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barbette 's review for:
Go Tell It on the Mountain
by James Baldwin
James Baldwin is an extraordinary writer and not just another storyteller.
The dialogues between his characters are easy and natural. The rhythm and tempo of his writing make it a sensual pleasure to read. His gift for description and his evocative word choice is unparalleled: "That long road, her life, which she had followed for sixty groaning years..."
I deeply enjoyed large chunks of this book, especially the verbal interactions between characters and his depiction of complex family relationships. I loved the structure of the book and the way he spotlights different characters at different times, moving back and forth between them and between periods of time in an unaffected way.
But I found the raw and explosive spiritual epiphanies—siginificant portions of the novel— difficult to understand. I couldn't quite bridge the gap between the differences in our religious background. I believe some research into the Christian bible would deepen my appreciation here.
I recommend this book, but I feel wrung out after reading it. I look forward to reading more by James Baldwin at a later time. I do recommend that, if you are overwhelmed by the intense religious sections, you still don't put the book down. It will be hard to reconnect to the intensity and you have to backtrack to find it.
The dialogues between his characters are easy and natural. The rhythm and tempo of his writing make it a sensual pleasure to read. His gift for description and his evocative word choice is unparalleled: "That long road, her life, which she had followed for sixty groaning years..."
I deeply enjoyed large chunks of this book, especially the verbal interactions between characters and his depiction of complex family relationships. I loved the structure of the book and the way he spotlights different characters at different times, moving back and forth between them and between periods of time in an unaffected way.
But I found the raw and explosive spiritual epiphanies—siginificant portions of the novel— difficult to understand. I couldn't quite bridge the gap between the differences in our religious background. I believe some research into the Christian bible would deepen my appreciation here.
I recommend this book, but I feel wrung out after reading it. I look forward to reading more by James Baldwin at a later time. I do recommend that, if you are overwhelmed by the intense religious sections, you still don't put the book down. It will be hard to reconnect to the intensity and you have to backtrack to find it.