Reviews

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

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shelleydavis's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and that she kept me turning the pages to find out more. However I just couldn’t decide how I felt about the main characters. Celestial seems like a spoiled brat to me, Andre seems like a person of convenience and Roy just seems like he couldn’t ever figure out where he really belonged in the world - yet all of this lends to the nature of modern marriages in America. Sadly the skeleton of their story is seen over and over again in America while the details of their particular story are a bit tragic.

hilary_weckstein's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5

mkorniejczuk's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

szdalessa's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.0

jess_mango's review against another edition

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5.0

Easily one of my favorite reads of 2018 so far.

tildahlia's review against another edition

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4.0

Probably 3.5. I found this book pretty compelling and parts of the writing sublime, but also struggled in parts. While perhaps a reflection of life under patriarchy, the rigid gender roles irked me. Celestial wasn't entirely passive but she was a bit too damsel in distress at times and the peacocking between the male characters was a bit ugh. I know the characters are meant to be flawed (as we all are) but I did crave a bit more complexity and depth at times to help contextualise their decisions and behaviour. But it did flow well, was super evocative and kept me engaged (no small feat with my pandemic brain). Solid.