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iamjudgedredd's reviews
260 reviews
Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I genuinely have no idea how to rate this book, or even what to think about it. Parts were quite funny, parts were extremely dark. The religious themes are incredibly complex. I will ruminate and return at some point. It's extremely fast to read, almost a novella - and I read it in two days.
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
5.0
Where to even begin? This was by first ever James Baldwin novel read, and it was consistently touted as either being one of his absolute best or at worst excellent. Baldwin packs into this small novel what takes other authors twice as many words to say. It deals with so many themes, laying them bare in such imperfect, human, and grotesque ways. Read this if you want to wrestle with sexuality, gender, bigotry, class, nationality - as well as love, death, hope, despair, truth, manipulation, tragedy, passion. Baldwin's force of prose, and will, propel the characters through a miasma of all of the above to their inevitable ends.
I cannot speak highly enough, indeed I feel grossly under-qualified, regarding Baldwin's writing. His prose style in Giovanni's Room is nothing short of poetic. From the very first page the sentences, the language, feels like you're reading poetry. His imagery, metaphors and beyond are lifelike in their vividness. The sentences themselves have a flow and rhythm to them that makes the reading experience feel luxurious, and yet somehow ethereal. You will find yourself whisked along with the story rather than pushing it forward with your own eyes. I've never experienced anything in prose quite so acute.
I cannot speak highly enough, indeed I feel grossly under-qualified, regarding Baldwin's writing. His prose style in Giovanni's Room is nothing short of poetic. From the very first page the sentences, the language, feels like you're reading poetry. His imagery, metaphors and beyond are lifelike in their vividness. The sentences themselves have a flow and rhythm to them that makes the reading experience feel luxurious, and yet somehow ethereal. You will find yourself whisked along with the story rather than pushing it forward with your own eyes. I've never experienced anything in prose quite so acute.
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
Stunning example of modern American literature. This is a complex, rich, and deep book. I read it aged 35 after my father passed away. This generational family epic is rooted in Steinbeck's theory that there is only one human story, that of Cain & Abel, Good & Evil, Human nature and where it comes from. As such it's emotionally intricate, and rewarding especially the more you re-read it, and the more experiences you have in life. One the surface it's a male-centric book, but I think that the themes (once extracted) are universal in their application.
An exceptional novel, that takes it's time, and will find you in your life when you are ready to read it.
An exceptional novel, that takes it's time, and will find you in your life when you are ready to read it.