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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
this book made me cry on three separate parts.
like let Cora's love interests live I beggg
like let Cora's love interests live I beggg
Unlike most people, I didn't really enjoy this read. I do not deny that there were some beautifully crafted sentences; sentences that really strike a person. BUT, overall, the story was cold, distant, in other words, there wasn't really a connection to any of the characters. I understand that maybe it was written that way purposefully because Cora stays cold and distant from other people. (A strategy to protect herself that I would have employed as well!) But that distance also served to turn me off of the book. I'm not sorry I read it; it never hurts to be reminded of how terrible one human can be to another so that overall human kind can try to grow beyond that, but I do wish I had more emotional investment in some of the characters.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Damn, this was good.
As the novel opened, I was prepared to be underwhelmed. It started off a little slow and I wasn't sure where the story would end up going. And after all, I was wondering, I know a lot about the Underground Railroad from school, how mind-blowing can this novel possibly be?
Well, obviously I was wrong. I think following Cora along her journey and the different types of horror that came through the different states just really got to me. Whitehead was able to communicate the many types of people and situations that developed, all due to the system of slavery and the efforts of the Underground Railroad. The many lives that were affected hit home for me.
There were certainly a couple sections where the pacing slowed and I found myself getting distracted (it was an audiobook), but overall, the writing was tense, impactful and gritty. I know that some complained about the writing not portraying emotions or impact enough, but I think the simple style portrayed life as it was, and it was all the more hard-hitting because of that.
As the novel opened, I was prepared to be underwhelmed. It started off a little slow and I wasn't sure where the story would end up going. And after all, I was wondering, I know a lot about the Underground Railroad from school, how mind-blowing can this novel possibly be?
Well, obviously I was wrong. I think following Cora along her journey and the different types of horror that came through the different states just really got to me. Whitehead was able to communicate the many types of people and situations that developed, all due to the system of slavery and the efforts of the Underground Railroad. The many lives that were affected hit home for me.
There were certainly a couple sections where the pacing slowed and I found myself getting distracted (it was an audiobook), but overall, the writing was tense, impactful and gritty. I know that some complained about the writing not portraying emotions or impact enough, but I think the simple style portrayed life as it was, and it was all the more hard-hitting because of that.
3.5. Last 1/4 was the best... the first bit didn’t move fast enough for my taste
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Libro bellissimo, che si legge molto bene. L'argomento è ovviamente straziante...
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I understand the hype. This is Pulitzer Prize winning for a reason. Colson Whitehead is an incredible storyteller and blends a plot that gets you hooked, along with historical details that fully depict the atrocities faced by enslaved people and runaways alike… and yet, in trying to weave facts about the opportunities (or lack thereof) for “freed/runaways”, I felt like the plot was massively flawed in the idea of a literal Underground Railroad. If we’re going to do historical fiction with realism, then why not keep it 100, especially when depicting something as real and in need of truth as slavery. By having a system of literal train tracks underneath the houses of abolitionists, this book blurs the real history about what slavery really encompassed which has real consequences for people and generations not privy enough to know otherwise. .
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
(Listen to this on audiobook. I was familiar with that narrator from "The Hate U Give" and I must say she's incredibly talented and brings a unique life to each character she voices. Easily, one of my favorite narrators)
This book is an emotional rollercoaster. Whitehead does not try to soften the blow of what happened to slaves in Antebellum times, especially the sexual violence against female slaves. So, if that's triggering, I feel you should skip this. However, I am glad that Whitehead was so raw with how he handled the horrors of slavery. This is a story that needs to be told from the days of slavery to the BLM movement of today.
I feel that the heroine was a very realistic character, she has trauma, she has flaws, she makes mistakes, and she's all-around human. She just felt like a real person and her personality, based on her background, makes so much sense. Easily one of the best female main characters I've seen a male author write.
I also loved how thoroughly well researched this book was, and I actually learned more from this book about slavery and the abolitionist movement that I've had from non-fiction sources. He really brought the pre-civil war America to life.
Though he wrote this as historical fiction, I do like how the book subtlety, but not overtly obvious but still there, echoes the current issues of race relations in the United States.
Overall, a brilliant book and a needed emotional journey. But I suggest you read the trigger warnings, because this is a raw read that throws no false punches.
This book is an emotional rollercoaster. Whitehead does not try to soften the blow of what happened to slaves in Antebellum times, especially the sexual violence against female slaves. So, if that's triggering, I feel you should skip this. However, I am glad that Whitehead was so raw with how he handled the horrors of slavery. This is a story that needs to be told from the days of slavery to the BLM movement of today.
I feel that the heroine was a very realistic character, she has trauma, she has flaws, she makes mistakes, and she's all-around human. She just felt like a real person and her personality, based on her background, makes so much sense. Easily one of the best female main characters I've seen a male author write.
I also loved how thoroughly well researched this book was, and I actually learned more from this book about slavery and the abolitionist movement that I've had from non-fiction sources. He really brought the pre-civil war America to life.
Though he wrote this as historical fiction, I do like how the book subtlety, but not overtly obvious but still there, echoes the current issues of race relations in the United States.
Overall, a brilliant book and a needed emotional journey. But I suggest you read the trigger warnings, because this is a raw read that throws no false punches.
I really liked it. I couldn't put it down but felt he went sideways on a few parts and found myself bored.