Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Just a bit too slow for my current moment! Really impressive writing though.
challenging
dark
funny
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
slow-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
surely a literary masterpiece, chock full of memorable lines and subtleties. the ways the stories overlap in oblique ways, the distinct voice of each chapter, the rich themes, vivid descriptions, and the nuanced characterization are all incredible. it would completely miss the point to say this paints a picture of the "real" Jamaica, but it's certainly a richer portrayal than I would know about otherwise.
each character chapter of the audiobook was read by a different performer, which made for incredible immersion, especially for hearing how different accents and patois sound aloud. I had a hard time following larger plot implications/machinations through listening, so I often referred to this guide when I felt like I missed something.
not for the faint of heart -- very graphic violence and themes.
each character chapter of the audiobook was read by a different performer, which made for incredible immersion, especially for hearing how different accents and patois sound aloud. I had a hard time following larger plot implications/machinations through listening, so I often referred to this guide when I felt like I missed something.
not for the faint of heart -- very graphic violence and themes.
Wow, long novel but very good. Detailing the events around the shooting of Bob Marley and the ‘Peace concert’, and much much more. An unflinching look into the Jamaican Ghetto, Rasta Gestapo, and the CIA.
Very adult book that had me cringing a few times and I grew up around some true “Rude Boys”. Very finely crafted book! Almost five stars because of my knowledge of the subject. Will certainly read more of this authors work.
Would recommend; but only to those not faint of heart. This book is ‘rougher than rough’
Very adult book that had me cringing a few times and I grew up around some true “Rude Boys”. Very finely crafted book! Almost five stars because of my knowledge of the subject. Will certainly read more of this authors work.
Would recommend; but only to those not faint of heart. This book is ‘rougher than rough’
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What made this such a powerful read was that it didn’t have a clear goal in mind. For most of it, I was trying to figure out what the through line was connecting all of these characters. At first, I thought that it was the attempt on the life of the “Singer” but it wasn’t. The author merely used it as a jumping off point to delve deeper into the lives of the people that were tangentially connected. It was a way for showing how a significant event in world history can shape the lives of so many. It was a headline for us while something much more impactful for those closer to it. I think the author was purposeful in never identifying who the “Singer” was, because this wasn’t his story. Showing how other people’s lives also can be just as impactful and hold as much meaning to those around them (for good or for bad). This point is especially true for two specific characters. They only interacted once in any real significant way, but that event put them both on different paths they otherwise wouldn’t have been on. The author was specific in illustrating what that interaction meant for both characters. For one it was everything, while for the other, they might’ve even forgot it even happened. Regrets and past mistakes can eat away at you, showing that you can attempt to run away from your problems but never succeeding. I feel like Jamaica itself, was a character in this book. How that identity felt like a rope around characters necks. It affected how the world perceived them. While some chose to play into it, others attempted to hide that aspect of themselves. The author was trying to show that you can never truly forget where you came from because that will always be apart of who you are. You sometimes may even feel that desire to return to it after some time has passed. This book also felt like a character study in identity. Specifically some that struggled with sexual identity and coming to terms with it in a Jamaican society that seemed more regressive in that way. Coming to terms with who you are and finding contentment. It took experience for some of these characters to realize that there was always another path open to them. But what I think the main goal of this book was to use the events surrounding the “Singer” to show that moments like these don’t happen in a vacuum. There are things that lead up to these major events. And there are circumstances that cause people to act the way that they do. And those reasons often get lost to history in favor of more broad strokes that are painted on them. Especially people coming from slums and parts of Jamaica that our western backgrounds are not familiar with. This book showed me that empathy can be more than surface level. To see people beyond their mistakes. That these are human beings, and that we could’ve ended up just like them if we were placed in similar circumstances. The fact that the story didn’t have a major through line, allowed for each character’s arc to resonate more on its own. I also think there is value in staying true to the dialect of the culture. Reminding ourselves that all people do not talk like they are in a classical era novel. That plain speak can be just as profound. That stories about black and brown characters can be just as moving.