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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Beautiful, a story about women, oppression of people of color, love, magic, family, and life. The variety of characters in the story is like a buffet of humanity, and they all have redeeming qualities. The back and forth between the US and Africa sometimes confused me because it was hard to remember when and where we were in the story, but that is my only complaint. This book was like being immersed in a warm bath.
Food: whipped cream, the real kind. Sweet and airy and slightly sweet, lingering on the tongue for just a moment after it's gone. Delicious.
Food: whipped cream, the real kind. Sweet and airy and slightly sweet, lingering on the tongue for just a moment after it's gone. Delicious.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
With The Temple of My Familiar, Alice Walker ruminates extensively on evolution, gender & sex, power dynamics, race, and relationships in a thought-provoking, convoluted stream of consciousness-esque format at the expense of character development and a cohesive plot-line. And it's not for me. While my favorite novels must have characters that I can connect with, I will happily settle for a strong, well-developed plot-line. Sadly, The Temple of My Familiar doesn't offer much in either area.
In the absence of these two requirements I tried instead thinking of and reading the book as a short story collection instead of a novel, reading a chapter at a time. While the tales being told are occasionally interesting in their own right, the overarching narrative meant to tie them all together wasn't strong enough to keep me engaged as a reader. So I tried taking a break to read other books, but the desire to to come back to The Temple of My Familiar and give it another try never coalesced.
I must concede defeat.
In the absence of these two requirements I tried instead thinking of and reading the book as a short story collection instead of a novel, reading a chapter at a time. While the tales being told are occasionally interesting in their own right, the overarching narrative meant to tie them all together wasn't strong enough to keep me engaged as a reader. So I tried taking a break to read other books, but the desire to to come back to The Temple of My Familiar and give it another try never coalesced.
I must concede defeat.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
Yes
This is one of the most gorgeous collections of words I've ever laid eyes on. Thank you, Alice.
It's almost as if she possessed a crystal ball when she wrote this novel thirty years ago. The themes are just as real (it's possible she touches on all the the exact most important themes of our times) now as ever. So much so that at times I forgot I was reading a novel and instead was reading a really whimsical, magical memoir.
This is some badass, creative storytelling, playing with so many different times and settings in a way that's rarely confusing, and telling so many beautiful stories of so many beautiful, real, believable, HUMAN characters.
I'm honestly in awe of this work.
It's almost as if she possessed a crystal ball when she wrote this novel thirty years ago. The themes are just as real (it's possible she touches on all the the exact most important themes of our times) now as ever. So much so that at times I forgot I was reading a novel and instead was reading a really whimsical, magical memoir.
This is some badass, creative storytelling, playing with so many different times and settings in a way that's rarely confusing, and telling so many beautiful stories of so many beautiful, real, believable, HUMAN characters.
I'm honestly in awe of this work.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At times this book seems to have very little plot. It almost feels like a collection of essays and musings on life rather than a novel. Some passages are so abstract they can be hard to follow. But I love Walker's writing style which made such a slow book bearable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Fatphobia, Racism
Minor: Alcoholism, Abortion
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
