Question 1: Rating

[Lauren]

(I'll be posting more questions tomorrow. In planning the time I would need for reading and reviewing this book, I sort of forgot to take into account the Olympics and my tendency to ignore all else in order to obsess about the - as The Daily Show put it - Quadrennial Corporate-Sponsored International Ring-Based Sports Event)

So ... how did we like the book?

[Carol]

I too am an obsessive compulsive Olympics watcher. It pretty well drives near all I do for the 17 days it is here.

In regard to your question, I'm giving this book a 3 (I think). I'm almost done, and hopefully it will grab me a little more when it ends.

[Ashley]

I think I'm giving it a 3.5. It's charming and has a lot of historical value, but I found it tiresome after awhile.

I loved the peek into this part of DC history, and Davey's observations on race relations within Black culture were fascinating, but after awhile I sort of felt like this was a book I was obligated to like because it's "a lost novel of the Harlem Renaissance!" It's value is more historical than literary, methinks.

[Julie]

Okay, yes, I love Olympics too! It also directs my life every 2 years and is the reason I have gotten no sleep lately (since they make the most exciting things be on at 11:45pm, even though I read all the spoilers and know who the winners are).

Anyhow- I also say 3.5. There are certain parts and sentences that made me laugh out loud, and others that made me wish I had my own copy so I could underline them. However, it was the library copy, and I think I am okay with that.

[Cheryl]

I GAVE IT A 3. I AGREE WITH ASHLEY ABOUT THE OBLIGATION TO READ IT AS A BOOK OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE. I REVIEWED IT ALREADY WHEN I FINISHED IT. PLEASE READ.

[Lauren]

Well, I'm annoyed at Goodreads. I have my account set up to notify me if anyone comments in our Reader's Ink threads ... and I haven't received a notification since Aug. 1, so I assumed no one was discussing the book (hence not adding more questions). So sorry for picking a book and then bailing on the discussion.

I'm giving it a 4. No, the plot wasn't the strongest and, yes, there was a lot of detail, but I thought it worked for the character and style of the novel. Davy Carr wouldn't have been Davy Carr if he wasn't long winded. He struck me as an intellectual who analyzes everything and lives with his thoughts, and the descriptions and longer narration struck me as appropriate for the character. I found the majority of the book just long winded enough to be manageable (although I am glad it wasn't any longer), but I will say I thought the last 30 to 50 pages were a little too drawn out.

What most intrigued me was the juxtaposition of a fluffy romance against the questions of race and color. So many well-regarded novels about African-American culture and society tend towards serious (if not downright depressing), which is understandable, but I liked encountering a story that hinted at the deeper issues (the mention of the anti-lynching legislation, for example) while showing the lighter side of the community.

(Julie: I'm suffering from Olympics sleep deprivation too. On Friday, I belatedly realized I had been rereading the same sentence on my computer screen for about two minutes.)