Reviews

The Street by Ann Petry

aldole's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Racism, Sexual assault, and Classism

dinasamimi's review against another edition

5.0

Wow! This is my first Ann Petry and it took me on a journey. You've got some serious plot and character development here. Tayari Jones calls Petry a magician in the intro, and that is the truth. I loved the multi-person streams of consciousness and the breakneck pace that this story unravels. You really embody each character and burn through their lives. Lutie Johnson had me messed up by the end of this. Damn. Give Ann Petry her roses.

juliash's review

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

frooml's review

challenging fast-paced

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

5.0

desireeslibrary's review

3.0

Ann Petry is a phenomenal writer. She was a way of creating scenes that take their time to unfold and allows the reader to view the world through the eyes of her characters. She is remarkable in the way which she demonstrates how a novel can capture skewed worldviews and portray disordered thinking. Now, I am all for painful and poignant writing.... This was absolutely relentless and heavy handed. Honestly, it was a bit forcefully hateful. It was simply an overly depressing and borderline hateful novel about the lives of people who are too poor or oppressed to make it in a world that hates them.

saintakim's review

5.0

précis, sensible, incroyable.

ifyouhappentoremember's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

American woman to sell more than a million copies. It is also a masterfully crafted work.

Set in Harlem during the 1940s, we follow Lutie Johnson, a newly single mother determined to achieve her own version of the American Dream. However, the ever-present specter of racism, sexism, and poverty threatens her dreams of financial security.

This is one of those works that still feels current and vital. The ending is emotionally devastating. I saw some reviews that mentioned this but I wasn't mentally prepared for that gut-punch of an ending.

moniipeters's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.75

waynediane's review

4.0

I really thought this was a great book- so appropriate with racial takes place 1944 New York- the problem was the ending just seem to have stopped. Otherwise, I thought this was a great book how through a great story the explanation of white vs. black social inequity and the ability to climb the ladder in America is stacked unfairly.

jnehilla's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5