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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
I hate that I didn’t like this one. I wanted to like it so bad, but it just laid too flat for me … and was super sloooow.
It’s about a bond between two brothers (who were slaves) and a Georgia farmer. Beautiful sentiment.
Harris does do a great job building the characters and depicts Georgia in the most real way.
This is Harris’ debut novel and it was selected for Oprah's Book Club!! So do not take my word for it. Give it a chance- I will try again!
It’s about a bond between two brothers (who were slaves) and a Georgia farmer. Beautiful sentiment.
Harris does do a great job building the characters and depicts Georgia in the most real way.
This is Harris’ debut novel and it was selected for Oprah's Book Club!! So do not take my word for it. Give it a chance- I will try again!
I bought the physical book, but eventually switched to the audiobook and the narration was wonderful at 1.2x speed. I really enjoyed the story and the steadfastness of George and Isabelle.
This book was satisfying, albeit heart wrenching, from start to finish. The main character, George, is likable in so much as he is weird and particularly principled. His wife Isabelle is independent, capable, and intelligent. You root for the good guys and against the bad guys, so really what more could you ask for in a book?
I want to say that this book is unfocused (it starts as a tale of friendship and trust then a hidden love story then a mystery almost then a tragedy then a feminist story and more) but there’s really just a ton packed in this book that somehow works. Because it was all over the place, I found myself really eager to keep reading, which is why I gave it 5 stars. I can’t say it was the best book I’ve ever read but the fact that it left me sort of speechless and hooked earns the rating.
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
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:
Yes
A beautifully tragic story that is sadly still relevant in our society today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Murder
This book is fantastic.
Weird, Obama was right...
Weird, Obama was right...
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I liked this book, but didn’t love it. Felt it was a bit slow at first, but glad I stuck with it. Had a difficult time keeping track of who all the characters were. One question though…
What is the point of the beast?
What is the point of the beast?
If I could give this book a million stars, I would. It may be the best book I’ve read this year. So beautiful, gripping and sad. Each page was filled with some of the best writing I’ve read. This should be required reading.
How is this book's overall rating over 4 stars? This book was immensely difficult to get through. Do yourself a favor and read books that actually center Black people's experiences instead of books that put any sort of Black experience so heavily through the lens of all the white characters in the book.
It's shocking that a Black author wrote this book because all it does is give these white Southern characters pats on the back for not being *as bad as they could have been.* Like, wow, good job to all these whites who now have to live among freed slaves after losing the Civil War! You were real shitty at the beginning of the book and "not as shitty" at the end! "Not as shitty" is in quotation marks because I think the author intended for the reader to sense ~growth~ in these white characters, but really all he did was make them all white saviors. Aka valid growth in the eyes of indiscriminate white readers who are desperate to applaud anyone who "helps those less fortunate."
Here are some nice Reconstruction-Era archetypes that make an appearance in this novel: The staple former slave who's, the staple former slave who must endure the , the whore (who is, of course, Black) who is surprisingly morally superior to and wiser than everyone else and who loves to dole out sage advice to the white characters on command, and the white savior family who do things like take in newly freed slaves and make them work their land (but pay them this time) when they could have given those jobs to white soldiers just home from the war, help the former slave escape, , and more!
It's shocking that a Black author wrote this book because all it does is give these white Southern characters pats on the back for not being *as bad as they could have been.* Like, wow, good job to all these whites who now have to live among freed slaves after losing the Civil War! You were real shitty at the beginning of the book and "not as shitty" at the end! "Not as shitty" is in quotation marks because I think the author intended for the reader to sense ~growth~ in these white characters, but really all he did was make them all white saviors. Aka valid growth in the eyes of indiscriminate white readers who are desperate to applaud anyone who "helps those less fortunate."
Here are some nice Reconstruction-Era archetypes that make an appearance in this novel: The staple former slave who's