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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
O'Connor is here, as always, fascinating and insightful. However, I feel as though her style is more suited to the short story form--her characters are a little bit too dreadful to live with for an entire 120 pages. I'll take "Revelation" over this any day. That said, this novel is full of interesting themes and symbolism to work out, and I'm looking forward to musing over it more.
I had to read this book for school and I absolutely hated it. I found it creepy and weird and I didn't understand half the things that were going on. The main character, Hazel Motes, made me really uncomfortable and I just didn't understand the plot or point of this book. I didn't get the point of a lot of the things that happened in this book and I was really disturbed by the time I had finished it. I truly wish I hadn't had to read this book. I thought it was awful and profoundly unsettling and I constantly had to stop reading, that's how uncomfortable this book made me feel. I would not recommend this book.
Read as part of a class - I think maybe this just went over my head
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found myself completely absorbed by Flannery O'Connor's "Wise Blood." The novel earns 4.75/5 stars for its unflinching exploration of faith and nihilism in the post-war South.
O'Connor's prose is nothing short of spectacular—sharp, unforgettable, and often darkly humorous. Her ability to craft sentences that cut straight to the bone showcases her mastery of language. The characters, particularly Hazel Motes with his twisted religious fervor and rejection of Christ, develop in ways both fascinating and disturbing. His journey through his "Church Without Christ" reveals profound insights into human nature, religious hypocrisy, and our desperate search for meaning.
What impressed me most was O'Connor's wisdom about human character—how she exposes our contradictions, self-deceptions, and ultimately, our need for grace, even when we reject it. The Southern Gothic elements and grotesque characters serve a higher purpose, illuminating spiritual truths through their distortions.
Though occasionally challenging in its religious symbolism and violence, "Wise Blood" rewards careful reading with its theological depth and artistic brilliance.
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Religious trauma in the south. Good stuff.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
A man raised by his preacher grandfather tries to start a Curch Agaist Christ, with disastrous results.
This felt childish; most of the technique was sound, but it was like being hit with a rant stick. I liked The Violent Bear It Away much better. This was badically, "Protestants suck. Atheists suck. Pagans suck. You can never escape the Catholic God." The end.
I cannot recommend except for completists.
This felt childish; most of the technique was sound, but it was like being hit with a rant stick. I liked The Violent Bear It Away much better. This was badically, "Protestants suck. Atheists suck. Pagans suck. You can never escape the Catholic God." The end.
I cannot recommend except for completists.