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myclutteredbookshelf's review against another edition
3.5
In their review of the novel, The New York Times compared Half-Blood Blues to the classic Humphrey Bogart film Casablanca. It's not a completely outlandish comparison, as both tales are set in World War II and have plots regarding a love triangle and the characters' struggle to obtain visas. But where Sam the piano man plays a minor role in Casablanca, Esi Edugyan brings the Black musicians to the forefront in her novel.
Half-Blood Blues follows two narratives: one set in the late '30s, following a jazz band consisting of both Black and white musicians trying to exit Berlin to record an album in Paris, and one set in the early '90s, following the only two remaining band members, Sid and his friend Chip, as they travel to Poland in search of Hiero. The novel explores the frustrations of the Black Americans, who came to Europe to escape the racism of their home country, only to be faced with it once again under Hitler's regime, and how the world of jazz continued to live even after being banned by the Third Reich. Various jazz players appear throughout the novel, from Louis Armstrong to the Goldene Sieben, but I do wish that Edugyan had considered showing more of what the jazz scene was like in Berlin before the bans, as most of story focuses on the band fleeing for their lives rather than the music they make. We don't actually get to see them perform as a group before circumstances force them apart.
Read the full review: https://myclutteredbookshe.wixsite.com/my-cluttered-bookshe/post/review-half-blood-blues-by-esi-edugyan
Half-Blood Blues follows two narratives: one set in the late '30s, following a jazz band consisting of both Black and white musicians trying to exit Berlin to record an album in Paris, and one set in the early '90s, following the only two remaining band members, Sid and his friend Chip, as they travel to Poland in search of Hiero. The novel explores the frustrations of the Black Americans, who came to Europe to escape the racism of their home country, only to be faced with it once again under Hitler's regime, and how the world of jazz continued to live even after being banned by the Third Reich. Various jazz players appear throughout the novel, from Louis Armstrong to the Goldene Sieben, but I do wish that Edugyan had considered showing more of what the jazz scene was like in Berlin before the bans, as most of story focuses on the band fleeing for their lives rather than the music they make. We don't actually get to see them perform as a group before circumstances force them apart.
Read the full review: https://myclutteredbookshe.wixsite.com/my-cluttered-bookshe/post/review-half-blood-blues-by-esi-edugyan
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
ninjamuse's review
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, War, Racism, Xenophobia, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Antisemitism, Police brutality, and Forced institutionalization
cerilouisereads's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Antisemitism, Blood, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
inestelle_'s review
emotional
sad
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? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Antisemitism
willowy's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
Length: 343 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Length: 343 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
"Folks think a lifetime is a thing stretched out over years. It ain't. It can happen quick as a match in a dark room."
Trigger Warnings in this book for Racism and Statutory Rape
Simply put, this book made me want to quit writing. I was sitting there, lapping up every description, every simile, every word that Esi Edugyan put on the page, just in total awe over how someone can create a group of people, a story, that is so real. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I will not quit writing, despite knowing that this, at least to me, is it!
I think one of the most interesting things in the world is how one moment, one choice, can change the rest of someone's life irrevocably, and Half-Blood Blues is a excellent exploration of that. This is a tale told by a wonderfully unreliable narrator, Sidney "Sid" Griffiths, who in 1939 to 1940, jumped around from Berlin to Paris as a member of the Jazz band the Hot-Time Swingers. Among the players is his oldest friend and troublemaker, Chip Jones, and Hieronymus "Hiero" Falk, the youngest member who also happens to be a "Mischling" or "Rhineland Bastard": a child of a German mother and a father who was an African soldier. Hiero is only twenty but is already a musical genius on the trumpet, and the boys are overjoyed when they hear that Louis Armstrong is interested in them (especially Hiero) via the beautiful singer, Delilah Brown. Sid's love for Delilah, and overwhelming jealousy towards her relationship with Hiero, is the first step to sewing deep seeds of betrayal among them, all coming to a shocking end. An end that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.
In 1992 Sid, in his eighties now, is living a boring life back in Baltimore. He gave up music, has been married thrice, and is loathe to dwell on the past. Unfortunately for him, the past comes roaring back to life when Chip shows up, claiming to have received a letter from the long assumed dead Hiero. Now he has to make amends with his past, whether he wants to or not.
