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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I read this quickly. It flows evenly and was an easy read, though I am still unsure how all the pieces fit together. There are many characters with clouded backgrounds and secret pasts. The New York Times quote on the back cover explains it well: that each piece could stand alone as its own story, but I am still confused by the jigsaw puzzle of it all. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it -- only that I almost feel I should have taken notes.
The language is crisp and the descriptions are flawless. There is no doubt it is well written... but it's now how I write. Maybe that's it? Maybe it's just too different stylistically from what I would expect? The lack of a happy ending, however, made me appreciate it that much more.
Three stars, and an occasional recommendation.
The language is crisp and the descriptions are flawless. There is no doubt it is well written... but it's now how I write. Maybe that's it? Maybe it's just too different stylistically from what I would expect? The lack of a happy ending, however, made me appreciate it that much more.
Three stars, and an occasional recommendation.
I enjoyed this book immensely. I love to read mysteries where you learn more and more and can solve more of the puzzle and connect more of the dots the more pages you read. In this book it is not clear at first how all of the characters are connected. Then it becomes clear that the one continuous factor in each of the characters' lives is pain caused by the dew breaker.
This is a very short book but I read three of the 9 short chapters and was underwhelmed, so decided to stop reading.
The one positive from this reading experience is that it made me go look up the Haitian Tonton Macoutes, which weren't a group of people I'd heard of. Very little is taught in Britain about the histories of places outside of Europe.
However, the book itself I found to be largely dull. The opening story seems to be lauded on GR as the strongest, but I was astounded with how unrealistic the characters felt. The daughter, a grown woman, laughs off her father destroying a piece of art she's sold to a prominent buyer and then goes and leads on the celebrity buyer anyway... None of this felt like real life, like these were actual people interacting as opposed to constructs to illustrate, heavy-handedly, the secret life of someone's dad.
Chapter two was also pretty tough going but for a different reason, the characters were caricatures: the mean white lady-landlord, the blokes in their gross apartment with naked women on the walls, the cheating husband, the cheating wife, the ignorant foreigner somehow totally surprised by customs..
It was painful... nothing felt original, nothing made me want to read further.
From reading other people's reviews, I'm perplexed that they read a gripping portrayal of a man coming to terms with being a murderer and the story of a second generation american with Haitian parents. Because that sounds like a book I'd want to read, not whatever Danticat wrote here.
The one positive from this reading experience is that it made me go look up the Haitian Tonton Macoutes, which weren't a group of people I'd heard of. Very little is taught in Britain about the histories of places outside of Europe.
However, the book itself I found to be largely dull. The opening story seems to be lauded on GR as the strongest, but I was astounded with how unrealistic the characters felt. The daughter, a grown woman, laughs off her father destroying a piece of art she's sold to a prominent buyer and then goes and leads on the celebrity buyer anyway... None of this felt like real life, like these were actual people interacting as opposed to constructs to illustrate, heavy-handedly, the secret life of someone's dad.
Chapter two was also pretty tough going but for a different reason, the characters were caricatures: the mean white lady-landlord, the blokes in their gross apartment with naked women on the walls, the cheating husband, the cheating wife, the ignorant foreigner somehow totally surprised by customs..
It was painful... nothing felt original, nothing made me want to read further.
From reading other people's reviews, I'm perplexed that they read a gripping portrayal of a man coming to terms with being a murderer and the story of a second generation american with Haitian parents. Because that sounds like a book I'd want to read, not whatever Danticat wrote here.
I just finished this book for a literature class, and I have to say that it is the first required reading book that I have read so quickly by my own will. It was not slow to start (which is admittedly the thing that causes me to put down so many books), and carried it's momentum through the end. I felt so many emotions while reading this book. You know what they say about books that bring emotion!
I enjoyed The Dew Breaker more than I did Krik? Krak!, though both were quite good. Danticat, in The Dew Breaker, tells the stories of those affected by the life of one man--an ex-torturer/jailer from Haiti (called "dew breakers" for their habit of arresting people at the time the dew set on the grass). Though the chapters can stand on their own as short stories, they all weave together to form a narrative of the man, his family, and a few other characters who live nearby or simply hear about him in passing. It takes place both in the United States and in Haiti, and through many years (which could get a little confusing, as sometimes it took a bit to figure out where in the narrative to place the story). The book is written quite well and I enjoyed trying to piece together the stories into one narrative.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed certain POVs more than others but I didn't enjoy the way it was plotted at all, felt like I forgot how everyone's stories meshed together with each new perspective, which was tiring rather than exciting to read.
Some beautifully spun imagery though and fairly moving in places, and I was compelled to finish it so 3 stars it is.
Some beautifully spun imagery though and fairly moving in places, and I was compelled to finish it so 3 stars it is.
This is one of those books I feel like I should have liked more. I did find a lot of the scenes interesting, especially those that took place in Haiti, but I didn't find that the book flowed well. It started off okay, but then seemed to meander a bit, bringing in other characters that I couldn't tell if they were related to the "dew breaker" or not. The last chapters do circle back to explain the beginning chapters, but I still felt like something was missing.
I will try reading another book as the author of this one came highly recommended.
I will try reading another book as the author of this one came highly recommended.