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1st out of 32 books
—
29 voters
The Untelling
by
Tayari Jones (Goodreads Author)
Aria Jackson lived through the car crash that killed her father and brother when she was nine. At 25 she begins to unearth secrets about family, friends, her past, and her altered reality in this journey through truth and forgiveness.
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
April 12th 2006
by Grand Central Publishing
(first published April 18th 2005)
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The Untelling is a story of lies--lies of omission and lies meant to mislead, lies told to others and told to ourselves. The truth is a hard nut to crack sometimes, but there are always consequences. Damaged by a childhood tragedy that overshadows the rest of her life, protagonist Aria backs herself into corners that have predictable results for the plot. That's not to say the book was boring or not compelling, but it's fairly obvious the way events will play out. Getting there is worth it, thou...more
Aria is young and African American and lives in the West End of Atlanta with her roommate Rochelle. Together they work at a non-profit teaching literacy and helping people to pass their GEDs.
Aria's father and younger sister died in a car accident when Aria was a pre-teen. This car accident is woven throughout the book and is almost a character in itself. It comes between Aria's relationship with both her mother and her older sister Hermione making rocky relationships with both of them.
Aria's re...more
Aria's father and younger sister died in a car accident when Aria was a pre-teen. This car accident is woven throughout the book and is almost a character in itself. It comes between Aria's relationship with both her mother and her older sister Hermione making rocky relationships with both of them.
Aria's re...more
The Untelling, by Tayari Jones is a lovely, yet bittersweet book about Ariadne “Aria” Jackson. Hers is the story of a woman caught on the threshold of decay and rebirth, much like the beloved West End Atlanta neighborhood where she and her best friend, Rochelle, live. That neighborhood, and to a lesser extent inner city Atlanta in general, almost becomes a character itself, and is certainly a reflection of Aria as they both try to come to terms with their pasts and rebuild.
When Aria was 9, her f...more
When Aria was 9, her f...more
I liked The Untelling by Tayari Jones. Ariadne lost her father and baby sister in a car accident when she was 10. Her mother is unstable and cold toward Ariadne and her older sister afterward. Her sister, who has been a refuge for Ariadne, escapes the household by marrying her father's friend. All Ariadne wants is a normal family, and she thinks that's what she'll be getting when she tells her boyfriend that she is expecting his baby and he offers to marry her. This is a beautifully written book...more
Heard about Tayari Jones from a few online friends, and picked up this book because I wanted to read some contemporary fiction by a black woman writer who is about my age (30s). I read up to page 36 or so and then put it down; the beginning was compelling, but I stopped at a point in which it was unclear what was going to happen next. I sat myself down with it about a week later and read the remaining 300 pages over the next 24 hours. Plot-wise, things move slowly and there are a lot of flashbac...more
Seriously, don't judge this book by its cover (art). It doesn't look like much, but the prose is lush and the subject matter is fascinating, particularly for anyone dealing with reproductive endocrinology on a personal or professional level. I first heard excerpts from this book on a Humanities on Demand podcast (http://www.mainehumanities.org/podcas...).
Aria's life has been full of tragedy for as long as she can remember. As a child, she survived a car accident that claimed the lives of her father and her baby sister. As her father was trying to talk to her, she plugged her ears and pretended she couldn't hear him as he passed away...
A resident of Atlanta, Aria has dedicated her life to teach literacy to girls who may not otherwise gain an education. She lives in a rough part of town with her best friend Rochelle, which troubles her boyfriend D...more
A resident of Atlanta, Aria has dedicated her life to teach literacy to girls who may not otherwise gain an education. She lives in a rough part of town with her best friend Rochelle, which troubles her boyfriend D...more
I had been wanting to read something by Tayari Jones. And so I found myself browsing through novel synopses, debating between her two books (the other is Leaving Atlanta); when I learned that The Untelling revolved around a character’s infertility, that was the clincher.
Infertility isn’t oft-talked about even in the realm of fiction, which seems to otherwise run rampant through the world of taboo. And so I read–the prose was silky, I was drawn in immediately into the characters. I found the stru...more
Infertility isn’t oft-talked about even in the realm of fiction, which seems to otherwise run rampant through the world of taboo. And so I read–the prose was silky, I was drawn in immediately into the characters. I found the stru...more
Audiobook. Beautiful prose characterizes this heartbreaking story about love, loss and family. Aria lost her father and baby sister as a child and grew up with a disfunctional mother and a sister who left as soon as she was able. Now she is living in a run down apartment with a drug adict neighbor, teaching literacy and watching her roommate plan the fantacy wedding Aria can only dream about. Despite the heartbreaking experiences she faces, Aria finds a way to keep moving forward.
