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riverstories7's review
4.0
A sad but poignant and fascinating depiction of human nature and relationships.
unalasa's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
This book appeared on my radar due to my favorite band Twenty One Pilots - their band name was inspired by this play.
It paints a good picture of grief, guilt, and denial. I’d absolutely love to see this live.
This book appeared on my radar due to my favorite band Twenty One Pilots - their band name was inspired by this play.
It paints a good picture of grief, guilt, and denial. I’d absolutely love to see this live.
rachhhlll_99's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
beautifulname's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
thewhimsicalowl's review
3.0
"Oh, no, he'll come back. We all come back, Kate. These private little revolutions always die. The compromise is always made. In a peculiar way, Frank is right - every man does have a star. The star of one's honesty. And you spend your life groping for it, but once it's out it never lights again. I don't think we went very far. He probably just wanted to be alone to watch his star go out" (70).
This was written the same year as "Death of a Salesman" and definitely has a similar tragic premise and atmosphere. Overall, it was more compelling than I expected and prompted questions about ethics and the American Dream.
This was written the same year as "Death of a Salesman" and definitely has a similar tragic premise and atmosphere. Overall, it was more compelling than I expected and prompted questions about ethics and the American Dream.
ejreadswords's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“I’m his father and he’s my son, and if there’s something bigger than that I’ll put a bullet in my head!”
😭😭😭 I started 2025 with an absolute masterpiece, but goodness, is this one so devastating. What a brilliantly-layered story. Act Two is marvelous, and Act Three’s final reveal, the final truth, and the conclusion… lord have mercy.
“Because certain things have to be, and certain things can never be. Like the sun has to rise, it has to be.”
As I continue building my theatrical foundation, I say yet again, “boy, a lot of these plays are about the same thing.” But considering that art is always in response to what is going on in the world, given this was written in the 1940s (and a lot of core, fundamentally American texts are results of the war), it’s no surprise that a lot of texts are about themes such as complicity, the “American Dream,” and the delusions that we tell ourselves to convince ourselves that the Dream is not dead, that there is something great to still look forward to.
Compared to other essential texts, like Miller’s own Death of a Salesman; O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, The Iceman Cometh; Shepard’s Buried Child, amongst so many others (and I’m just riffing on what I’ve read), this one, for me at least, best explains the generational gap of complicity, accountability, and the limits of what we’d do, what morals we’d compromise, for the betterment of our children, for the idea of leaving behind a good legacy to be proud of. Having ownership of the narrative.
I will exclude in recent theater and memory The Hills of California, because that has the unfair advantage of me having WATCHED it and HEARING it. But wow, that one is so beautifully profound concerning what our parents would do (or not do) for their children’s prosperity. I’m beside myself, this entry is about All My Sons.
I love these characters so much. Clearly defined, with rich histories embedded — and these histories continually haunt. Couldn’t help but think I’d love to play Chris or George, but any of the male characters are justified and representative of the makeup of our American society today.
Love love love love. And I finished reading this (read about 80% of it today) after watching the new film adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo. And I couldn’t help but think that All My Sons and TCoMC share a lot of themes, but focused on different characters; where TCoMC focuses on the innocent victim and his retaliation, All My Sons focuses on the guilty, and the willful ignorance of living with the shame, and the ensuing egg on the face when the jig is up.
Heartbreaking. Beautiful. Wow.
😭😭😭 I started 2025 with an absolute masterpiece, but goodness, is this one so devastating. What a brilliantly-layered story. Act Two is marvelous, and Act Three’s final reveal, the final truth, and the conclusion… lord have mercy.
“Because certain things have to be, and certain things can never be. Like the sun has to rise, it has to be.”
As I continue building my theatrical foundation, I say yet again, “boy, a lot of these plays are about the same thing.” But considering that art is always in response to what is going on in the world, given this was written in the 1940s (and a lot of core, fundamentally American texts are results of the war), it’s no surprise that a lot of texts are about themes such as complicity, the “American Dream,” and the delusions that we tell ourselves to convince ourselves that the Dream is not dead, that there is something great to still look forward to.
Compared to other essential texts, like Miller’s own Death of a Salesman; O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, The Iceman Cometh; Shepard’s Buried Child, amongst so many others (and I’m just riffing on what I’ve read), this one, for me at least, best explains the generational gap of complicity, accountability, and the limits of what we’d do, what morals we’d compromise, for the betterment of our children, for the idea of leaving behind a good legacy to be proud of. Having ownership of the narrative.
I will exclude in recent theater and memory The Hills of California, because that has the unfair advantage of me having WATCHED it and HEARING it. But wow, that one is so beautifully profound concerning what our parents would do (or not do) for their children’s prosperity. I’m beside myself, this entry is about All My Sons.
I love these characters so much. Clearly defined, with rich histories embedded — and these histories continually haunt. Couldn’t help but think I’d love to play Chris or George, but any of the male characters are justified and representative of the makeup of our American society today.
Love love love love. And I finished reading this (read about 80% of it today) after watching the new film adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo. And I couldn’t help but think that All My Sons and TCoMC share a lot of themes, but focused on different characters; where TCoMC focuses on the innocent victim and his retaliation, All My Sons focuses on the guilty, and the willful ignorance of living with the shame, and the ensuing egg on the face when the jig is up.
Heartbreaking. Beautiful. Wow.
serenabhatt04's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
celia_thebookishhufflepuff's review
4.0
It's actually quite good, and I was surprised. I really love the plays we're reading in English this year (this and [b:A Doll's House|37793|A Doll's House|Henrik Ibsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1427119396s/37793.jpg|10535173]) but I wish they were longer.
In this book, the story is just amazing, with tons of plot twists, even if it is only 80-some pages and takes place in a day.
I really enjoy the way Arthur Miller writes plays about very realistic happenings with a creative, real spin. I read [b:The Crucible|17250|The Crucible|Arthur Miller|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447764813s/17250.jpg|1426723] in eighth grade, and I loved it's simplistic style and the way it easily compared the witch hunts of the 16-1700's to the Communist witch hunts of the late 1900's.
This play also follows that simple style and gives a very real perspective on the war and the truths behind why people do what they do. It teaches a lesson that can be applied today, which is that people aren't always what they seem, and everyone sees his or her own reasoning as to what is right.
In this book, the story is just amazing, with tons of plot twists, even if it is only 80-some pages and takes place in a day.
I really enjoy the way Arthur Miller writes plays about very realistic happenings with a creative, real spin. I read [b:The Crucible|17250|The Crucible|Arthur Miller|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447764813s/17250.jpg|1426723] in eighth grade, and I loved it's simplistic style and the way it easily compared the witch hunts of the 16-1700's to the Communist witch hunts of the late 1900's.
This play also follows that simple style and gives a very real perspective on the war and the truths behind why people do what they do. It teaches a lesson that can be applied today, which is that people aren't always what they seem, and everyone sees his or her own reasoning as to what is right.
smallfrytrash's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5