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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
It's well-written, and Wash's journeys (both physical and psychological) are engaging for the most part, but overall I felt a bit disappointed. I think my expectations were probably too high due to some of the rave reviews.
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Qualified 4 stars. Beautiful writing and I loved the character of Washington Black. Great commentary on how the genteel manor lifestyle and "gentlemen scientists" of the 19th century were sometimes made possible from the riches made off of horrific plantations and slavery. Austen touches on this in Mansfield Park. I loved the twists and turns the story took, but also found aspects too unbelievable. The author employs some magic realism, but didn't seem to fully embrace it. If you are going to go there, go there. And the ending felt rushed and a little unsatisfying. I'm not a reader who expects, or necessarily wants, a novel to end wrapped up in a bow. But I'd hoped for a little more.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved her writing style on a micro level- the descriptions, the phrasing, Washington's voice and observations and grasp of emotions in himself and others. The wording was plush without ever feeling contrived. The plot, on the other hand, was a bit too fictitious for my preference in fiction. The story has some lovely arcs (lovely in shape, though often not in content, of course- there is suffering in this book), but the coincidences are too fantastical and the plot steps sometimes too convenient. I don't consider this to mean that I don't think it's very well written; it just is not my preference for a novel.
- read this for the first time in gr10
- i kind of forgot what happened
- washington's life is so sad. he is born a slave, then taken under the wing of a white man, then he is there for the suicide of another white man and knows that he will be implicated in that death, so he and christopher flee to america, then antarctica to see christopher's father (who isn't actually dead), then christopher abandons wash, who finds his way to canada, where he meets tanna and mr. goff, eventually makes his way to england with them, and finally ends up in morocco to find christopher all over again. all in the span from age 11-20.
- the name christopher lowkey gave me the jumpscare each time.
- he's so alone. it makes me so sad. he's so strong. and i'm so glad that he meets tanna, who is the first person to actually understand him and where he feels the love. i believe that big kit loved him as his mother but she wasn't able to express it, and christopher never really loved him.
- also wash had sex with a 14 year old when he was 16 which is kind of crazy to me but also that was probably the norm.
- he spent so many years being chased by an invisible fear of being caught by the slave catcher. they eventually meet and the slave catcher does try to kill him but doesn't succeed. eventually he does watch the slave catcher be hung so that part of his life is closed. i don't know if i'd watch that though.
- he spends even more time being chased by the shadow of christopher's influence. and he spends so much time trying to find him. i'm glad that he does. i hope that it gave him all of the closure he deserved.
- there's a scene at the beginning when he is still in the plantation and one of the servant girls, who's only 11, is pregnant, and that is so horrifying to me.
- it was such a beautiful book and the writing is so good. it is such a haunting book.
Edugyan's brutal story of loss and self discovery is mesmerising; the world's hardship and beauty seen through the eyes and emotions of George Washington Black.
With haunting imagery and equally haunting language, this is more than equal to its acclaim.
With haunting imagery and equally haunting language, this is more than equal to its acclaim.