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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
really interesting book about racism and how weird and bad science used to be.
informative
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:
Complicated
Friends, it would be difficult to overstate my vexation upon the finishing of this allegedly excellent tome. In an effort to emulate Mr. Sharp, I shall essay to enumerate the difficulties that beset me during those long days in which I did traverse the pages of the manuscript. A) My head ached in a most alarming fashion. B) A strange desire to hurl myself off a bridge, or some such other edifice of sufficient moment, possessed me.
I cannot in good conscience recommend this title, unless the potential reader be A) rendered nearly insensate by ennui, B) eager to witness the slaughter of hundreds of domestic beasts, or C) in dire need of disabuse of the notion that the worship of profit above all else is one worth emulating.
Begging your indulgence for an opinion contrary to the gentlemen and ladies who hand out plaudits for writings of this sort, I remain your humble servant, kmg365.
I cannot in good conscience recommend this title, unless the potential reader be A) rendered nearly insensate by ennui, B) eager to witness the slaughter of hundreds of domestic beasts, or C) in dire need of disabuse of the notion that the worship of profit above all else is one worth emulating.
Begging your indulgence for an opinion contrary to the gentlemen and ladies who hand out plaudits for writings of this sort, I remain your humble servant, kmg365.
Did not make it past the point where they were weighing and describing the protagonist's bowel movements.
Fascinating way to form a fantasy-world within the 'real' historical world, while unobtrusively pointing out the horrors of #slavery in an almost upside-down kind of way. This review will be finished shortly...
updated now that I have found my review:
this is the review that I intended to write after posting all the updates to the first Octavian nothing book by Anderson. From palace San souci to the Psalm Al naharot Babel, elegant and we commentary on their state versus that of their captors. Manages to recount things in a self-deprecating way therefore not melodramatic. And as all great teachers note comment one can learn from quote all matter, quote and from all people and situations. Marvelous. Very nice juxtapositions of discussions of color and pain with server servants in the marketplace parentheses excellent location to place this conversation! Parentheses purchasing their masters dinners and. Quote true back then, as today quote repeating is not cheap semicolon and children, I'm afraid, will not burn themselves. Quote and beautifully juxtaposed descriptions of exterior and interior personal battles being fought with death simultaneously.
updated now that I have found my review:
this is the review that I intended to write after posting all the updates to the first Octavian nothing book by Anderson. From palace San souci to the Psalm Al naharot Babel, elegant and we commentary on their state versus that of their captors. Manages to recount things in a self-deprecating way therefore not melodramatic. And as all great teachers note comment one can learn from quote all matter, quote and from all people and situations. Marvelous. Very nice juxtapositions of discussions of color and pain with server servants in the marketplace parentheses excellent location to place this conversation! Parentheses purchasing their masters dinners and. Quote true back then, as today quote repeating is not cheap semicolon and children, I'm afraid, will not burn themselves. Quote and beautifully juxtaposed descriptions of exterior and interior personal battles being fought with death simultaneously.
I was wondering if it would take a turn for the more-compelling-to-me-personally, but have perused the reviews and if anything it's just going to make me want to run for the hills. Would rather re-read Dorothy Sayer's Strong Poison, right there on the Kobo ereader next in line, so am moving on to it, with a happy heart!
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
I chose this one for literature circles as well. I thought it might build background on the American Revolution, but from the perspective of a young African American boy. It certainly did that for me, but I think my students will struggle with the style of writing. The author follows the style of 18th century narratives, and while I enjoyed the style tremendously, it will try many of my students. For skilled teenage readers who are comfortable getting out of their comfort zone, I'd recommend it. Also I think teachers would love how it is indeed a young adult book, but written with a brilliance and beauty rarely seen in the genre.
This is a slow burn of a book. At times it is an unusual historical fiction slice-of-life novel that simultaneously is mundane and poignant. The pacing is uneven, though, and switching from Octavian's POV to third person epistles is jarring, and the latter was, in my opinion, somewhat boring. In many ways, this book is more of a social-historical commentary, rather than a a novel, alluding to many of the facts and complexity one might encounter in nonfiction texts about race in the early US, but the balance between with the narrative is too often overbalanced, making this a ponderous, choppy read.
Wow. How the heck did the writer do that? It reads like fantasy, but it is deeply rooted in fact. It is a page turner, but is also a gut-twisting, consciousness-raising look at race in the period. Wow, again.
"Johnny Tremain" was my favorite book growing up and has held up when I re-read it as an adult. Well kids, this is not your father's revolutionary Boston. Not by a long shot.
Downside? This is the most difficult reading I've found in a YA book. Some of the context (Rameau, physiognomy) is way beyond the knowledge of a typical high school student. But the core of the story is accessible to anyone who sticks with it.
For an adult? Nonstop reading delight, depth without sacrificing the momentum found in the best pulps.
I was driven to finish this volume, but it is such a rich dish that I am taking a breather before reading the second. Ah, to have something that rare to look forward to.
"Johnny Tremain" was my favorite book growing up and has held up when I re-read it as an adult. Well kids, this is not your father's revolutionary Boston. Not by a long shot.
Downside? This is the most difficult reading I've found in a YA book. Some of the context (Rameau, physiognomy) is way beyond the knowledge of a typical high school student. But the core of the story is accessible to anyone who sticks with it.
For an adult? Nonstop reading delight, depth without sacrificing the momentum found in the best pulps.
I was driven to finish this volume, but it is such a rich dish that I am taking a breather before reading the second. Ah, to have something that rare to look forward to.