Reviews

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

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mansikwatra's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 out of 5
Marlon James deserves all the accolades he received for writing 'A Brief History of Seven Killings'. There's crime dramas and then there is 'A Brief History of Seven Killings'. This 688 page book keeps a reader wanting till the end, not because of the plot but for the way it has been written. The story in its gist is a 'gang wars turning political to tear a country and lives apart' plotline but it's the writing and the voices of the characters that steal the show.
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The books introduces the reader to multiple characters belonging to two Jamaican gangs, pitted against each other to bring their respective affiliated party into power in the upcoming elections. In the middle of all this is the Singer, Bob Marley, who gets entangled in Jamaican politics. Before his famous Smile Jamaica concert in December 1976, some men attempt to kill him and he survives and the repercussions of his survival change the face of Jamaican gangs over the years. Some men fall, some rise and some flee to be free of the dangerous siren that is Jamaica. A Brief History of Killing sets up a political crime play field, which extends to drug trafficking in the US in the 80s and 90s.
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Written primarily in Jamaican English dialect, this book is not your every day read but all of its 688 pages are worth your time. I had this book sitting on my shelf neglected due to its size and genre but thanks to the availability of its audiobook on my library's app, I dared to pick it up. The audiobook, narrated by multiple narrators in Jamaican English dialect was an immersive experience as I read and listened to this story simultaneously.
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Marlon James has achieved something phenomenal with this book. The narrative just flows without following a sentence structure, reading like a transcript of someone's deepest thoughts, some simple and some incoherent but carrying weight nonetheless.
There's a paragraph written from the perspective of a man being buried alive and it's the best form of descriptive writing. This novel is a beautiful bouquet of multiple soliloquies

emily_mad's review

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challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

pran's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

kaiazania's review

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.5

lauresno's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

3.75

mercabx's review against another edition

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mysterious tense

5.0

"But in another city, another valley, another ghetto, another slum, another favela, another township, another intifada, another war, another birth, somebody is singing Redemption Song, as if the Singer wrote it for no other reason but for this sufferah to sing, shout, whisper, weep, bawl, and scream right here, right now."