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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
this is one of the greatest novels i've ever read, straight up. it's crafted with love, passion, rage, and the need to speak. not only does it portray the usual struggles of african americans (police brutality, life under Jim Crow laws, general discrimination) but speaks on points not commonly brough up, such as the righteousness of violence and riots, the way a lot of movements (in this case, the Marxist ones) lack intersectionality and think of their own cause as "bigger than race", and the consequences of speaking up and trying to be a black person with a conscience in a racist society that wants to keep their voice down. it weaves its themes with grace and consideration, and there's a lot of moments (sometimes spanning full chapters) that are downright beautiful. the writing is evocative, poetic, and vibrant with color and imagery, and Ellison uses the vernacular english when writing dialogues, which I will always adore. the only thing i wasn't too big a fan of was that Ellison either writes a lot of inner monologue in a couple pages or does the same with dialogue, and it feels like switching modes of expectation and the flow is sometimes jarring, or I would've like to know what the protagonist thought about a specific line of dialogue the moment it was spoken. but anyway, a very minor complaint. an absolute gem of a novel.
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
I think it was mostly that I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to appreciate this book at this time. I might try again another time.
I absolutely loved the writing throughout this profound book. Ellison hit on some major themes of identity, race, intellectual theory versus action, and captured an interesting sense of basic human interactions. The narrator's perilous journey from one sense of being to another was fascinating and revealed so much about what it means to be an invisible man.
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Adding to re-read pile. I read it and vaguely remember the plot, but nothing sticks out.
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
An insightful thought piece about the author's view of his life and society as a whole. Similar to a Forest Gump situation where everything that happened could have happened to anyone at the right place and time. The consideration on what it means to try winning in an entire world constructed for your failure to benefit them was mulled over endlessly in different ways that seemingly never dulled. I would recommend this to anybody interested in racial disparity and the socialist movement of the early 1900s. It sadly still is mostly true about today.
Author does, however, not provide women any characteristics other than nyphomatics, damsels in distress, or motherly.
Author does, however, not provide women any characteristics other than nyphomatics, damsels in distress, or motherly.
Interesting premise and content. The style and tone is more harsh than I was expecting or looking for. A reread will probably fare better.