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A Brief History of Seven Killings

Marlon James

3.87 · Rating details · 25,493 ratings · 3,730 reviews

WINNER OF THE 2015 MAN BOOKER PRIZE FOR FICTION From the acclaimed author of The Book of Night Women comes a masterfully written novel that explores the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in the late 1970s.

On December 3, 1976, just before the Jamaican general election and two days before Bob Marley was to play the Smile Jamaica Concert, gunmen stormed his house, machine ...more

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Hardcover, 688 pages

Published October 2nd 2014 by Riverhead Books

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A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

Man Booker 2015 Long List

13 books — 175 voters

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

2015 Tournament of Books Short List

17 books — 165 voters

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Jul 03, 2014 karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: distant-lands, death-is-not-the-end, free-from-work

congratulations and ADORABLE!!

this book is a little challenging at the outset, but if you stick with it, you will be rewarded like a motherfucker. (note: if that word upsets you, this book is not for you)

it's not the length that is challenging, although 700 pages is a nice chunky brick of a book, and it's not the dialect, unless this is your first exposure to patois. even then, this is a multi-voiced novel, with several characters who are not jamaican, so unlike The Book of Night Women, there ...more

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Jul 29, 2015 Barry Pierce rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 21st-century, read-in-2015

When I open a book and see a lengthy character list I know I'm in for a wild ride. However Marlon James' A Brief History of Seven Killings is more than just a wild ride, it's a brutal masterpiece that deserves its place as one of the best books of this decade so far.

James weaves a Dickensian plot around Jamaican history and culture. The entire plot is based on the events surrounding the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in 1976. It's a fictionalised history of Jamaica from the 1970s through When I open a book and see a lengthy character list I know I'm in for a wild ride. However Marlon James' A Brief History of Seven Killings is more than just a wild ride, it's a brutal masterpiece that deserves its place as one of the best books of this decade so far.

James weaves a Dickensian plot around Jamaican history and culture. The entire plot is based on the events surrounding the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in 1976. It's a fictionalised history of Jamaica from the 1970s through to the 1990s. I must admit that my knowledge of Jamaican history and politics and culture is laughably sparse. I'd tried ackee and saltfish once and didn't really like it so I don't think Marlon James could have found a whiter canvas to paint his story upon.

I mentioned Dickens earlier because he's the only author whose work I can compare this to. A massive cast of characters, a hefty page count, numerous interweaving storylines but in the end it always comes together. This novel displays such mastery of plot and prose that I have not read since The Old Curiosity Shop or The Pickwick Papers. While this is essentially a very different novel it still harks back to and is possibly in the same league as these literary greats.

A Brief History of Seven Killings is never an easy read. From whole chapters written in Jamaican dialect to brutal murders and mutilations being described in minute detail. When Steinbeck discussed The Grapes of Wrath he said, "I've done my damndest to rip reader's nerves to rags; I don't want him satisfied". I feel this quote also applies to James and this novel. He is a brutal writer, the dots above the Is are bullet holes and stems of his Ts are sharpened and ready to kill. Blood imbrues the pages of this novel and you are always caught off guard.

As with many great novels such as this one there is always talk of literary awards and prizes wafting through the air. The most prominent to me is the Man Booker. At the time of writing, this novel is longlisted for the 2015 prize and I can say without hesitation that this is by far the runaway winner. I cannot conceive of any reason why this novel should not snatch the prize. If it does lose however it will go down in history as "do you know what actually won the year A Brief History of Seven Killings was longlisted?"

While some may be apprehensive and intimidated by its size, subject matter, and prose, I cannot urge everyone enough to pick up this book. A good novel holds your attention for a couple of hours, a great novel teaches you something. New cultures, new languages, new people. A Brief History of Seven Killings is a great novel. ...more

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Mar 07, 2016 Petra-X rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, travel-adventure-countries, popculture-anthropology, caribbean, reviewed, 2016-read, 2016-150-reviews, 10-star-books

I've finished the book at last. It is an incredibly long listen. You become involved in the stories of these Jamaicans, Cubans and Americans, dead and alive all acted out in the narration by actors who feel their parts. It is sheer genius and so I'm immediately reading the paperback. Once I've finished it, I'll review the book properly. Suffice it to say that it didn't resonate with me as The Book of Night Women did. It did take me, though, into a parallel universe that I have never experienced ...more

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Mar 23, 2016 Petra-X rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 2016-read, 2016-150-reviews, 10-star-books

Update I've just watched Autopsy: Bob Marley. Watching the true story of the politics and events surrounding the attempted assassination on Bob Marley involving the CIA, made this book, even in retrospect, really come alive. The spin the author put on it, was the same conclusion as the documentary, although they were very circumspect about putting it. It doesn't matter whether you read the book or see the programme first, each adds to the other.
______________

I don't know how to review this Update I've just watched Autopsy: Bob Marley. Watching the true story of the politics and events surrounding the attempted assassination on Bob Marley involving the CIA, made this book, even in retrospect, really come alive. The spin the author put on it, was the same conclusion as the documentary, although they were very circumspect about putting it. It doesn't matter whether you read the book or see the programme first, each adds to the other.
______________

I don't know how to review this book. It isn't like any other book. It shares much in common with many others. Psychopathic criminals, corrupt politicians, the meddling of the US into foreign affairs, guns, gangs and girls who just don't matter. But it is so much more than the sum of its parts. It is the writing which soars brilliantly above all the five star books I've read this year except for The Book of Night Women, also by Marlon James.

