Reviews

Crossing the River by Caryl Phillips

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laserlenin's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

manda2491's review against another edition

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Three voices, a freed slave in Nigeria, a woman's search for refuge in the West, and an African G.I. who has fallen in love with a white English woman, form a collective memory of the hurt and longing for love that inflicts the African diaspora.

xx_selenite's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

4.75

I thoroughly enjoyed reading - and studying - that book, and I want to give my opinion on each choronotope.
-> Prologue & Epilogue: very beautiful, with striking opening lines. It sets the scene very well, with all the

metaphorical meaning of the Father being the African Father, a mystical, spiritual presence.

-> Pagan Coast: A very enjoyable critic of the American colonization society and its twisted way. Although we don't learn much about Nash, it's easy to emphasise with him.
-> West: I cry like a baby every time.

Martha is such a resilient character, and the icing on the cake is, of course, how she is going to be dehumanised and renamed yet another time by a white person who genuinely thinks she's doing something nice.

-> Crossing the River: It's the reason why I didn't give the book five stars. I see the purpose of this section, I've analysed it, and it's very rich in meaning, but I did find it boring.
-> Somewhere in England: With Martha's part, it's my favourite bit of the book. I think Joyce is a very interesting character, especially when we start reading the 1936 entries. Travis is relatively absent in the story, yet we feel sympathy towards him. One great point is also that it is filled with foreshadowing.

I cry like a baby every time, the writing style is very efficient. Travis's death might not be explicitly described, but Joyce feels it and so do we. And the two 1963 entries with Greer? I can't read it with a straight face.

-> Epilogue: Very solid, very striking.

The idea of the Father looking over all of his descendants, even Joyce who is a part of the family through her status as a mother, is very heartwarming. And of course, the last words that I don't think I'll ever forget

marield's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-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? Yes

3.75

nimbusdays's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

alexsiddall's review against another edition

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3.0

A powerful book but one I didn't much enjoy. Several strong narratives about different aspects of the slave experience and its legacy down the generations, and the unseen, unspoken, unacknowledged racism of our society. It is definitely worth reading. I've known Caryl Phillips' name for a long time, but not until now have picked up any of his books. He's another writer I wouldn't have read without reading Johnny Pitts' absorbing 'Afropeans'.