Reviews

Palmares by Gayl Jones

vexyspice's review against another edition

3.0

I initially started reading/ listening to this book with much excitement but that faded pretty quickly. The characters were interesting enough the book seems to drag. Can’t say that I’d recommend this book to anyone.

atgerstner's review

dark 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? It's complicated

2.0

It’s confusing and rambling and I wish it was better. 

wsking's review

adventurous challenging slow-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

3.0

The story rambles quite a bit. 

jacksontibet's review

1.0

Maybe the fourth book that I've been unable to finish, ever. Had to stop 3/5 of the way in as it just got to be too much, dreading the act of reading it. Writing is awful, nothing is ever SAID. We the reader have no idea what's actually happening most of the time because our narrator ends most conversations/observations with some variation of "I didn't know what they meant" and so how are we supposed to know either? This is an attempt at some Gabriel Garcia Marquez style magical realism and it fails wildly and with a muted abandon. The same conversations are had over and over and our narrator doesn't know what people mean because most of them speak nonsense (all the witches, medicine men/women, spiritualists, etc) and nothing means anything. Just garbage.

jessko's review

adventurous challenging dark sad slow-paced

2.5

gabiop's review

adventurous mysterious sad tense medium-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

2.5

ukponge's review

challenging dark emotional 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Mental illness, Rape, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Racial slurs

Minor: Forced institutionalization

rmarcin's review

2.0

This was a slog to read. It is the story of a young girl, Almeyda, and the settlement of Palmares. It takes place in the 17th century, and it spans 25 years. While an interesting concept, some of the book was harsh in its descriptions, and nauseating at times. Almeyda ages, marries, and her husband is lost. She spends years searching for him. She is tortured, and also learns medicinal powers.
This book was 500+ pages which was at least 150 pages too long. There were repetitive passages throughout the book, plus there was a lot of magical realism.
It just wasn't for me!

emherland's review

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Strange and beautiful. In the end I feel like I didn’t really “get” it. There is so much here to unpack in its magical realism and I could hardly get my head around it. 

bookslayer's review

reflective slow-paced

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

3.0