Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Washington Black

Title: Washington Black
Author: Edi Edugyan
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.0
Pub Date: August 2 2018

T H R E E • W O R D S

Cinematic • Imaginative • Lengthy

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Wash is an 11-year-old orphan slave working the fields in Barbados. His owner, Erasmus, is a mean spirited racist who mistreats everyone. When Erasmus' brother, Titch, selects Wash to be his sidekick - helping with his experiments,- what follows is an escape and adventure spanning many years and continents.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Rating this book is complicated! On the one hand we have an adventurous historical narrative focusing on slavery and freedom. Through great attention to historical detail and language, as well as thoughtful writing, the author offers a unique perspective on identity and what makes a meaningful life. And yet on the other hand, I found myself skimming, eventually needing to tandem listen in order to get through it. It started out so strong, introducing many plot lines, but eventually turned into an endless chain of events that didn't really go anywhere and felt as though it tried to pack too much into one story. Then, of course, there's the ending and all of the loose ends that just felt disappointing.

Washington Black wasn't my typical historical fiction read, and I cannot really say I enjoyed my reading experience, but one thing is clear, Esi Edugyan is a gifted writer! I'll definitely be checking out more of her work down the road.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who enjoy lyrical prose
• Book clubs

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Would I choose so again? Well, not that is a questions. I will only say that is I have acquired any wisdom from Big Kit, it is to live always with your eyes cast forward, to seek what will be, for the path behind can never be retaken."

"'You cannot know the true nature of another's suffering.' 'No. But you can try your damnedest not to worsen it.'"

Content Warnings

professorbadger's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Somehow (undoubtedly partly based on the title) I thought this book was historical fiction set in Washington DC. When instead it turned out to be about slavery, and on a particularly brutal plantation at that, I thought “ugh, I do NOT want to read this!” I set several markers along the lines of “give it 10%, and then you can feel like you gave it a shot before you drop it.” But the funny thing is, the book was so beautiful that I couldn’t quit.

This book needs all the trigger warnings. I don’t trust myself to catch them all in the drop-down lists below. But it’s also lyrical and emotionally insightful and has enough action to keep the plot moving.

Very rarely, as I’m reading a novel I will get a feeling that it rises above “normal novel” and becomes “art.” This was one of those rare books. It’s partly for the sheer beauty of some of the language — I copied down a few passages that I found so poetic and insightful that I wanted to keep them for later re-reading. But it also has a lot to say on identity, on family, on race, on coping with unbearable circumstances, and so much more. As in life, no one is purely good or purely bad — even the few pure villains are given a small bit of depth and humanity — and there is so much to think about in terms of narrative themes and characterization. Meanwhile, though, it was also just a good story, even for lowbrow types like me who enjoy a novel without stopping to think deep thoughts about theme and metaphor and whatnot. Highly recommended!

Content Warnings

annieliz's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Content Warnings

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