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A review by nichughes
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
5.0
I wonder if listening to this vs. reading had me more enthralled with Cora than some of the other reviewers. I thought she was a vibrant and dynamic character with a difficult, tragic journey. The details of terror throughout - the plantation she was from, Ridgeway, the square in the North Carolina section... there were times when I literally gasped or felt scared. It was a roller coaster of a book and a tough, thought-provoking read. Colson Whitehead is an exceptional storyteller and the idea of a literal railroad woven in was a fascinating detail. I loved the suspense, the layers, the prose. A work of literary genius. This is one of those books that sticks with you through the years.
“If you want to see what this nation is all about, you have to ride the rails. Look outside as you speed through, and you’ll find the true face of America. It was a joke, then, from the start. There was only darkness outside the windows on her journeys, and only ever would be darkness.”
"... Here was the true Great Spirit, the divine thread connecting all human endeavor--if you can keep it, it is yours. Your property, slave or continent. The American imperative.”
“If you want to see what this nation is all about, you have to ride the rails. Look outside as you speed through, and you’ll find the true face of America. It was a joke, then, from the start. There was only darkness outside the windows on her journeys, and only ever would be darkness.”
"... Here was the true Great Spirit, the divine thread connecting all human endeavor--if you can keep it, it is yours. Your property, slave or continent. The American imperative.”