A review by mal_reads_books
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This was difficult for me to rate. While it did have poignant moments and messages, much of the book was dull to read. I would give the last few chapters alone 5 stars and the rest maybe 2-3 stars. Jefferson's scenes were compelling, and the journal scene toward the end was touching (even though the writing style was hard to read). The rest of the book focused on Grant while exploring different aspects of Black life in 1940s Louisiana, including everyday discrimination, how they were expected to act toward White people, colorism, religion and even the food.

I would've liked the book more had it been trimmed by at least a third. It was repetitive and unnecessarily over-detailed at times. Some scenes could've been removed without affecting the story or diminishing the overall message. Also, the writing was underwhelming and most characters were flat. I didn't like Grant's selfishness and when he took his anger out on the students.
His decision not to show up at Jefferson's execution when given the chance low-key pissed me off.
I didn't care for the romance between Grant and Vivian either, and felt it was there for the sake of having one. I feel the author wrote this book to be adapted into a play or movie, given his focus on details like the color of each character's clothes or the way he wrote dialogue.

Content-wise this was a tough and depressing read. Even though I already knew what will happen to Jefferson, seeing his development and eventually opening up to Grant made me at times not want to reach the ending.
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