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joaniesickler's review
2.0
The darkest of his books I've read. Finished it grudgingly. Interesting portrayal of a small Jamaican village and the power of the preacher.
cptskyheart's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
d5lefko's review against another edition
4.0
Finished this on a plane and wasn’t paying attention so right as I was reading the final words the plane touched back down and it startled the crap outta me. Impactful!
tatyanavogt's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
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
Okay, this one is an interesting one cause I started a different book by this author and really enjoyed the writing and I got this book (which is MUCH smaller) and decided to check it out and see how I feel about it. Although some of the writing that I liked does show itself in this book, it didn't stand out as much as it does in some of his other books.
I do also have to admit that although I enjoyed the process of analyzing this book AND reading the Jamaican dialect sprinkled throughout I probably would not have enjoyed it as much if I wasn't approaching it from an open analytical mindset. It does have some trigger warning moments throughout, which didn't bother me. And I do really like the message or conversations that it was having, but honestly it was a little slow and didn't fully make sense. I dont know why it focused on the things that it did or why it took the approach that it did, but it was still an interesting read even if I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to most people.
I do also have to admit that although I enjoyed the process of analyzing this book AND reading the Jamaican dialect sprinkled throughout I probably would not have enjoyed it as much if I wasn't approaching it from an open analytical mindset. It does have some trigger warning moments throughout, which didn't bother me. And I do really like the message or conversations that it was having, but honestly it was a little slow and didn't fully make sense. I dont know why it focused on the things that it did or why it took the approach that it did, but it was still an interesting read even if I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to most people.
laila4343's review
3.0
It's been interesting reading Marlon James's books in reverse chronological order. I was so enamored with his third and second novels, I couldn't help but have high expectations for his first. But this was a hard read for me. It was brutal, relentlessly violent. There were some exquisitely written passages, but this story of two warring preachers in 1950's Jamaica left me cold. Still, I can't give one of my favorite writers anything less than three stars. I'm glad I read it just to see where his writing began.
siancita's review against another edition
dark
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
3.75
gurofl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I struggled a bit through the first half. Then the book picked up. Very strong ending.
phibourjreads's review
5.0
Absolutely love how this story makes me want to read everything Marlon James has written.
eklsolo's review
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
Maybe homophobic
flightyrachel's review against another edition
dark
2.0
This was a great narration of a well written but very difficult read.
I loved the patois chorus, and the air of absolute menace and evil that the author creates. I hated the relentless violence, the incontinence (everyone shits and pisses themselves incessantly) and the portrayal of women. The two main woman characters were left weak at the knees and sick with lust over the sight of a syphilitic red penis and by cleaning faeces off an old alcoholic. Just no.
I loved the patois chorus, and the air of absolute menace and evil that the author creates. I hated the relentless violence, the incontinence (everyone shits and pisses themselves incessantly) and the portrayal of women. The two main woman characters were left weak at the knees and sick with lust over the sight of a syphilitic red penis and by cleaning faeces off an old alcoholic. Just no.