Reviews

Romance in Marseille by Claude McKay

wetherspoonsgf's review

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

newt_newt's review

adventurous emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

kkc's review

adventurous emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

meikemols's review

fast-paced

3.75

hopeloveslit's review against another edition

3.0

Romance in Marseille is a quirky and entertaining novel. McKay was ahead of his time! He explores international politics, physical disability, and queer identity. I can see why it took almost ninety years to get published.

Shout out to Penguin for dragging this out of the archives, but parts of the story feel choppy and unfinished. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an enjoyable read. However, I was left feeling unsatisfied. For that reason, I wouldn’t recommend this book. 

aileenlindsey's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.75

olivexgreen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

zpuacz's review

dark reflective tense fast-paced

3.0

thedeepmagic's review

emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.25

Certainly you'll have to remember that this book was written in the early twentieth century, with all its prejudices and racial attitudes intact . . . But that these same things come from a uniquely Black perspective, which is worth getting into. Lafala is the main character but every character you encounter is full of rich complexity. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Violence, Ableism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Classism and Suicidal thoughts

reading_racc00n's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes