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What Members Thought
After the first third of the novel, which crackled with energy and promise, the rest fell flat.
The characters, even Wash, seemed like they were all starring in different stories, and the dialogue did little to uncover motivations or reveal insights. It technically hit all the right notes -- epic adventures, overcoming challenges, etc., but I couldn't connect with any of the characters on an emotional level.
Near the end it became a chore, and I almost did not finish. ...more
The characters, even Wash, seemed like they were all starring in different stories, and the dialogue did little to uncover motivations or reveal insights. It technically hit all the right notes -- epic adventures, overcoming challenges, etc., but I couldn't connect with any of the characters on an emotional level.
Near the end it became a chore, and I almost did not finish. ...more
Oh what a fabulous book! This book deserves a second read if I can ever find the time, to catalog the varied details of the life of the young man named Washington Black. His story begins as a slave in 1810 Barbados, and the book chronicles his life from age 11 to age 20 or so. Ms. Edugyan is a writing genius. Told in the first person, "Wash" travels from Barbados to Virginia to Nova Scotia, not because he wants to but because he is a runaway slave, terrified, disfigured, unloved, always trying t
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This book felt uneven in some way that I can't quite put my finger on.
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I’ve been fortunate lately to read so many excellent books, but even among those, “Washington Black” rises to an exceptional level. It is a novel based in prodigious historical research by author Esi Edugyan, a Canadian, daughter of parents who emigrated from Ghana, raised in Alberta in a nearly all-white environment. Ms. Edugyan explores at great depth the psychology of a young boy, George Washington Black, aged 11 at the novel’s start, who is enslaved on a sugar cane plantation in Barbados in
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The synopsis of the book describes it perfectly.
It is inspiring and it is sad. It would make for a great book club selection and discussion.
It is inspiring and it is sad. It would make for a great book club selection and discussion.
Oct 02, 2018
MaryAnn
marked it as to-read
Dec 14, 2018
Jesse Hershberger
marked it as to-read
Jan 03, 2019
Abby
marked it as to-read
Feb 10, 2019
Emily
marked it as to-read
Apr 11, 2019
Sarah Jackson
marked it as to-read
Jan 04, 2020
Allie White
marked it as to-read
Jul 26, 2020
Kevin Patrick
marked it as to-read
Jan 02, 2021
Susanne
marked it as to-read
Apr 25, 2021
Kelsie
marked it as to-read
Jan 30, 2022
Jessica Lehman
marked it as to-read
Jul 05, 2023
Emma Johnson
marked it as to-read
Jan 31, 2024
Dakota
marked it as to-read
Feb 06, 2024
Sarah cunningham
marked it as to-read