Where it differs from all the other books is that Marlon James knows what goes on in a woman's head. He gets women completely and writes about us better than anyone I can think of. He gets our strength, our weaknesses, our absolute racing, manic thoughts and stupidity when dealing with matters of the heart that aren't going our way. You wouldn't really think that a gay, dreadlocked university lecturer would have that kind of insight would you? He displayed it to even greater effect in the historical novel, the Book of Night Women. That was the first time I felt I understood the mind of a slave woman, rather than the narratives of what they had to go through.

The story has more than one main character and story to tell, although all the stories are linked in a major way to the (true) story of the attempted assassination of Bob Marley. And it is only at the end that the story of one of the characters lightens and there is hope. And the hope is that you want to know more and would like to urge the author to write another book about... continuing the story that has only just made sense and could have a new beginning. I don't want to even put it in a spoiler who it is and why it only makes sense at the end. It's too good even for that.

I do think the audio was one of the best audio books I've ever listened to, a play for voices (many actors) really, rather than narrated. I listened to it and also read the print book. I'm glad I listened to the audio first. I'm probably more familiar with Jamaican accents and language than most and even I found the words flowed better listened to.

If he keeps this up, he's going to be Jamaica's first Nobel Prize winner for Literature.

___________

Important note on background to the book which might help you to enjoy it even more than you probably would anyway. (view spoiler) ...more

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Oct 22, 2016 Michael Finocchiaro rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, man-booker-fiction, favorites, jamaican-20th-c, novels, booker-winners

Marlon James takes us through an insanely violent roller coaster ride where various actors in the drama surrounding the house invasion and assassination attempt on Reggae Uberstar Bob Marley's Kingston, Jamaica house in December 1976 tell the story in a series of Faulkneresque first person dialogs. How much of this is factual, I do not know, but based on the fact that James had a team of researchers and took four years to write the novel as well as the fact that the story does seem plausible if Marlon James takes us through an insanely violent roller coaster ride where various actors in the drama surrounding the house invasion and assassination attempt on Reggae Uberstar Bob Marley's Kingston, Jamaica house in December 1976 tell the story in a series of Faulkneresque first person dialogs. How much of this is factual, I do not know, but based on the fact that James had a team of researchers and took four years to write the novel as well as the fact that the story does seem plausible if simultaneously shocking and heinous. The gang violence in the Caribbean and in Jamaica in particular is legendary, the CIA's plausibly deniable involvement with drug cartels and interference with democratic (or demagogic) processes is entirely believable. Each of the characters from Papa-Lo to the wordless Singer to the insanely violent Bam Bam or the psychotic Josey Wales or the way-in-over-his-head journalist Alex Pierce and especially Kimmy-Kim-Dorcas were so real in their interior monologues.

The novel starts with an epilogue of an already-murdered politician's soul talking to us. This narrator then closes each chapter except the last one. Each chapter then treats a single day through the perspective on multiple narrators each named at the top of their sub-chapter. The patois of the Jamaicans and especially that of the gang-bangers takes some getting used to, but it is gorgeous and incredible how the painting of this moment in time - what led to it, who perpetrated it, and its far-ranging consequences - feels so real and engaging. The realism pulls the reader along and I in particular was breathless as I turned each page wanting to see what another character would reveal. If I were compare this to a painting (since others have borrowed the Tarantino movie metaphor already), I would say this works like a series of Caravaggio paintings in heavy chiaroscuro where in the darkness we see evil characters coming out of the shadows, the flashes of knives and muzzles, the dark, thick pooling of blood while hearing the crowds shouting "Rastafari!!" among the scattered gunshots, we smell the ganja smoke and acrid burning smell of spent bullets, we taste blood in our mouths as we feel the impact of a fist on our cheeks...

Marlon James does not hold back on the violence of the gang world, of the homosexual encounters of several of the protagonists (and their own difficulties in accepting their sexual desires as genuine). I really loved the story of Dorcas and the old guy in the Bronx (my one regret is that this story just evaporates into the mists of time).

I think that Marlon James has set the bar for post modern fiction in this second decade of the 21st century, that his Man Booker Prize of 2015 was more than warranted, and that he is of supreme talent as a writer and impersonator in his writing. He alludes in his afterword that he had enough material for a second book. I will be the first in line for that one.

If you read anything this year, make it A Brief History of Seven Killings. It is truly masterful beyond just words. It is probably without doubt, the book I have recommended the most in the last 6 months to others! I am going to have to re-read this again soon! ...more

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Oct 14, 2015 Adina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: booker, big, historical-fiction, favorites, jamaica

Update 2: I found a BBC documentary about Marlon James, his work and his life, called Imagine. The link where you can see the film is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj10m...

Update: Apparently there is going to be a TV series on HBO based on the book. It is going to be interesting. Can't wait to actually hear the patois!!

