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A review by franka17
The Kingdom of This World by Alejo Carpentier
3.0
In his novel "The Kingdom of This World," Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier paints beautiful images of colonial Haiti that are tinged with his signature use of magical realism and flowery language that makes him such a master of this style and a pioneer of one of Latin America's most signature genres. This novel delves into some of Latin America's most difficult social questions and explores some of the colonial history of Haiti. Carpentier's discussion of cultural diversity and the struggle for power is fascinating, especially when told in Carpentier's interesting literary style.
At times, though, Carpentier's extravagant writing made the book hard to follow. Complex sentences with references to a good deal of cultural references were frequent, and occasionally made the plot hard to follow. At other times, though, this flowery language made for beautiful passages that grasp the reader. Additionally, Carpentier's use of short chapters made for an interesting read as it made the story progress quickly, but at times it felt as if these short vignettes of situations and characters prevented the necessary character development that helps readers become connected to the characters.
Overall, though, I did enjoy this book, and felt that Carpentier painted a beautiful picture of the country of Haiti and some of the questions that they struggle with even to this day.
At times, though, Carpentier's extravagant writing made the book hard to follow. Complex sentences with references to a good deal of cultural references were frequent, and occasionally made the plot hard to follow. At other times, though, this flowery language made for beautiful passages that grasp the reader. Additionally, Carpentier's use of short chapters made for an interesting read as it made the story progress quickly, but at times it felt as if these short vignettes of situations and characters prevented the necessary character development that helps readers become connected to the characters.
Overall, though, I did enjoy this book, and felt that Carpentier painted a beautiful picture of the country of Haiti and some of the questions that they struggle with even to this day.