Reviews

The Complete Fiction of Nella Larsen: Passing, Quicksand, and the Stories by Nella Larsen, Charles Larson, Marita Golden

beehan__'s review

reflective

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

4.0

roomwithabook's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ida_s's review against another edition

5.0

Excellent read, especially the two novels. The short stories don’t stand out for me, and I did notice some repetitions and stylistic choices that I found a bit annoying when I read the two novels back to back, which I hadn’t noticed when I read Passing the first time. But these are overshadowed by the complexity of the characters and the wonderful observations about identity and belonging. The writing feels modern and still very much relevant. I wish more of her writing had been published.

willowsfair's review against another edition

3.0

Disappointing. Larsen writes splendidly, with finely drawn characters that breathe with a life of their own. But the stories, however well they begin, eventually get bogged down in repeating patterns of mundanity and oddness, and at the end they simply expire without a point or message. Even if the mundanity is the point, it's entirely wrapped up in the frustrating acts of the main characters, so that message is lost. With the exception of Passing, there are no lessons here, or really anything to remember, despite the snippets of everyday life in a time long past - and as well crafted as the stories begin and continue thru the middle, they truly become a slog.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 because this obscure author remained lost for so long, and the Harlem Renaissance writers deserve all we can give them.

bysarahalexander's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

lotta21's review

reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

divinediana's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

jenrosy's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

indigo78180's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I read through both Quicksand and Passing pretty quickly. I was interested to find that I could trace a lot of parallels between Larsen's novels and others, such as The Awakening or Sula. It points to how rich her characters are, I think, as well as her understanding of the intersection of race and gender.

jillaay_h's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0