Scan barcode
ralowe's review against another edition
5.0
i have a narratological fetish for foundational texts. early early literature. what happens in such documents is very close to being the first of its kind, it has nothing else to imitate, it has no community of kind. it's in dialogue with itself. this is likely the first novel written by a free slave/black person in the united states. the author is also a woman. the figure in this context is put through a melodrama of especial helplessness mean to churn and kindle the spark of compassion in white americans for the swarthy multitude "emancipated" a few years prior the publication date. i skipped skip gates' prefatory analysis because i figure i'm old enough to. this novel reads as a camp of projects to milk kindness from caucasians.
jordannchloee's review
4.0
its short and impactful and gutting and just good. i think the light this book shines on the subversive racist terror of the North. i was thinking about in this read (which is my second read) the way Frado is forced to perform slave despite technical freedom (according to the law). i think the way in which this text operates as a non slave slave narrative is super keen. the Christian propaganda of it all was differently framed but I'm still concerned around it. i think there's something to be said about the feeling of unsaveability and the framing of these white characters as constantly trying to save, not the body, but the soul of the black servant. idk more thoughts forthcoming in this whole PhD bit.
it feels odd to rate such violence but for its prose and its approach I think this book is a solid 3.75 stars. i think it leaves some gaps in things but that is of course a byproduct of narrating experience in memorium. i may come back to this and change my mind but I find it to be so good. the GoodReads rating has been rounded up bc goodreadds and fractions
it feels odd to rate such violence but for its prose and its approach I think this book is a solid 3.75 stars. i think it leaves some gaps in things but that is of course a byproduct of narrating experience in memorium. i may come back to this and change my mind but I find it to be so good. the GoodReads rating has been rounded up bc goodreadds and fractions
willwork4airfare's review
2.0
Honestly, I don't know if I've ever been so pissed off after reading a novel. It was going so well, another compelling slave story, this one about a young girl whose mother abandons her outside a wealthy family's home and they decide to take her in as their house servant. The short novel describes her treatment in the house (which is bad) and the few family members who appreciate her (but don't do anything) and it basically goes on like this for the entire book.
Now, this is a story of the girl's entire life so it's not a spoiler to say that she dies, but die she does. After about 50 pages of reading about her life in this house and feeling bad for her and wanting her to get out and make something of herself, the author chooses instead to wrap up the story of her post-18 year old life in about 5 pages and then she just dies.
So what was the point? I have no idea. I invested the time in finding out about this little mulatto girl named Frado and feeling bad for her and wishing the people who cared about her would step up and do a little more to help her, but instead, the book just ends-- no moral learned, no nothing. It's possible that that was the point. Maybe it was supposed to piss you off with how hopeless and sad it was that nothing ever worked out in this poor kid's life, but that's not how it comes across. It comes off as the author got lazy or just doesn't know how to finish a novel.
If you like stories with disappointing endings, then you will love this. Honestly, there was nothing wrong with the plot, which is why it gets a 2 instead of a 0. It was interesting and I almost finished it in one night, but decided to drag it out, only adding to how upset I am now that the ending could do this to me.
emma_lynn_writes's review
4.0
Mag Smith is the mother of Frado, the fictional character representing the author in this autobiographical narrative. The events in this books were heavily inspired by Wilson’s experience as a house servant in the northern United States in the early nineteenth century. This book is worth reading both for its revelations about the complicity of the North as well as the South in the mistreatment of African Americans, as well as the unique story behind why it was written and how we have it today. However, it is worth noting that the last few chapters of the book depicting Frado as an adult are not as well crafted as the rest in literary terms.
danieldolinsky's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I think that although this book was a bit difficult to get through, simply because of its dark themes, and the emotional weight it can put on you, it was still written very well, and truly immersed me into the characters life.
moberle's review against another edition
3.75
A very good story paired with an excellent amount of information to give context for the text. It provides heavy criticism of racism in the North pre-Civil War, making it stand out among other texts from its time.