Reviews

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

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livhoney's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.0

roxiefox4's review against another edition

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challenging 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

3.0

m_bell0428's review against another edition

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3.0

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson is the powerful story of a slave, Isabel, and her fight for freedom during the American Revolutionary War. Isabel has to navigate the harsh realities of the world as a slave to fight for her and her little sister's rights as human beings. I thought this piece of historical fiction presented an interesting perspective of the American Revolutionary War that we rarely hear about, the perspectives of the slaves. I would use this story in my classroom to present an alternative perspective on the Revolutionary War.

heathercottledillon's review against another edition

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4.0

There are a lot of books about slaves that are set during the Civil War, but I haven't seen many that take place during the Revolutionary War. This story highlights the irony of the fact that many of the men who sought their political freedom from the British enslaved human beings themselves. I'm not an expert on life during the Revolutionary War, but some of the details in the book didn't ring true to me, especially the dialogue. Other than that, I enjoyed "Chains." I got sucked into this story right away, and the characters really came to life to me. I think this is a great book for younger readers because it introduces the horrific atrocities of slavery and shows a side of the American Revolution that's sometimes overlooked without being terribly graphic.

dianarobica's review against another edition

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2.0

I did not enjoy reading every chapter of this book THREE TIMES A DAY. I couldn’t even be mad at my students for falling asleep during this book because OMG DID THIS BOOK DRAG ON!!!!!

I guess it has potential…. I was so excited to teach this because historical fiction is my favorite genre and I love reading about the American Revolution. Although the setting and characters were intriguing, the writing was so excruciatingly detailed and boring and dull. Even the suspenseful events were written so monotonously and detailed that I caught myself dozing off AS I WAS TEACHING IT TO THE CLASS

And what was the point of this book??? I couldn’t tell ya… you have to read the next two books to figure it out. NO THANKS! Sorry kids, I might be a bad teacher

catbrigand's review against another edition

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3.0

I think it has the makings of a great trilogy, and it's a pretty good book. Isabel is not on fire for the revolution or for the Tories--she's on fire for whoever can keep her alive. And while that might not make her as conventionally interesting, I think it's a lot more realistic. I think the best thing that Anderson did for Isabel was

Spoiler

not having her absolve Lady Seymour for being a "nice white lady." As Isabel put it--a person doesn't want to be bought and sold like a basket of eggs, even if the person cracking the shells is nice.