Reviews

Zone One by Colson Whitehead

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I'm of two minds. The writing is beautiful, artful, almost...luscious. And yet...the story just isn't interesting. You get glimpses of how the story really could be something more, but then it gets washed under wave upon wave of this too-pretty, self-important prose. Like a Tennyson poem without any substance. And really, in the end, if there's no substance what's the point? Another reviewer wrote that this book was a "thinking man's zombie novel", but in reality it's just dressed up as a thinking man's zombie novel; a caricature. Because it remains completely unaware of it's own shortcomings it ends up more sad parody than clever pastiche.

mrpetej's review

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dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

heidipolkissa82's review

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challenging dark funny reflective fast-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? No

3.5

acanthae's review against another edition

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slow-paced

1.0

The last 75% of this did not get better.

Also, overwritten =/= literary and I am tired of that style of writing. This book isn't good. Colson Whitehead seems like he sniffs his own farts.