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ponch22's review against another edition
4.0
I'm nearing the end of my read-through of August Wilson's Century Cycle. After reading Ma Rainey's Black Bottom back in February 2021, I went through Jitney, Fences, The Piano Lesson, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Two Trains Running & finished Seven Guitars back in April 2022.
King Hedley II was a nice semi-sequel to Seven Guitars. Before now, there wasn't much connecting any of Wilson's plays beyond the mysterious, 300+year-old Aunt Ester who gets mentioned in a few plays but never seen. But here, characters & plot points from Seven Guitars are directly referenced & relevant to the plot.
There are a lot of great characters in King Hedley II—from Ruby, King's mother first introduced in Seven Guitars to King himself, scarred and recently out of jail (for killing the man who cut him) trying to sell enough stolen fridges to open a video shop (how 1980s!). From Elmore, Ruby's sometimes boyfriend, a hustler & pseudo-father figure to King (who also spent time in jail for killing a man who (seemingly) done him wrong) to Tonya, King's wife who isn't given a lot to do but has a good monologue about what she wants.
I've read enough Wilson now to know when he introduces a rusty machete & a Derringer pistol, things aren't going to end well, but the ending still surprised me. I think I read Aunt Ester plays an integral role in Wilson's penultimate play, Gem of the Ocean, so I'm excited to finally meet her & hopefully finish the final two books before February 2023...
King Hedley II was a nice semi-sequel to Seven Guitars. Before now, there wasn't much connecting any of Wilson's plays beyond the mysterious, 300+year-old Aunt Ester who gets mentioned in a few plays but never seen. But here, characters & plot points from Seven Guitars are directly referenced & relevant to the plot.
There are a lot of great characters in King Hedley II—from Ruby, King's mother first introduced in Seven Guitars to King himself, scarred and recently out of jail (for killing the man who cut him) trying to sell enough stolen fridges to open a video shop (how 1980s!). From Elmore, Ruby's sometimes boyfriend, a hustler & pseudo-father figure to King (who also spent time in jail for killing a man who (seemingly) done him wrong) to Tonya, King's wife who isn't given a lot to do but has a good monologue about what she wants.
I've read enough Wilson now to know when he introduces a rusty machete & a Derringer pistol, things aren't going to end well, but the ending still surprised me. I think I read Aunt Ester plays an integral role in Wilson's penultimate play, Gem of the Ocean, so I'm excited to finally meet her & hopefully finish the final two books before February 2023...
suzehint's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
dcreadsbooks's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
daramillz's review against another edition
3.0
The relationships and characters are not as compelling as those in Fences, but it’s hard to compare an author’s other work to his masterpiece. Still excellent writing, at turns comedic and very very dark.
tracithomas's review against another edition
3.0
This one is solid with lots of possibilities that aren’t realized. The tension is there as is the payoff but the character depth wasn’t as much.
jessrock's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
william_sg's review against another edition
4.0
This was a tough read. Quite possibly the bleakest, saddest play I have ever read in my life. The situations only get worse. I want to have a hundred conversations about it.
rtwilliams16's review against another edition
3.0
King Hedley II is the ninth play in August Wilson's Century Cycle. This one was good but like the rest of his plays not as good as [b:Fences|539282|Fences (The Century Cycle #6)|August Wilson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481833774s/539282.jpg|60745]. One interesting fact that I noticed in this play was that the character of Aunt Ester, who is the main character in [b:Gem of the Ocean|764325|Gem of the Ocean|August Wilson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1354209853s/764325.jpg|268788], is mentioned as being 366 years old in King Hedley II (she is not in this play but is mentioned). So I asked myself, "when was Aunt Ester born?". So I subtracted 366 from the year that King Hedley II was set which was 1985 and I got 1619. 1619 is an important year in American history. It's like 1492 but there is no clever rhyme to remember the year's significance. 1619 is the year that the first African slaves were brought to America, specifically Jamestown, VA. She is a symbol of African American history going back to 1619.
I have one play left in order to finish the Century Cycle.
I have one play left in order to finish the Century Cycle.