4.5* I have to subtract half a star because I almost quit at page 400. It got boring at that point but I am very glad I stuck with it. Although there were times when I was Update 2: I found a BBC documentary about Marlon James, his work and his life, called Imagine. The link where you can see the film is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj10m...

Update: Apparently there is going to be a TV series on HBO based on the book. It is going to be interesting. Can't wait to actually hear the patois!!

4.5* I have to subtract half a star because I almost quit at page 400. It got boring at that point but I am very glad I stuck with it. Although there were times when I was counting how much more is left when I finished it I felt like something will be missing from my life.

This was, by far, the most difficult book that I have ever read although I admit that I did not read Ulysses or Moby Dick or other books known to be a nightmare. However, I am pretty sure the book can be put in the same category as them, quality and difficulty wise.

So what makes it so challenging? First of all, half of its 683 pages are written in patois, the Jamaican dialect which at the beginning it is quite difficult to grasp. Secondly, each chapter is written as a stream-of-consciousness in the voice of a different character. Some are gang members, some are CIA agents, a reporter etc…and even a ghost! The voices are quite different and it takes time to get used with them. The hardest is to follow the character’s thoughts when they are closed to death or in a stressful situation. Then the flow goes all over the place which makes the book damn beautiful and hard in the same time. There is a character index at the beginning which is helpful but not enough.

However, the most challenging part was figuring out the context of the characters that were being spat at me, what were the relationships between the voices and all the other characters and also the events mentioned. It all comes together very nicely but I had to be patient and very attentive. Some characters/events might be explained 50 pages or so later.

The book tries to picture three decades of the jamaican experience which include government conspiracies, gang movements, CIA involvement in the country. The first two parts take place around the 1976assassination attempt of Bob Marley (called the”Singer”) and the evolution of Jamaican criminality/politics in time until 1991. The plot lines also take us to USA (Miami and New York) where Jamaican gangs were controlling the crack traffic. As I knew absolutely nothing about Jamaican history I had to do some research on Wikipedia and other sites about the facts and figures. This is a reason that this book cannot be rushed. I would not have understood anything if I had read this without googling stuff.

Although the book is about politics, CIA, murder, drugs it is not very far paced until the last 250 pages which fly easily. Do not read this book if you do not like violence and cuss words as it is full of both. The writer is amazing in inventing new times of violence.

In the end, I didn’t care that it was difficult to read. It was all worth it. I learned a lot of things about Jamaica and World history, I was privileged to read some amazing prose (even a bit of poetry), I was amazed by all the voices the author could create, I learned how to read patois (I even dream myself speaking the dialect one night). I will never forget this book, I feel a richer person after finishing this so I believe he really deserved to win the Booker Award. ...more

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Aug 03, 2016 Sean Barrs the Bookdragon rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-star-reads, contemporary-lit, man-booker-prize-winners, postcolonial

I’ve been reading this book for an entire year, and it’s not been easy. At times I wanted to pull my hair out and scream, at times I wanted to throw the thing at the wall and be done with it, but I persisted. I made myself get to the end, and whilst I can say that I didn’t entirely enjoy the experience, I do appreciate James’ narrative style.

His deft manipulation of language is clearly the success of his storytelling. The way he writes reflects his characters. This may sound like a simple idea, ...more

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Nov 19, 2015 Matthias rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, my-reviews

A Brief History of Seven Killings should not be evaluated based on its supposed brevity, nor on the amount of killings featured in the book. The title could be the source of misguided expectations in this regard, as it is being overly modest on both counts. But if you're expecting a clever, fast, insightful, colourful and authentic novel, you won't be disappointed.

My first instinct when I see a book that has won a prize (in this case the Man Booker) is to have zero expectations of it. Even less. ...more

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May 08, 2015 Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing

Audiobook.....and physical book....

The story begins before the election the 1976 election. Thankfully Paul, my husband, listened to the first half of this book 'with' me. It was supportive to have conversations
together.

Fact-based story/Jamaica/Kingston
Crime, politics, graphic violence, ( including rape), graphic sex, hard core criminals,
Gangbangers, CIA agent, Rolling Stones, Teen- boy with his first gun, drug trafficking, more violence, more killing from 1976...to 1991.

Characters we get to ...more

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Nov 08, 2014 Greg rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction

Rating this book is a little difficult. I think I’m going to go with five stars, because it is quite amazing. There are a few small problems with the book, but they are the kind of problems that come from trying to be too ambitious, so it’s not perfect but it is great. An ambition is a good thing to have.

