Scan barcode
A review by pangnaolin
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I picked up and finished this book in about a week, and it was definitely worth it. The structure stood out to me right away as I looked at the Audible description of three parts (The Seventh Day, The Prayer of the Saints, and The Threshing-Floor) with three sub-parts in the second one-- Florence's Prayer, Gabriel's Prayer, and Elizabeth's Prayer. I was surprised and intrigued to find that we didn't hear much of Johnny for most of the book, despite the fact that he was supposedly the main character. I was also, of course, a bit surprised that his queerness wasn't a bigger part of his story. Especially in such a religious context, I had assumed it would occupy more of his mind than it dad. Regardless, in any form, I kind of wanted more of him, to be honest.
I enjoyed The Seventh Day and Florence & Elizabeth's Prayers the most-- finding their stories the most compelling. They made my heart ache most. I explained to my mom in Spanish [for practice's sake] the story Florence told of her mother's decision to remain in the South and how this, alongside the birth of Gabriel, changed her life so immensely, and it's definitely stuck with me. I felt the same about Elizabeth's story of Richard, although I didn't explain that one to my mom in Spanish.
Gabriel's Prayer was incredibly dense, and a bit hard to really care about, honestly, though I feel that's by design. He's almost sympathetic in the same ways that Elizabeth and Florence are, but I just couldn't help but hate and blame him despite it all.
The last part, though, was definitely the most confusing. I had to rewind quite a few times to try to understand what had just happened, and I feel like my lack of familiarity with Christian mythology definitely made it even harder on me. That said, I feel like it really was beautifully written and wrapped every storyline up in such a perfect way. Not necessarily clean, but perfect.
This is a side note, but one of my favorite details in this is Baldwin's choice to sort of emulate the Bible's diction. Especially in Gabriel's section and The Threshing-Floor, I really felt like I was reading its verse. While I can't say the style is my favorite, I appreciated it a lot.
I think Go Tell It on the Mountain really left me with a somber feeling throughout. It was heavy, and felt like I was watching a friend spiral and lose themself to hear each of their stories. I loved it for that, though. I was captured by the way Baldwin explored religion and holiness as a refutation of worldliness and presence in a normal life alongside the ways it could both heal and harm you. Even as John came in to his own, I couldn't help but feel a sort of bittersweetness at the whole thing-- a sadness that he would lose [or sacrifice, really] parts of himself that could have brought so much richness to his life. I wanted more for him, but loved for him what he brought to his own life.
It's a difficult read-- and I wouldn't say it's my favorite, just because of style preferences-- but I'd absolutely recommend it.
I enjoyed The Seventh Day and Florence & Elizabeth's Prayers the most-- finding their stories the most compelling. They made my heart ache most. I explained to my mom in Spanish [for practice's sake] the story Florence told of her mother's decision to remain in the South and how this, alongside the birth of Gabriel, changed her life so immensely, and it's definitely stuck with me. I felt the same about Elizabeth's story of Richard, although I didn't explain that one to my mom in Spanish.
Gabriel's Prayer was incredibly dense, and a bit hard to really care about, honestly, though I feel that's by design. He's almost sympathetic in the same ways that Elizabeth and Florence are, but I just couldn't help but hate and blame him despite it all.
The last part, though, was definitely the most confusing. I had to rewind quite a few times to try to understand what had just happened, and I feel like my lack of familiarity with Christian mythology definitely made it even harder on me. That said, I feel like it really was beautifully written and wrapped every storyline up in such a perfect way. Not necessarily clean, but perfect.
This is a side note, but one of my favorite details in this is Baldwin's choice to sort of emulate the Bible's diction. Especially in Gabriel's section and The Threshing-Floor, I really felt like I was reading its verse. While I can't say the style is my favorite, I appreciated it a lot.
I think Go Tell It on the Mountain really left me with a somber feeling throughout. It was heavy, and felt like I was watching a friend spiral and lose themself to hear each of their stories. I loved it for that, though. I was captured by the way Baldwin explored religion and holiness as a refutation of worldliness and presence in a normal life alongside the ways it could both heal and harm you. Even as John came in to his own, I couldn't help but feel a sort of bittersweetness at the whole thing-- a sadness that he would lose [or sacrifice, really] parts of himself that could have brought so much richness to his life. I wanted more for him, but loved for him what he brought to his own life.
It's a difficult read-- and I wouldn't say it's my favorite, just because of style preferences-- but I'd absolutely recommend it.