Reviews

Miguel Street by V.S. Naipaul

riotgrrrl's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.75

franka17's review against another edition

5.0

"Miguel Street" by V.S. Naipaul is a gorgeously written book of intertwining vignettes that all take place on a small street in the Caribbean country of Trinidad and Tobago. The perfect read for a sunny afternoon, this novel is just about the perfect length for a one-day read as it is written in a way that flows incredibly well. While some books suffer for being on the shorter side, "Miguel Street" takes full advantage of each page. Naipaul is able to paint wonderful images of Trinidadian culture and the people who occupy the city. It would seem that the author is able to capture the essence of life on this street even down to the unique way in which its inhabitants speak. Unlike many other novels to come out of this area of the world, this story does not focus too heavily on social issues, but does so in a way that is balanced with the storytelling of the book such that it does not feel like the commentary is being forced upon the reader.

foraging_pages's review against another edition

Read for my Caribbean Literature class. Naipaul is...something.

blakeisgreene's review against another edition

challenging funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

scarlettlarry's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

A beautifully written series of stories sewn together by the street on which they take place. This feels like a writing experiment more than like a novel. Looking forward to reading his more acclaimed works. 

geisttull's review against another edition

3.0

this is an our book. took some time to read it and the dialect was sometimes difficult to manage. some of the stories were funny.

deegee24's review against another edition

3.0

The best part of this early work by V.S. Naipaul is his rendering of Trinidadian English. It is precise without being distracting. Each of these linked stories deals with a character in an exclusively male circle of friends in a poor district of Port of Spain. The tone is mostly light comedy but with some dark moments. The biggest limitation of the book for me is that Naipaul invites us to feel sympathy for these men, nearly all of whom are habitual domestic abusers of women and children. When women characters do appear, they are relegated to the margins, mainly existing as an obstacle or plot complication. E.g. character X, who used to be fun and carefree, brings home a wife who he beats and who browbeats him in turn until she leaves him for an American soldier. It would have been really interesting to have at least one or two stories narrated from the point of view of one of these wives/girlfriends.

littletaiko's review against another edition

4.0

Several years ago someone at a book club meeting mentioned this book and how much he loved it. It took a few years before I bought it and then a few more years before I finally read it. I'm definitely glad that I did. This slim book is a sort of coming of age tale during the 40's in Trinidad. The life and people of this one street are told through one boys eyes. Their eccentric and colorful way of life masks a sort of sadness that life isn't turning out better. My favorite character throughout the book was Hat with his brand of wisdom.

bookofcinz's review against another edition

4.0

I read this book for the first time as part of my literature class and I remember loving all the characters. This is one of my favorite V.S. Naipaul's books. I love a book with amazing characters, the kind that stick with you and that is what you get when you read Miguel Street.
Having re-read this book as an adult, specifically as an adult living in Trinidad and Tobago- the country that the book is set, there was something even more special on the second read.
If you are look for an exceptional look into Caribbean life this is a great book to get started!

finnthehuman217's review against another edition

6/2/09 pg15-From reading these 2 stories, I noticed that the narrator compares the characters Popo and Bogart and says they are very much alike. I agree because Bogart is sort of nice but comes back and is mean, leaves, comes back AGAIN, and he is all nice to the children and the police arrest him. Popo is different, he is a nice guy, a "carpenter" who always likes to talk. One day, his wife runs off with his gardener and he is depressed, he then leaves Miguel Street for a couple of days and it turns out he went to Arima to beat up his gardener. He came back and worked 24/7 to refurnish his house. then he shows up in the paper, apparently he is in jail because all the things he used to clean his house was stolen