Karen mentioned this in her review, and an unnamed person from Goodreads disagreed with her in person, but I think he’s wrong. A Brief History of Seven Killings is a historical novel right out ...more

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Sep 21, 2015 Nicole~ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, jamaica, gangs, short-list-man-booker-2015, cold-war

Meh still alive, y'hear? ...
Dem try an' try hard teh bus' me up, eh. Rahtid Papa-lo, Pavarotti, Weeper, an' Josey Wales wit him gang, what him say it name, Storm Posse? shadow dancin' on meh like dem is Duppy Conqueror or somet'ing. Nasty political JLP and PNP crammin' dey rassclat dicks up meh pom pom an' use me hard like some cokehead prostitute dey plant at de street corner, even dey bloodclat corrupt police make papapapapapa! across meh heart wit what you call it? dam AK-47 shit dey ship out Meh still alive, y'hear? ...
Dem try an' try hard teh bus' me up, eh. Rahtid Papa-lo, Pavarotti, Weeper, an' Josey Wales wit him gang, what him say it name, Storm Posse? shadow dancin' on meh like dem is Duppy Conqueror or somet'ing. Nasty political JLP and PNP crammin' dey rassclat dicks up meh pom pom an' use me hard like some cokehead prostitute dey plant at de street corner, even dey bloodclat corrupt police make papapapapapa! across meh heart wit what you call it? dam AK-47 shit dey ship out here an' spread all over de place like some gunland massacre for a Martin Scorsese movie. Tink we Jammin in the Name of the Lord when is the gun runnin' devils killin' we. When you try dat Godfadder shit on de Singer it juss backfire on you r'ass. Man, he only wail War louder an' louder, So Jah Seh "Smile Jamaica", an' so I did. De Positive Vibration heal meh a little but meh still in danger all de same.
Don't gain the world and lose your soul. Wisdom is better than silver and gold.
Meh can't truss dem stinkin' Dons, not a shot in hell meh tink dey gwan protect me. Jamdown in a bad, bad way like Armageddon arrive. Guns, cocaine, ganja, money, power, revenge; de CIA, Medellin or what ya call dem Anti-Castro's: dey only want to ravage me battyhole, control me, rape me, slice me, burn me, bleed me. Meh life blood gushing outta me, bleeding oceans all the way 'cross to America. I shame, so shame. Meh own pickneys dem leave me to rot, but no, meh can't blame some dem neither. Like Marlon tell it true so. Him one o' me pickney dat got away an' me even tink he gwan win that prize, ire. Bombaclat, when all dis savagery 'pon me gwan stop? Dis wise Buffalo Soldier from Trench Town him had a message before him dead so young, him say:
Don't give up the fight.
Get up, stand up,
Life is your right.
Meh have a right, a right to equality and humanity; gwan fight hard like rahtid to stay alive an' save meh soul.

Meh name Jamaica, see?
____________
Italics are titles or lyrics from Bob Marley's songs. ...more

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Jan 10, 2015 Julie rated it did not like it

I remember school days painfully toiling over my Latin translations ...
and it all came back to haunt me with this!

Crikey, chinas! Thought I'd need the ambo! I was a cot case. At first I thought, she'll be apples. I'll give it a burl!! But then I realised my noggin was cactus! I was cheesed off and about to do my lolly. Fair crack of the whip! I had buckleys of sussing out the lingo! Thought I was a drongo! A no-hoper! But stone the crows!!! This was a stinker for me as a reader! A write off!

...more

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Oct 03, 2014 Mona rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Absorbing, Brutal, Brilliant Novel about Jamaican Drug Gangs and Bob Marley

Marlon James, born in Kingston, Jamaica, is a very gifted writer. And obviously, he can write about Jamaica with authority, as well as about Jamaicans in New York City.

So this is a pretty amazing book. It's really well written and packed with action and surprises.

But be forewarned. It's not for the faint of heart.

There's a lot of violence, which escalates in brutality towards the end. (I was able to deal with it, because ...more

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Sep 12, 2016 Darwin8u rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aere-perennius, 2016

"God puts earth far away from heaven because even he can't stand the smell of dead flesh. Death is not a soul catcher or a spirit, it's a wind with no warmth, a crawling sickness."
-- Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings

Marley

First, it is hard to push all that is into this novel into a bottle. So, I'll just say it felt like some weird hybrid of (here is my brief history of seven fathers/mothers): James Ellroy (think Jamaican Tabloid), Don DeLillo (think Libra), Zadie Smith (think Shiny ...more

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Apr 17, 2015 Matthew Quann rated it really liked it

Shelves: worldly, booker-prize, big-books-500-pages-plus, crime-thriller, literary-fiction, historical-fiction

I’d taken off on the odd run over the years, but it wasn’t until this January that I started to take it seriously. A friend mentioned a 10km race along the water in early May. It’s funny how a simple deadline is enough to inspire, but with a race on the horizon, I began my training program. One thing I’d never quite wrapped my head around was the driving force behind those humans that ran extremely long distances. Surely no razor-tooth beast chased them. How did they motivate themselves through ...more

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Apr 29, 2018 Robin rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Historians, Rastafarians, and Marathoners

Shelves: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, booker-prize-winner, 2018, jamaica

PHEW! My brain is as tired and sore as if it has just been through the equivalent of three back-to-back ironman competitions, in blistering hellfire heat. It's taken me over two months to finish (26 hours of audio, plus all the times I had to go back and re-listen to ensure I understood what was going on). I feel relieved that this anything-but-brief historical fiction has come to an end, and a tiny bit proud too, having made it.