Although I'm a huge fan of WWII stories, I have to agree with the majority of Historical Fiction readers when they say they're getting tired of them. It seems as if every story has been told again and again and again. But that's not the case with this book. Half-Blood Blues finally tells a story that seems to almost be forgotten, that of the "Rhineland Bastards", of the people of color swept up in the brutality of war who were just trying to flee the clutches of Jim Crow. It's utterly moving, refreshing, and, in my honest opinion, should have won the Booker Prize.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs
readingwithkt's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I've been eager to read this since finishing Washington Black by Esi Edugyan last year.
Half Blood Blues tells the story of a group of Jazz musicians, many of whom are Black (though some white and some white-passing), who lived through WWII in France and Germany.
I've not read any other accounts of WWII fiction (and goodness knows there's a lot of it) which focuses on imagining what was like to be a Black person during this period in history. In this sense, Half Blook Blues is exceptional and worth reading for this aspect alone. I studied WWII history to Advanced Higher in school (like first year of University), have visited many historic sights across mainland Europe, and never expressly heard about the experiences of Black people. I think this speaks to a wider erasure of Black people from history, and so I was glad to read and learn more about this. In particular, a learning which stuck out to me: France deployed Senegalese people from their colonies to guard and protect the Rhineland (a fact which surprised me so immensely as we studied this event at great length in school).
In this sense, some of what I took from reading Half Blood Blues was education on the erasure of Black people from our history books, and I'm grateful now to have a starting point to learn more about Black European history specifically.
This is also an intriguing fictional story in itself. It speaks to jealousy, betrayal, deceit, forgiveness, guilt, and survival. The start and end to the book were the most compelling. I felt that the mid-section was quite slow, meandering, and dull in places (dialogue for pages and pages with no real plot or character development). I guess, in a sense, this speaks to what it must have been like to live through this period in time: much of survival as an ordinary citizen was about living as small a life as possible. However, I would have liked more character development throughout the book, as I ended up feeling like the characters were rather 2D and I hardly knew them at all.
Half Blood Blues is a slow-paced and devastating historical fiction novel. Please take note of the content warnings because there are... a lot. But it's definitely worth a read and I'll be seeking out more literature on this topic - starting with the list of books in the back of Half Blood Blues.
Having read Washington Black first, I can see the evolution in Esi Edugyan's writing style and so I'm super excited to see what she produces next - I'm certain it will be excellent.
Half Blood Blues tells the story of a group of Jazz musicians, many of whom are Black (though some white and some white-passing), who lived through WWII in France and Germany.
I've not read any other accounts of WWII fiction (and goodness knows there's a lot of it) which focuses on imagining what was like to be a Black person during this period in history. In this sense, Half Blook Blues is exceptional and worth reading for this aspect alone. I studied WWII history to Advanced Higher in school (like first year of University), have visited many historic sights across mainland Europe, and never expressly heard about the experiences of Black people. I think this speaks to a wider erasure of Black people from history, and so I was glad to read and learn more about this. In particular, a learning which stuck out to me: France deployed Senegalese people from their colonies to guard and protect the Rhineland (a fact which surprised me so immensely as we studied this event at great length in school).
In this sense, some of what I took from reading Half Blood Blues was education on the erasure of Black people from our history books, and I'm grateful now to have a starting point to learn more about Black European history specifically.
This is also an intriguing fictional story in itself. It speaks to jealousy, betrayal, deceit, forgiveness, guilt, and survival. The start and end to the book were the most compelling. I felt that the mid-section was quite slow, meandering, and dull in places (dialogue for pages and pages with no real plot or character development). I guess, in a sense, this speaks to what it must have been like to live through this period in time: much of survival as an ordinary citizen was about living as small a life as possible. However, I would have liked more character development throughout the book, as I ended up feeling like the characters were rather 2D and I hardly knew them at all.
Half Blood Blues is a slow-paced and devastating historical fiction novel. Please take note of the content warnings because there are... a lot. But it's definitely worth a read and I'll be seeking out more literature on this topic - starting with the list of books in the back of Half Blood Blues.
Having read Washington Black first, I can see the evolution in Esi Edugyan's writing style and so I'm super excited to see what she produces next - I'm certain it will be excellent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Trafficking
Minor: Cancer, Genocide, and Terminal illness
The scene of an adult/minor relationship is graphic.mscalls's review
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Antisemitism, and Fatphobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
hannah_sakura's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism, Racial slurs, Racism, Death, and Violence
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