Reviews

Another Country by James Baldwin

eliserjg's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.5

Brutal, miserable view of race in the 1950s, focusing on a dynamic group of characters whose relationships are very nuanced. I liked the female characters, especially Cass, but i was disappointed with how she was portrayed by the end

gabzpz's review against another edition

4.0

James Baldwin écrit trop bien (no shit!), ses personnages sont tellement complexes, il réussit à manier le fond et la forme, la narration et la réflexion comme personne. J'ai cru que je tenais peut-être ma lecture préférée de l'année mais le dernier quart m'a un peu perdu, j'ai trouvé qu'on commençait à tourner en rond et que toutes les superbes idées du roman avait déjà été dites et redites. Mais ça reste un très très très bel objet de littérature

942_bee's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-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

5.0

afterthegoldrushes's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad slow-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

3.75

i'm struggling with how i felt about this one. the subject matter is definitely controversial and is portrayed with a brutal honesty, and i commend the effort. i don't think the intent was to absolve rufus of any blame for his actions. his treatment of leona is just a sad and terrible fact, and the characters of the novel have to come to terms with that fact. how do the people who loved rufus move on from the fact that he did something terrible? ida sides with her brother entirely, richard proclaims he never saw the good in him, vivaldo tries to help leona while still hoping there is redemption for rufus. could redemption have been possible? and are the rest of them doomed to repeat these cycles? in the face of the world they live in – is there a way out? 

it's messy, and unfortunately this messiness, while providing realism and complexity, tends to leave the novel scattered and the pacing feels aimless at times. by the last quarter it dragged and dragged and i was tired. it's not my favourite of his novels, but even a flawed baldwin novel is still a work of art in itself.

peytonbertram's review against another edition

5.0

Some of the best writing i’ve ever read.
The way Baldwin describes the emotions that all of his characters are cycling through all at once was great.
I loved reading about sexuality through Eric’s eyes but also through Vivaldo’s
The shifting of narration as the characters formed different relationships was also a great way to move the story along

Looking forward to reading more James Baldwin

rennie_reads's review against another edition

4.0

Wonderful, came just after Giovanni's Room and feels, sometimes, like an extension--with the added exploration of race, of interracial relationships (in hostile1940s? 50s? NYC), on top of the usual explorations of sexuality--and is at once a condemnation and a glorification, a warning and a welcoming for the city where Baldwin was young. There is hate for the city, here, but also 400 pages on the city, suggesting an embittered endearment for the place, a desire to escape (for Baldwin did escape it) the place he cannot help but write about again and again. A beautiful book that has helped me identify more of Baldwin's style (an ambivalent, at times apathetic display of the facts, the places, the emotions and thoughts of the characters simply as they are, as they are occurring, without drawing for himself any sweeping interpretations, assessments, or condemnations of his characters (or at least not any unsubtle ones)), beautiful even when it dragged in the latter half. Eric and Cass, and Yves' landing in New York--and of course Rufus--were all fascinating character studies to me.

frittolini's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-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

4.75

faithtrustandpixiedust2008's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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

5.0

Staggering, overwhelmlingly brutal, honest and true.

adelemoltedo's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Out of the Baldwin’s books I’ve had the pleasure to read, this is probably my least favourite. He’s still my favourite author and this is still a 4.5-star read, but I did not connect with these characters and their stories as much as I have with others; at times I could not understand their feelings and their thoughts and I struggled to immerse myself in their world. However, this is still written masterfully, the characters are completely unique and possess a depth that is unusual and I’d love to spend even just two minutes with them. As always, the commentary on love/sex and race is extremely interesting, and Baldwin’s ability to create scenes is unmatched. Fantastic book!

keeperofthetrees's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense

• 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

4.0