It's a challenging book, which is something I knew, going in, and PHEW! My brain is as tired and sore as if it has just been through the equivalent of three back-to-back ironman competitions, in blistering hellfire heat. It's taken me over two months to finish (26 hours of audio, plus all the times I had to go back and re-listen to ensure I understood what was going on). I feel relieved that this anything-but-brief historical fiction has come to an end, and a tiny bit proud too, having made it.

It's a challenging book, which is something I knew, going in, and which had me reluctant to pick it up, for some time now. In addition to the near-700 pages, there are so many characters: what seems like countless (somewhat interchangeable) gang members, dons of gangs, journalists, a pair of feuding sisters, junkies, CIA agents, a hitman, even a ghost. There's also "the singer" (aka Bob Marley), who is integral to the story but who doesn't feature directly as a character. The story spans decades, and takes place in both Jamaica, New York and Miami. It deals with the political climate of Jamaica in the 1970's, relentless gang violence, ghetto life, drug addiction, homophobia, and more. Much of it is written in patois, which takes a while to get used to.

My main problem is that there is way, way too much going on in this book. I can 100% appreciate the authenticity of the voices, striking characters and breathtaking scenes (Bam Bam in particular, stands out). I understand why it is the winner for the 2015 Man Booker Prize, for the effective writing and the sheer, vaulted-ceiling ambition of the novel. But I could have done with about 1/3 less... of everything. Pages, characters, plot, themes.

I started to wonder at points what is this book really about? I faultily assumed it was about the failed 1976 assassination attempt on "the singer". That happens halfway through. While the assassination attempt is a pivotal event, and an important hinge to the story, the book is more about the warring gangs associated with the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party (PNP), and their effects on history. By the way, I constantly got the JLP and PNP and their associated gangs mixed up in my addled mind.

At some points I was bored, sometimes I was confused. Other times I was riveted, intrigued and moved. It's interminably violent and profane (I got an education in Jamaican insults - batty man and bumbaclot to name a few). It taught me a great deal about a part of the world I knew very little about. It resurrected my love for "the singer", too. I'm glad I read it. I understand why others love it. But dang, it was tough going. I guess I don't like to work quite that hard.

3.75 stars

The audio book was excellent. All the performers brought their "A" game and breathed life into the characters. I highly recommend it! ...more

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Jan 17, 2015 Janet rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book is probably not for you. I know that seems an odd way to begin a book review, especially a book that you’ve given 4 stars. But allow me to explain.

A Brief History of Seven Killings is hard work….unless you are Jamaican or a Jamaican history scholar, unless you are familiar with drug culture and the workings of the CIA. Or unless you are like me, a person who loves politics and foreign cultures, who doesn’t have delicate sensibilities and who doesn’t mind doing some research to This book is probably not for you. I know that seems an odd way to begin a book review, especially a book that you’ve given 4 stars. But allow me to explain.

A Brief History of Seven Killings is hard work….unless you are Jamaican or a Jamaican history scholar, unless you are familiar with drug culture and the workings of the CIA. Or unless you are like me, a person who loves politics and foreign cultures, who doesn’t have delicate sensibilities and who doesn’t mind doing some research to understand a story that is nearly incomprehensible at first glance.

Marlon James is a stunning writer, if a little overly ambitious. The book (at 700 pages) is anything but brief and details more than seven killings. The seven killings refers to the men that were involved in the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in 1976 and the book ends when the last of those seven is killed in 1990. A lot of the true circumstances surrounding the lives and deaths of these men is not known but James successfully brings them into a vivid, if hypothetical focus. This is what the best historical fiction does and James totally succeeds on this level. His characters are finely drawn. His sole female character, Nina Burgess, is one of the most interesting female characters I’ve encountered in recent times. It’s something to behold as she reinvents herself, again and again, to escape the violence (and memory) of Jamaica.

James uses a very effective technique to relate a story that spans nearly 20 years. He tells it from the point of view of multiple characters. In fact, there may be too many points of view…..this can be a little messy but is a way to tell a far reaching story without a long, boring narrative. There is a cast of characters in the front of the book that many readers have criticized as having spoiled the fluidity of their reading experience as they flipped back and forth to figure out who was who. So again, if lack of fluidity bothers you, maybe this book is not for you.

Let me tell you what I had to do to read this book.

First, I bought the hard cover, tried to read it and gave up in frustration.
Next, I purchased the audio and tried listening but that really wasn’t working for me either.
Then, I spent a whole afternoon researching Bob Marley, reggae music and Rastafarianism,
After that, I read this research paper which gave me some background on the politics of Jamaica. http://debate.uvm.edu/dreadlibrary/ke... I’d like to read the other papers in The Dread Library when time permits.
Then I read/listened to several interviews with Marlon James about the book.
Finally, I listened to the audiobook and followed along with the book on my lap and the urban dictionary by my side. It took me a long time.

And I still would not claim that I understood every passage or reference.

But I found it extremely rewarding and the truth is, I would like to read it again someday (maybe when I retire). It is that rare combination of an interesting tale, based on fact, that actually teaches you something.
I couldn’t help but notice that a lot of the problems experienced in Jamaica during the time covered by this novel were caused by a “wealth gap”. In that sense, it might even be considered a cautionary tale for what we are currently going through in this country.

