A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines

A Lesson Before Dying

Ernest J. Gaines with Jay Long

256 pages • first pub 1993 (editions)

fiction classics challenging emotional reflective slow-paced
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Description

In the late 1940s backdrop of a small Cajun community, Jefferson, a young black man, is accused and convicted of a murder for perpetrating a shoot-out in a liquor store which left three men killed. Being the sole survivor of a crime that occurred ...

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Community Reviews Summary of 3,835 reviews

Moods

emotional 80%
sad 73%
reflective 64%
challenging 46%
dark 38%
tense 20%
inspiring 17%
hopeful 13%
informative 13%

Pace

medium 46%
slow 39%
fast 14%

Plot- or character-driven?

Character: 70% | A mix: 22% | Plot: 7%

Strong character development?

Yes: 80% | It's complicated: 14% | No: 4%

Loveable characters?

Yes: 54% | It's complicated: 34% | No: 9% | N/A: 1%

Diverse cast of characters?

Yes: 77% | No: 10% | It's complicated: 8% | N/A: 3%

Flaws of characters a main focus?

Yes: 76% | It's complicated: 18% | No: 5%

Average rating

3.85

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Content Warnings

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