simply wasn't "fun" for me. I just didn’t enjoy reading half of the story. Much of the time it felt arduous, like a textbook. I had to trudge through Cat's chapter like it was quicksand. The first half of the book was a trial; the second half was a pleasure.
My final word: I'm so torn. I recognize what a clever story this was, and how inspired. It was full of emotion and compassion, heartache and tragedy. And ironically, despite the fact that I barely made it through Cat's narrative, he actually wound up being my favorite character: the boy who only wanted to be loved. So the author was very effective in her writing, and I grew to love him despite myself. A religious theme develops throughout the story, one of redemption and sacrifice and forgiveness. So it comes down to this: If I were rating this book based on my enjoyment of it, I'd probably give it a B-. I just didn't enjoy it enough. But for the author's clever weave of the story, for her effectiveness in getting me to care so much for Cat, and her development of the characters...for that I have to boost my rating to a solid B+. Muted and austere, it was a good effort full of heart.
I'd give this about 3.5 stars.
Did it need the character of the French Man, ethnographer? Not sure about this one. I should have known when it sat well below four stars. I really only liked the narrative of the escaped slave.
2.5?
2.5?
So ultimately I liked this book. That being said I did have a few issues. There were times when the narratives were...unrealistic? I'm not sure what the word is, but they didn't feel quite right or believable. I can't say too much without giving away spoilers but I really was not happy with the ending. Another issue I had is that I would go through periods where I was really enjoying the book and then all of sudden I had to push myself to keep reading. I do like the book and I did enjoy the writing. I think I would read more by this author. I do recommend this, but it probably won't be everyone's cup of tea.
Free Men by Katy Simpson Smith is about a manhunt in 1788 in Alabama for the unlikely combination of a white man, a runaway slave, and an American Indian. This book is a character study of the three criminals and the man chasing them. Socially, economically, and legally, these men couldn't be any more different, but their stories have dramatic similarities. Underlying the entire book is the the question of what form freedom make take. It will leave you thinking.
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2016/01/free-men.html
Reviewed based on a publisher’s galley received through Edelweiss
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2016/01/free-men.html
Reviewed based on a publisher’s galley received through Edelweiss
It's books like this one where I miss the ability to rate something a half a star, as this would be a 4.5 rating for me. A great story, set in the colonial South. A slave, a white man, an Indian. Great story line, well developed, of the 3 main characters, and their French tracker. Highly recommend.
We are born alone and die alone and are never really free while money exists.
Or, community exists but comes and goes freely. To be truly free is to master the act of letting go.
Or, with love comes great sorrow.
Or, what happens to us as children bubbles up in the future.
Or, all children are deserving of love and healthy attachment and a reliable community of safe grownups.
Or, vengeance is never actually worth it.
Or, is it?
Or, community exists but comes and goes freely. To be truly free is to master the act of letting go.
Or, with love comes great sorrow.
Or, what happens to us as children bubbles up in the future.
Or, all children are deserving of love and healthy attachment and a reliable community of safe grownups.
Or, vengeance is never actually worth it.
Or, is it?
Check the full review at Kritters Ramblings
A black slave who is trying to find freedom, an Indian who is trying to seek revenge and a white man who is trying to run from events of his past come together and kill and steal from a pack of men and must run together from the man tracking them. Each character including the tracker gets an opportunity to tell their back story and how they got to their current predicament. I was so intrigued to find out not only the back story of each individual, but what led them to each other.
A black slave who is trying to find freedom, an Indian who is trying to seek revenge and a white man who is trying to run from events of his past come together and kill and steal from a pack of men and must run together from the man tracking them. Each character including the tracker gets an opportunity to tell their back story and how they got to their current predicament. I was so intrigued to find out not only the back story of each individual, but what led them to each other.
Three men find an unusual friendship during a trying time in America’s history. In 1788, what is now Alabama an escaped slave, a Creek Indian and a wayward white man come together to travel for a few days and end up committing a murder. Tracking them is a Frenchman named Le Clerc; Le Clerc is sent by the law, but would rather satisfy his curiosity of why these men are traveling so amicably together.
I love that this story was imagined from a tiny piece of early American history where three men with the names of Bob, Cat and Istillicha committed a crime along the now named Murder Creek. This was an intricate look into the lives of three desperate men from three very different social classes that find that they are not so different. All three men are running from something and are able to find peace within one another’s understanding. Each man’s story unfolds slowly as the author weaves through their current journey and their backstory. I personally fell for Cat’s story the hardest, his story was gripping and heartfelt and he seemed to be the most damaged. His revelations and friendships with the others seemed to be the most inspiring. Le Clerc was another surprising character, although sent to capture them; he was truly interested in what brought these men together. Free Men offered an intense, emotional and unique look into well-developed characters.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
I love that this story was imagined from a tiny piece of early American history where three men with the names of Bob, Cat and Istillicha committed a crime along the now named Murder Creek. This was an intricate look into the lives of three desperate men from three very different social classes that find that they are not so different. All three men are running from something and are able to find peace within one another’s understanding. Each man’s story unfolds slowly as the author weaves through their current journey and their backstory. I personally fell for Cat’s story the hardest, his story was gripping and heartfelt and he seemed to be the most damaged. His revelations and friendships with the others seemed to be the most inspiring. Le Clerc was another surprising character, although sent to capture them; he was truly interested in what brought these men together. Free Men offered an intense, emotional and unique look into well-developed characters.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
I think part of my problem here is the way the central story is set out. Le Clerc, etc. spends a lot of time wondering WHY these three men are traveling together, WHY they might be interacting, WHY they might tolerate each other. Knowing what I do (limited as it may be) about this particular time period and this particular location, it's a fair question. The problem is this: there isn't really much of a reason, aside from the general "because they sort of ran into each other and then whatever they were all kind of lonely." I get it. The answer is humanity and The Brotherhood Of Man and all that. But I never felt like there was a really compelling moment for any of them, for me. Nothing about this felt inevitable.
Now, it doesn't need inevitability. But when a major component of the story is about the strangeness of this particular grouping, it needs to be a pretty compelling piece. It's not.
Now, it doesn't need inevitability. But when a major component of the story is about the strangeness of this particular grouping, it needs to be a pretty compelling piece. It's not.
I really tried with this book. What I read was beautifully written. I loved the characters and their back stories, but the book felt much longer than the 350ish pages and I gave up with about a hundred to go.