More Marlon James please! ...more

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Sep 15, 2015 Perry rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mina-favoritböcker, stela-eða-láni

Me Bredren, a Lectrifyin' Novel bout Jamaican Mob

Such a riveting novel -- the best novel I can recall focused on organized crime, and maybe the best ever mob-centered novel in terms of literary structure and scope. It's destined to make all the lists for best books of this decade, already garnering author Marlon James the 2015 Man Booker Prize.

I cannot remember a novel published in the past two decades that is so searing in its combination of unique voice, intriguing characters and captivating ...more

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Mar 16, 2014 Richard rated it liked it

Shelves: black-authors, cool-titles, afrocentric, re-read-list, historical-fiction, cool-concept, globe-trotting, 2014-reads, regular-old-fiction

1/2
I've finally made it through my re-read! This was my first Marlon James book I read when I got an advance copy before it's release. I was a bit lukewarm on it but after it became a big award winner and I later fell in love with his writing in his other books, I decided to try this one again. Unfortunately, I had a similar experience. The book is just a little too tedious and not as compelling as his other novels. I did really appreciate the Josey Wales, Weeper, Alex, and Eubie characters much ★★★1/2
I've finally made it through my re-read! This was my first Marlon James book I read when I got an advance copy before it's release. I was a bit lukewarm on it but after it became a big award winner and I later fell in love with his writing in his other books, I decided to try this one again. Unfortunately, I had a similar experience. The book is just a little too tedious and not as compelling as his other novels. I did really appreciate the Josey Wales, Weeper, Alex, and Eubie characters much more this time, so I wanted to give it an extra star. But once the narrative moves to New York City, once again my interest plummeted and reading became a chore. It's just not as interesting as the Jamaican-set part of the book. And the "Nina Burgess" character and the constant reinvention of herself is still the most fascinating part of the novel.

Here's my original review:
_________________________________

"Dead people never stop talking and sometimes the living hear."

I'm really torn with this one. I feel like I should possibly try reading it again. The book is a big sprawling epic that explores a huge colorful cast of fictional characters, all linked to the aftermath of the true life 1976 assassination attempt on reggae superstar Bob Marley (known only as "The Singer" right before the Smile Concert in Jamaica.

It's a really fascinating story, well-researched and well-conceived by brave up-and-coming Jamaican author Marlon James. It's actually one of the most interesting stories I've read in a long time, told over a span of decades, and combining politics, gang violence, drug wars, journalism, and the CIA. The characters are interesting and detailed, the star of the show being Nina Burgess, who starts in the story as a lost young woman who once had a one-night stand with the singer and at the beginning is now lingering outside of his Jamaican mansion hoping to confront him about her unborn baby and possibly get some child support. But by the end of the book she will have evolved numerous times in a grand character arc.

So why three stars? The book and the prose becomes bloated and tedious. Marlon James, undoubtedly a great writer, seems enamored by his own writing and seemed to be flexing his muscles for all to see throughout the book. His prose has loads of poetic style but sometimes it got distracting. But every other reviewer who's read an advanced copy seems to love it. Maybe I shouldn't have started reading this while in the midst of a big job that takes up 12 hours a day and took up most of my attention. That could have really affected my patience. Because although I really enjoyed the story itself and its characters, I felt bogged down with the writing, which wasn't helped by the fact that there were a ton of constantly switching POV characters (there's a useful cast list of 76 characters at the beginning of the book!). I really wanted to like this more but it might have been the wrong time to read it. I will try to tackle it again. I get a sense that the book deserves it.

*Advanced copy won at a Goodreads giveaway* ...more

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Aug 07, 2014 Rebecca rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: door-stoppers, giveaways-winner, reviewed-third-way, booker-winners

(3.5) James, the son of Jamaican police officers, has spoken of his intention to write about violence in such a way that it is shocking every time, and he certainly succeeds here. This is an edgy, worthwhile Booker pick, but not for the faint-hearted. For the most part, James alternates patois and standard speech, but nearly every section is packed with local slang and expletives. Whether in monologue or dialogue, the many voices form a captivating chorus. One stand-out perspective is Bam-Bam’s; ...more

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Aug 06, 2014 Jill rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites, fiction-based-on-history

First, let’s pause and pay homage to the genius of a novel well written.

Because make no mistake about it: Marlon James has infused sheer genius into this masterwork. Throughout these pages, he is, simultaneously, a lyricist, a historian, a dialect master, a craftsman, and a ventriloquist. In a series of first-person narrations, he channels gang members, informers, drug dealers, CIA agents, a Rolling Stone reporter and even a particularly insightful ghost. Lurking on the periphery is also a fine First, let’s pause and pay homage to the genius of a novel well written.

Because make no mistake about it: Marlon James has infused sheer genius into this masterwork. Throughout these pages, he is, simultaneously, a lyricist, a historian, a dialect master, a craftsman, and a ventriloquist. In a series of first-person narrations, he channels gang members, informers, drug dealers, CIA agents, a Rolling Stone reporter and even a particularly insightful ghost. Lurking on the periphery is also a fine portrayal and analysis-of-sorts of the Singer, an obvious nod to Bob Marley and the assassination attempt against his life at the end of 1976.

