Reviews

Cane by Jean Toomer

mahima123's review against another edition

3.0

While this book was unbelievably interesting in its exploration of very important themes (the sexualization of women, black women as objects, racism, biracial relationships, religion, race relations and Jim Crow to name a few) as well as its imagery, it falls short for me as a piece of art. When reading I look for the ability to comprehend the words on the page before I can begin to decipher what feels like a puzzle, or better said by me “why spend 20 words on something that could be said in 10.” This book is extremely verbose to the point where it crosses over into boring and the mix of different writing forms (story, poetry, pseudo-play) lend to creating a reading environment that doesn’t let any one thought stick in the reader’s brain. I also did some background digging and I think the story got it stars from me because of Toomer’s life story. He was biracial and to see how that experience translated into this book was enough to keep me reading. Tbh I just might not be sophisticated enough to read this, but I’m glad it was chosen for book club it changed up my pacing.

tealeavesandroses's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

alfie_reads's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

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

2.5

I love what this book represents as the pioneering work of the Harlem Renaissance but as a novel it’s a confusing selection of vignettes that are too chaotic to follow.

reneeborn's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

Very interesting blend of poetry, short fiction, and stage play. So glad I had a professor to explain some things lol

timbo001's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-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

4.0

afvick's review against another edition

5.0

Such a strange, cold, gloomy book, almost apocalyptic aesthetically. Certainly, something is ending- the repeated language of dusk, the harvest; but also burning, all of the violence. As stylistically unique and appealing as it gets for me, especially with all of the sensory language.

starv0yager's review against another edition

The Spotify audiobook narrated by Audra McDonald is rlly good!

bibispizzas's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

porshea's review against another edition

Not in the mood for pace or format

kevin_shepherd's review

4.0

As a writer, Jean Toomer was an experimenter and an innovator. His style intertwines poetry and prose in such a way that one flows in and out of the other. For me, Cane reads like improvisational jazz; there is often a repetition of verse that sounds more like song than soliloquy.

Nowhere is Toomer’s influence more readily apparent than in the work of Langston Hughes. Cane is a precursor to Langston’s The Ways of White Folks - the two complement each other so well that they very nearly read like volume 1 and volume 2 of the same narrative. On the other hand, Toomer’s characters seem much less stereotyped, much less binary, and perhaps, consequently, much less commercial. That may explain why almost everyone has heard of Langston Hughes and almost no one has heard of Jean Toomer.