This book was...more
This book was...more
I really wanted to give it 2.5 stars, but the bloody rating system rounds off. It's like when you're an 8 1/2 and all of the shoes you like only come in whole sizes. Anyway, I didn't like this one as much as Leaving Atlanta or Silver Sparrow. The depth of Atlanta's point of view and the richness of Sparrow's characters, story, and imagery were just not present. There are glimpses of the much more lyrical and visual Jones toward the end of the book, which I respect much more than the rest of the...more
When Aria was not-quite 10, her family was in a car accident in which her father and baby sister died. Unsurprisingly, this tragedy has affected Aria enormously, and her relationships with her mother and her older sister continue to be strained. In the now of the story (mid-'90s), Aria is in post-university limbo. She's 25, living with her best friend Rochelle in a somewhat sketchy neighborhood, and teaching literacy to people studying for their GEDs. Rochelle is engaged and will soon move out....more
This book was so well written! The author is a master at capturing the feelings of her contemporary characters and putting it in words that paint the most detailed picture of their innermost thoughts. When I read the synopsis of this book, I wasn't exactly intrigued, but I gave it a chance becuase I really enjoyed another of her novels, Silver Sparrow and it did not dissappoint. The story shows the consequences of lies and the refusal to let go, forgive and move forward. Very powerful read, high...more
Okay. So I've had some time to let the effects of having read this book wear off a bit. I feel that I'm ready to talk about it without revealing my soul here. Excuse me if I'm long-winded. This book connected some life-dots for me, so y'all bear with me.
I've never read a novel that caused me to do so much self-reflection that I actually had a breakthrough...like a real life breakthrough...like the kind you could get from therapy or something. Actually, I might feel less weird about this whole t...more
I've never read a novel that caused me to do so much self-reflection that I actually had a breakthrough...like a real life breakthrough...like the kind you could get from therapy or something. Actually, I might feel less weird about this whole t...more
Aug 19, 2011
Becky Birtha
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adult-fiction,
african-american-interest
It was a treat to read a work of serious literary fiction by an African American woman author new to me. I pondered over the title and its possible multiple meanings and relationship to the myth of the labyrinth, then got thoroughly engrossed in the story of Ariadne, or Aria, who's dealing with a kind of arrested development dating back to the car accident that kills her father and baby sister when she is 11, in the book's prologue. Tayari Jones's characters are thoroughly believable, especially...more
I really love her writing style. It makes it hard to put the book down. However, I was not very impressed with the ending. It was pretty predictable in that things fell apart for her irt Dwayne. Additionally, the secret the mom was holding onto was anticlimactic. I still enjoyed the book nonetheless.
The author is a wonderful storyteller. I loved the characters. They were richly developed and realistic. The story is bittersweet and I could not tear myself away. I will plan on reading her other books soon. I stumbled across this book for a dollar at a used book store. What a treasure.
This is a great book! Tayari's ability to seamlessly integrate Ariadne's inner monologue, past experiences and present circumstances was outstanding. The plots and sub-plots throughout this book are interesting and had me wanting to read more. I am looking forward to reading more from her.
This is a story about a girl who is angry with her lot in life and kept living in the past and was afraid of it. I felt like there was no real point to this story just a girl telling her story and going on and on. Looking at all the reviews on this book (which are very positive) I guess I missed something because I just did not get this book.
The introduction gripped me with its dense, beautiful prose and the power of the situation. If only the entire book had been as excellent. That lush language surfaces throughout the book but isn't consistent. A good read, but not a great one.
I was assigned this book in college but know I wasn't developed enough to really grasp it. The second time around I was really struck by how many people's experiences I will never relate to - it's disheartening but also enriching to hear.
Poetic narrative of a young woman facing the losses of her past along with those of her future. A sensitive portrayal of a contemporary woman facing issues of love and family making in the context of race, class, and urban life.
An interesting read, so far. I keep wanting to see the unfolding from a perspective other than that of the main protagonist, Ariadne, but that does not detract from the very unique relationships in her life.
Good novel; content is good, but I think the writing is great. The novel explores how the past impacts our present choices in way in which we are not conscious, whether we tell it or "untell" it.
Great book! I'm not a big fan of the vague endings which seem to be popular with modern books, but I'm getting more used to them and so they don't tick me off as much. ;) I really enjoyed this book.
Themes of loss and self-forgiveness, could be more fully developed. I appreciated seeing these themes through the African-American experience. I will read more of her.
Poetic narrative of a young woman facing the losses of her past along with those of her future. A sensitive portrayal of a contemporary woman facing issues of love and family making.
Excellent writing! Very interesting story, very interesting exploration of a sensitive topic: what does it mean to be a "family"?
I love her writing style. Her character are fully developed, and she makes you feel like you've actually been to the towns she describes.
thoroughly enjoyed this book about a young African-American woman growing and learning through a series of life tragedies.
I think I need to read this one again before I can truly rate it, so take the star rating with a grain of salt for now.
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Tayari Jones is an African American author and winner of the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction. Born in 1970, she was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and educated at Spelman College, the University of Iowa and Arizona State University.
She started writing seriously at Spelman College, where she studied with Pearl Cleage, who published her first story, "Eugenics", in Catalyst magazin...more
More about Tayari Jones...
She started writing seriously at Spelman College, where she studied with Pearl Cleage, who published her first story, "Eugenics", in Catalyst magazin...more
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“I guess this is how love is when it comes undone. No matter how tight you knit the stitches, a sharp tug on a loose thread will transform your warm sweater into a mangled heap of yarn that you can't reuse or repair.”
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“Dwelling on pain, spending too much time immersed in it, tasting its flavors, fingering its textures--this makes it only more potent.”
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