Two questions beg answering: “Are there really seven killings?” And “If this is a brief history, why does it take nearly 700 pages to get to the end.” The answers: there are far more than seven killings and the readers will gain clarity about the title eventually. As far as the length, Marlon James seems in no hurry to get to his final destination. His goal is sweeping: to portray the turbulent, often violent history of Jamaica and to highlight that one shining moment when peace might have been possible. (“Dangerous thing, peace. Peace make you stupid. You forget that not everybody sign peace treaty. Good times bad for somebody.”)

The conflict, centered upon the animosity between the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP) provides a glimpse of a Jamaica that tourists don’t see…along with CIA paranoia about the advent of communism (and other “isms”). One of his finest character creations is Nina – who had a one-night stand with the Singer – and who consistently reinvents herself four times in the novel, displaying the impossibility of fully escaping the violence of the past.

A Brief History is both sprawling and demanding. Marlon James helpfully provides the reader with a list of characters at the start, and I often had to refer to it. There are times when the complex political situation and drug culture – which weaves its way into the boroughs of New York City – can seem confusing. Yet Mr. James voice(s) are so assured and the writing is often so elegiac that I could easily forgive its excesses. Some of his stream-of-consciousness passages literally took my breath away. I have no doubt that this will be on my personal Top Ten of 2014 list. In fact, it has a secure place on my “Best Books of This Century” list as well.
...more

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Aug 27, 2015 Liz Janet rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites

As I write this review I listen to Bob Marley, ahhh reggae.

“Because every man who fight monster become a monster too ..”

What a misleading title: it is neither brief, nor are there only seven killings. It should be called “A Long-ass History of a Ton of Murders”

A novel that spans decades and characters, from 1976 and the assassination of the Singer(Bob Marley) to to crack wars in the 80′s and the politics of the 90′s. It tells the story of the assassins, drug dealers, ghosts during the unstable As I write this review I listen to Bob Marley, ahhh reggae.

“Because every man who fight monster become a monster too ..”

What a misleading title: it is neither brief, nor are there only seven killings. It should be called “A Long-ass History of a Ton of Murders”

A novel that spans decades and characters, from 1976 and the assassination of the Singer(Bob Marley) to to crack wars in the 80′s and the politics of the 90′s. It tells the story of the assassins, drug dealers, ghosts during the unstable times the country found itself in, all with crude language. And it has done so so well, that I deem it as one the best books every written, and one that everyone should read at least once in their life time.
Also the first chapter is narrated by Sir Arthur George Jennings, a Jamaican politician, that appears as a ghost since he was murdered.

“But in another city, another valley, another ghetto, another slum, another favela, another township, another intifada, another war, another birth, somebody is singing Redemption Song, as if the Singer wrote it for no other reason but for this sufferah to sing, shout, whisper, weep, bawl, and scream right here, right now.”

Do not be concerned because there is patois here, the dialogue just gives the characters much more depth, and the audience a bigger understanding. And I have to say, as a fellow Caribbean, this novel felt like coming home, even if English is not the main language of my country and we lack the drug wars, somehow simply his descriptions of the place give you a sort of peace in between the heart-ripping stories. “And killing don’t need no reason. This is ghetto. Reason is for rich people. We have madness.”

I do not deem it necessary to know about the political dynamics of the Jamaica of the time, however it is a great helper, and it will immerse the reader even more into what is like being in a country were the streets rule the politics, since this novel is a war of “isms” (capitalism, socialism, communism, et al).
Jamaica at the time was also a bit homophobic as a whole, and in this novel there are a few homosexual male sex scenes, as well as denial of the main gay character about his feelings, which makes the story way more vivid.
This is the best I can do for a review, since mostly I just gush about the incredible writing, the intimidating plot-line, the dark cast of characters, and just every single page of this masterpiece.
...more

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Aug 17, 2016 Simon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What a book. Almost a year after it won the Booker and The Green Carnation Prize, which I founded, and I have finally read it. It's not been an easy read, it's not been a pleasant read but it's a fantastic read. Gritty, violent, thought provoking, confronting and a real challenge but I've come away from it feeling as enriched and shocked as I have put through the ringer. I need more time with my thoughts.

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Oct 04, 2015 Anthony Vacca rated it it was amazing

Reader Response A: Hey, waiter! What the hell gives, mac? There's a goddamned experimental novel in my crime novel! You expect me to read this shit?

Reader Response B: S'il vous plaît, monsieur? Terribly sorry to be a bother, but there must have been some confusion with my order. You see, there seems to be a crime novel in my experimental novel. I'm afraid I don't have quite the palate for such things.

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Jan 16, 2016 Trish rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, literature, audio, something-completely-new, islands, crime, gritty, america

This book is not brief; it has many more than seven killings; it redefines what a novel is. As a reader I was gratified to read in the Acknowledgements that James himself didn’t know this was a novel, either, until someone pointed to possible parallels for the style in Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying. James drew inspiration from Roberto Bolaño, Orhan Pamuk, Salman Rushdie, and Gay Talese among others, and the work is staggering in sheer inventiveness.

