Reviews

I am new to Randall Kenan. Embarrassingly, his passing brought him to my attention, even as a NC native. Hate to have been so late to this party, 'cause it's a good one. I really enjoyed If I Had Two Wings, with all its local nods, interesting and easy-to-know characters, casual writing style, and touch of folklore. Mamiwata was my fave. That visual- haunting. Will definitely seek out Kenan's other work.

zellm's review

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3.0

I really liked the first half of this book, but the magical realism wasn't as strong for me. Kenan has a very strong narrative voice that works well for some stories but is weaker for others. I really like the concept of this collection and the connections between stories.

lynncarol's review

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adventurous emotional 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? N/A

5.0

notesonbookmarks's review

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4.0

Hit and miss, but the hits were big ones.

bledoux's review

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3.0

[3.5]

i really enjoyed Kenans writing style, it's one you have to pay really close attention to or you'll miss what he's actually saying.

some stories i enjoyed more than others like

I Thought I Heard the Shuffle of Angel'a Feet
Resurrection Hardware or, Lard & Promises

not my favorite collection but very interested in Kenan's backlist.

bookwitchkatie's review

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4.0

I enjoyed the prose, which made it easy to breeze through this collection of shorts, even though magical realism isn’t my jam. I wish I had a book club to discuss these stories with because I’m still left scratching my head as to the meaning of some.

amittaizero's review

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challenging dark emotional

3.0

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