Reviews

Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow

mattmclean's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective fast-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? Yes

4.0

Fucking loved it. This is the type of fiction book i wrote. The prose felt like it had been written in 1910, and i loved the dialogue and how it remained in the descriptive paragraphs. I'm just enamored by this whole thing. I'm a huge history nerd so i loved how every small to large relevant event that happened in this time period appeared in this book, either as a thing that actually happens in the plot (exploring the north pole) to just people discussing events. I don't think i can give this book 5 stars because it just seemed to be missing that oomph that makes a book truly great. I can't explain it, but it just didn't have it. But besides that, the characters are all 3-d and grow overtime, the politics are progressive and amazing, the history is well researched, the prose is beautiful and feels like wallpaper from the setting

erogers's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

2.25

paola_mobileread's review against another edition

4.0

I loved it - I was immediately taken by the almost dry writing style, in short sentences, and tricked by the style which seemed to suggest that real characters got proper names, while fictional one only a description (Mother, Father, Younger brother), until, that is, we find Sarah and Coalhouse Wilkie.
As a foreigner, I am sure I've missed a lot of hidden references, irony and mocking as my knowledge of American history in general, and of the time period covered in particular, is scant to say the least, but to me the book painted a fascinating, troubling and fraught snapshot of those "ragtime" years.

The book is of course extremely political - not just in contrasting the worlds of the have, the have nots and of those who are trying, not for the maybe unlikely words that are put in some characters' mouths (most notably in Younger Brother's at his last exchange with Father), not only of course in J.P. Morgan's quest for perpetuity or in the whole Coalhouse episode - but in the development of two characters in particular, Mother, who blossoms through the pages, Father, who wilts, and Tateh, who struggles and makes it. Great read!

tabithare's review against another edition

5.0

MANY thoughts,,, all i will say is that this is probably my favorite historical fiction i’ve ever read

sash512's review against another edition

Just because my professor assigned it doesn't mean I need to give more white, straight, cis men the time of day

storybrooke13's review against another edition

1.0

This was such a hard read. It felt like there wasn’t a clear picture why certain people’s POV where being included for most of the book. Also block of texts with no use of quote marks made it hard to read.

chrystalo's review against another edition

3.0

So, the reason that I read this book is because I was in the musical of the same name, and I wanted to know where some of the crazy stuff that happened in the musical came from. Let me just say this, THE BOOK IS EVEN WEIRDER. Like, a whole other level of crazypants. Which is fine. One of the things that really bothered me at the beginning is how difficult it is to know when there is dialogue because Doctorow doesn't use quotation marks. Personal preference, I guess, but you can get over it. I don't know if I would recommend this book to just anyone, but it does deal very interestingly with race in the early 1900s and a lot of the themes in the book still hold true. I honestly don't even know if I really liked the book, but it will hold a special place in my heart because of the musical experience.

madeleinesbookshelf's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-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? Yes

4.25

A rather challenging read, but a good one nonetheless. The chapters of Morgan and Ford and economics bored me and to me Doctorow’s original characters were more interesting. 

I read this book at the same time as studying American in the 20th century, and found having that historical context made Doctorow’s characters and ideas a bit easier to comprehend.

I recommend it as a look into cultural and social views in America, but know that it is a book that’s not for everyone. 

othersimmons's review against another edition

dark funny informative fast-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? Yes

4.0

miranda_bird's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny informative sad medium-paced

4.5