Reviews

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

thehairyit's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-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? No

3.5

javabooks's review against another edition

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inspiring sad fast-paced

4.0

delina2983's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.5

The southern dialect was a bit hard to follow in the beginning, but.. I’m stumped for words. I want to say amazing book (but with the horrific subject matter), not sure it feels right. Certainly one of the most riveting books I’ve read in a while. The strength of faith amidst the hardships of the American slavery is probably the main theme, and is what keeps you pinned to this book. Just when there’s a glimmer of hope, something happens to turn it around. One of the most important books from that time period, or ever. Just wow. 

nmars's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

memybooksandi's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

lsparrow's review against another edition

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3.0

The writing is definitely set in it's own particular time and setting. The author attempts to present a breadth of experiences around slavery and for the attempt does justice to a wide range of experiences and view points - however it is not as strong or as personal as if from a lived experience. Even the popularity/acclaim that this book has speaks to the issues of systemic racism - other accounts by those who had lived experiences are at best unknown if not unpublished. It feels that much of the strengths of the novel relies on the stories of others. The final section of the book drags as Stowe gets distracted by needing to clearly reiterate her political views (which in my mind the story clearly speaks for).
Overall I found it helpful to read it in light of period it was written - and to see how this has shaped today - and how even many of the themes are still relevant.

m7_20's review against another edition

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4.0

رواية أظهرت الظلم الواقع والناتج عن الاسترقاق الذي حدث في تلك الحقبة من تاريخ امريكا،ونوّعت المؤلفة في شخصياتها وسرد تسلسل أحداثها العجيب،فجعلتني أبغض وأكره شخصيات وأتعاطف مع شخصيات أخرى،شدتني الحوارات العميقة التي كانت تحدث بين شخصيات الرواية لأنها توضّح مشاعرهم وآراءهم التي تأثر في معاملتهم ونظرهم للعبيد،نهايتها لم تكن متوقعة ولكنها مؤلمة،ترجمة منير البعلبكي رائعة وجذّابة لا تشعرك باختلال الترجمة عن النص الأصلي التي كتبت به

*تنحصر سلبيات الرواية في نقطتين:-
اولاً:شعرت أن أحداث الرواية سريعة ولا أعلم هل بسبب الترجمة أم أن المؤلفة تسرعت في السرد
ثانياً:وجود بعض الحوارات الإلحادية التي يكون فيها اعتراضات على الذات الإلهية

cheekylaydee's review against another edition

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4.0

I have attempted this book in the past and somehow given up and moved onto lighter reading. This time I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. This book was the first to tell the story of slavery from the slave's point of view. This is hugely significant.

Other books set during or just after this period (Gone with the Wind is the one that immediately springs to mind) tell the stories of white people who own black slaves. This is one of the rare books I've read (Alex Haley's Roots excepted) that tell stories of slavery from the slave's point of view. It's quite difficult to imagine in this modern age that skin colour could have had such an influence on how somebody could have been viewed and treated. This goes beyond mere racism, this is actually viewing certain human beings as nothing but cattle to be bought, traded, the women routinely raped and more than likely worked to death just to be replaced by the next on the market.

There are certain events in history such as the Holocaust and the slave trade that I personally find incomprehensible. Even Beecher-Stowe, who was attempting to portray slaves as individuals with rights still consistently refers to them as 'creatures' albeit 'gentle', 'simple' or 'docile' ones. The apartness is still so stark that even the author not once refers to them as people.

I find this incredible. Although this book was significant in that it started to raise questions about the morality of the slave trade in America I'm still left wondering how the author viewed those in slavery. Yes, it's abundantly clear that she had sympathy for them, that she thought it was fundamentally wrong, but to me, it still comes across as if she sees herself as significantly different because she has white skin. I am in no way trying to take anything away from this novel's historical significance but from the way it's written it appears that black slaves are to be helped by white people, but it still feels to me that because white people have all the power that they are somehow worthy of the title of human being whereas blacks are constantly referred to as 'poor critters' rather than human beings.

That's really the only significant flaw I found with the book, and maybe I have to remember that these were the first few tentative steps into questioning the morality of the slave trade. My modern morality still somehow finds this book wanting.

melonep08's review against another edition

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5.0

Finallyyyyyy!
This book is definitely slow going, but overall it really made me question what the life of African-American slaves were like and the differences in opinion between the north and the south. Happy I chose this for my EPQ now.

emerygirl's review against another edition

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3.0

This book was on the book list for 10th grade honors english. It was required reading and I had to read it fast because of course I proscrasinated until the last few days of the quarter when the book report was due. I enjoyed the book, but wouldn't read it again. It was very deep, especially for a 16 year old.