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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
challenging
slow-paced
What a literary WORK. What a cool concept to have a book completely ruled by voice and so fully immersed in the eyes of like 2 dozen characters. This book required dedication to read and it was not for the faint of heart. And I’m not even talking about the gore. I legitimately have not had to concentrate so hard on a book in as long as I can remember, and I even sometimes had to look up plot summaries along the way to make sure I was understanding all the little clues the author was leaving for me.
Definitely worth the read, but boy did reading this feel like a workout for my brain
Definitely worth the read, but boy did reading this feel like a workout for my brain
More Quentin Tarantino than V.S. Naipaul, this book was an unexpected kick to my bumbaclod reality. Brethren, Me think da Audible version best, but dis no is story for pygmies. Silence your audio. (25 hours of it) around anyone sensitive to gang violence, sex, drugs and rock and roll. Not sure if I could have read this visually. The Jamaican characters leap from the page on audio, and for that this narrative was compelling. I learned a whole new lexicon of expletives...and kept imagining Alex Pierce as the Quinton Tarantino cameo in Pulp Fiction.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Outstanding book. Start is slow since polyphony takes a while to set up. However, it fully pays off in the end. The story is fascinating, although basically your classic "gangster arc", with wonderful side-lines on politics, language, identity, colonialism, gender...
Warning - you might start using patois swearwords during reading the book!
Warning - you might start using patois swearwords during reading the book!
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
DNF. I made it past halfway but didn't want to continue. I didn't think the killings would bother me so much. They did. And the young men who get entangled in the assassination plot — I just felt bad for them. I was feeling so bad, it made me not want to read anymore. I'm not usually like that; usually I'm a compulsive book finisher. Not this time. (It's very well written.)
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