The storyline is anything but simple, told from ...more

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Aug 27, 2016 Meike rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-read, usa, jamaica

"But a man can only move so far before leash pull him back. Before the master say, Enough of that shit, that's not where we going. The leash of Babylon, the leash of the police code, the leash of Gun Court, the leash of twenty-three families that run Jamaica."

Marlon James finds highly evocative ways to poetically untangle recent Jamaican history - this book is fictional, but it talks about real events. Putting the attempted assasination of Bob Marley right before a planned peace concert. At the ...more

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Mar 19, 2017 Paul E. Morph rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2017

Marlon James' third novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, is set in a Jamaica that lies exposed like a dead badger at the roadside with all its glistening innards hanging out, being picked at by carrion birds. I mean this in a good way, you understand. James writes like he's painting the Sistine Chapel with words. I've never been to Jamaica but after reading this book the place lives and breathes inside my mind nonetheless. When the focus shifts to the US in the second half of the book, Marlon James' third novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, is set in a Jamaica that lies exposed like a dead badger at the roadside with all its glistening innards hanging out, being picked at by carrion birds. I mean this in a good way, you understand. James writes like he's painting the Sistine Chapel with words. I've never been to Jamaica but after reading this book the place lives and breathes inside my mind nonetheless. When the focus shifts to the US in the second half of the book, though, James doesn't quite bring it to life quite as well, which is a shame. Maybe it's because I've been to the States; I don't know.

The author populates his beautifully painted landscape with a multitude of different characters, some living and some ghostly, all of whom are fleshed out, believable and speak with unique voices... and it felt like most of them took a turn at bat, narration-wise. I still feel like I have a distinctly un-heavenly host of shades living in my skull.

The plot is just as wide-ranging as the cast. It encompasses multiple continents and many decades. It's anything but brief and includes an awful lot more than seven killings. (This has been said by virtually every reviewer of this book but, Hell, I never claimed to be original.) It inevitably contains almost everything life has to offer and then some.

To be honest, I was completely swept up by this book and carried along a very long, rocky road by a very skilled driver. The reason I haven't given this great book five stars is that it's such an exhaustive, comprehensive, far-reaching complexity of settings, characters and events that it very nearly collapses under its own weight at times. Also, when all is said and done, I wasn't entirely certain what the author was actually trying to say... I mean, drugs and murder and crime and corruption are bad, mmmKay, is a valid message that bears repeating but... it's also kind of obvious to anyone with at least half a brain. Did I miss some deeper message? Hell, it's certainly possible.

Please don't let my (minor) criticisms put you off reading this book though; it really is something quite special and I'll definitely be reading more by this author. ...more

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Apr 18, 2016 ·Karen· rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: south-america, jamaica, best-of-2016

Can you dig it, dingledoodies?

Futile to say that this is not for the faint of heart, as they would never get past the four page cast of characters, past the opening chapter written by a dead man, his head a smashed pumpkin and two arms bent in a way that arms aren't supposed to bend, past the screams and the blood and the vomit, the dirt rising in a flood then back down like a reflux, past the first chapter in Bam-Bam's voice, gut-wrenching, harrowing: you want change? We will have to wait and ...more

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Sep 15, 2015 Britta Böhler rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction

How to talk intelligently about this novel? And how to feel about it?

The book is a tour de force, and no, not because of its length. It's dense, packed with information, and the scope is enormous. The historic setting doesn't function as an anchor, like it does in other 'big reads', at least if you are not familiar with Jamaican history in the 1970ies- 1990ies. The variety of characters, the language, and the - at times - very graphic violence don't make it an easy read either. But hey, nobody ...more

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Nov 03, 2015 Robyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016

Honestly, I don't really know how to rate this one. It's technically brilliant, weaving together disparate voices into a unified story across multiple decades. The subject matter is brilliantly researched. James's use of Jamaican patois in a prize-winning literary novel is incredibly important.

But, I just kept bouncing off this book. The violence of the first half is indelible and unrelenting (as intended) and, for me, made it an incredibly difficult read. The characters tend to be profoundly ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Deep State Radio ...: About as deep as the state goes	2	34	Oct 03, 2018 08:27PM
All About Books: Group fiction read- A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James	31	86	Jul 28, 2018 01:26AM
Goodreads Librari...: please change title	6	67	Nov 08, 2017 08:41AM
Around the Year i...: A Brief History of Seven Killings, by Marlon James	12	92	Jan 16, 2017 02:40PM
21st Century Lite...: A Brief History of Seven Killings - Part 5 and Whole Book, Spoilers Allowed (December 2015)	45	147	Dec 24, 2016 08:13AM
The Booker Tea Re...: We're not reading this, but ...	4	40	Sep 28, 2016 03:54AM

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About Marlon James

Marlon James

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Marlon James is a Jamaican-born writer. He has published three novels: John Crow's Devil (2005), The Book of Night Women (2009) and A Brief History of Seven Killings (2014), winner of the 2015 Man Booker Prize. Now living in Minneapolis, James teaches literature at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

James was born in Kingston, Jamaica, to parents who were both in the Jamaican police: his ...more