Reviews

Of One Blood by Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins, Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins

natalie_mt's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this. A super adventurous read with ghosts, lots worlds, and amazing racial commentary. I can see how Afrofuturism came from this book. Although it's original serialization makes the book drive on surprises in the plot, some that don't seem to align well with the rest of the plot, I think this is an essential read. 

halfextinguishedthoughts's review against another edition

TW: Death, Racial slurs, Murder, Domestic abuse, Incest, Animal death, Mentions of Rape, Doctor/Patient relationship, Colorism 

 

Of One Blood by Pauline Hopkins is an interesting mix of Gothic, romance, Afrofuturism, and adventure. The beginning half is set in Boston, Massachusetts in the 1880s. The second half transitions to Africa as Reuel Briggs, our main character, journeys to Ethiopia on an archaeological expedition. 

Reuel’s introduction comes after some beautiful but desolate descriptions of scenery, November rain, and freezing temperatures. These match Reuel’s mood and his outlook on life. He thinks, “Briggs could have told you that the bareness and desolateness of apartment were like his life, but he was a reticent man who knew how to suffer in silence” (1). This is our look at the world through his eyes. 

 

The beginning half sets us up with a look into Boston society and Reuel’s place in it. He is a medical student with financial troubles and a secret he staunchly ignores leaves him separated from those around him. His friend, Aubrey Livingston, tries to help Reuel when possible leading them both to meet the Black, Southern singer, Dianthe Lusk. 

 

There’s this almost meandering pace to the beginning. Reuel uses mysticism and the supernatural atmosphere places an uncanny air. He goes to a dinner party where they tell ghost stories, and has visions in his sleep. Hopkins highlights the supernatural elements with nods to Frankenstein and Lovecraft. The love story, with these uncanny elements as well, is the focus and it feels like what you would typically think of as a classic literature book. 

The bridge between the two halves is almost shocking when it comes but that lends itself to the continuous twists and turns. 

 

As Reuel journies to Nubia, his group runs into many dangers. The archeologists hypothesize that the civilization they are looking for was more advanced than even the Egyptians and gave birth to civilization. The tonal shift adds an adventurous excitement to the novel and takes on a more ‘fun’ reading experience. 

 

What he finds there will have Ruel facing his identity and redefine what his place is. 

 

Without going into spoilers past that, I thought the second half was a bit rushed at times, especially towards the end which caused everything to come together a bit chaotically. There are plot points that come up and are never seen again, and drama that extends longer than its stay. I’ve seen several critiques of this book and others applauding it outright. I sit in between these. It is no perfect novel, and this read through the weaknesses were more obvious, but Of One Blood meditates on our world and creates additions that were thought-provoking, difficult, and in some cases fun to read. 

 

This was a reread for those who followed my reading journey in my Instagram stories. I think this book benefits from discussion (which I had during school). If you can find some reading questions of companion I think that would make your read even better. 

Read the full review on halfextinguishedthoughts.com

jacobelliott's review

challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

haami's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective fast-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

3.25

goofferson's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.25

nelly_reads123's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective

4.0

Will read again and again and again.

bonafidefaygo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

1.75

I have a LOT of respect for this book. Black female author writing a book in 1902 about flipping the script of white superiority to black superiority by means of black origins of all our society and the cradle of humanity and all that stuff with the overall message being that race is a construct and treating people differently by it makes literally no sense. Like the fact that this was originally published just 40 years after the civil war is actually crazy to me. And for the audacity and the bravery to write this is stunning.

However, I don't think the writing holds up at all. The characters are one dimensional, the plot is all over the place, things come out of nowhere, and I was struggling to tie all the threads together. Additionally, the writing itself is much too archaic for me in a way that is not true of other writing around this time period.

I'm glad I have an awareness of this work and the author, but it fell extremely flat for me beyond just the general ideas and themes behind it

thegr8estangell's review

adventurous reflective slow-paced

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

3.25

Oof. This one was a rough. God damn was it dense. The story is interesting. The ideas are cool. But the writing? Oof. That was tough. The double incestuous bigamy was a surprise twist that’s for sure. 

roars's review against another edition

adventurous reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No

3.5

earth_to_haley's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

3.0