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jkiranjot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Child death, Infertility, and Medical trauma
Minor: Religious bigotry
whatannikareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
i'm rating this book higher than a 4 bc i can't deny that this was the first time in a while i've been absorbed into a fictional narrative. for the most part, i enjoyed the pacing, and when things became stagnant, i enjoyed the flashbacks to other characters' plots; i think it helped me to care about the characters other than in Cora and to tie up loose ends.
i agree with others in that there could've been more done with the actual railroad, as it's the title of the book. i also personally got lost a bit in the wording as well as the names of the side characters; i couldn't remember if someone was white or black as slaves obviously were given anglo names, but the author would name drop people from the past and i'd just gloss over it bc i couldn't remember their storyline.
i think it's overall a really captivating, well-researched book. you can tell the author took a lot of time with this story. it's hard to read as any slave narrative would be, so it requires a lot of attention, but i'm glad i read it!
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
lkbooks's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
rachbake's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
gabi12's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Hate crime, Murder, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Slavery
alicialoebl's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Torture, Slavery, Rape, Racial slurs, Murder, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Gore, and Genocide
hannia222's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
At the beginning of this book, I was into it. Sure, the writing style screamed textbook, but the care that went into the setting intrigued me. At
After Cora
Then we get to
Lastly,
Overall, I'm quite sad about how this unfolded. I was ready to relish Colson Whitehead's insight and in the end I just don't think the way in which he inserted commentary was effective. Though full of horrific truths and the potential to be a great piece of literature, <i> The Underground Railroad </i> just fell flat in execution. The characters, even the protagonist, were very one dimensional and I couldn't connect to them for big chunks of their stories. To quote Dre, "Like when non-fiction books are turned into movies, so they need to act a cast of fictional characters to convey what the non-fiction is saying".
I don't love the writing style but I am willing to read more Colson Whitehead. As much as I didn't like this book, I do think he has important things to say and I'm willing to listen.
Moderate: Gore, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Torture
elliemasterman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Gore, Body horror, Violence, and Trafficking
Moderate: Rape and Vomit
surefinewhatever_'s review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, and Violence
leahsbooks's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The story is historical fiction with some elements of magical realism in that it reimagines the Underground Railroad as an actual subterranean railroad that was manned by a network of operators. The author has clearly done an immense amount of research to do justice to this story and this period of history. This isn't a story for the faint of heart, though. The experiences of slaves, and the punishments meted out to them are recounted in excruciating detail.
However, there were some things that made it difficult for me to really get fully invested in this story beyond the shock and horror associated with the fact that this was an actual period in history. First of all, Cora was the only character that we got to know at any level, and it felt like even she was kept at a distance. I got to learn about her story, and a little about what makes her tick, but I never really felt like I was able to connect with her. The other characters just kind of felt like filler - they were dropped into the story when they were needed to move the story along, but we never learned much about them. Instead of having the chapters follow a logical, coherent path, they zigzag about. Interspersed between the chapters that tell the actual story are other chapters that give short snippets about what happens with other characters. But they are told out of sequence and jump back and forth in time, and they don't tell the whole story.
This story really had the potential to be amazing, but ultimately, it just didn't hit the mark for me. I couldn't connect with the story or the characters, and for me, that's what truly takes a story from okay to great.
Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Death, and Infertility
Minor: Sexual assault