Book reviews written by Imani

Reviews

Sort by:

1 2 Next

Displaying 1-10 of 17 reviews

A Burnt Out CaseGraham Greene
A Burnt Out Case

by Graham Greene
- Rated 4 stars
“I would give this 4 1/2 stars if I could. It's hard for me to say exactly why I enjoyed this novel so much because Greene's prose is not, on the face of it, particularly distinctive. His writing *voice* though registers loud and clear and the way he adeptly managed each scene in his novel was a pleasure to read. Through his characters, their conversations and their foibles you see Greene's ideas being worked out, argued, thrown out, in a way that's not at all didactic but always, always interesting. And in the end, of course, nothing is solved precisely, or tied together, the story line is dropped and you're left with some very intriguing questions. It was also a relief to see that his portrayal of Africa was not as problematic as it could have been, especially in light of the fact that many of Britain's former African and Caribbean colonies just gaining independence around the time it was published.”

Imani wrote this review Wednesday, January 9 2008. ( reply | permalink )
The Pornographer

by John McGahern
- Rated 3 stars
“This book should really get 3 1/2 stars. McGahern's prose is as attractive, readable and beautiful as ever, but he pontificates a bit too often in this novel, made more obvious by the fact that it's written in the first person, so we have the male protagonist making all sorts of profound comments every other paragraph or so. Still, you can't expect a genius to be on point every time. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of his novels. ("Amongst Women" was stupendous.)”

Imani wrote this review Friday, November 16 2007. ( reply | permalink )
Averno

by Louise Gluck
- Rated 4 stars
“This is the book that opened me up to the possibility of buying more contemporary poetry. Gluck completely owns the idea of literature's capability of exploring areas beyond humanity's practical efforts in this collection. The Greek/Roman mythological references and allusions didn't hurt either. ”

Imani wrote this review Friday, November 16 2007. ( reply | permalink )
Jacques the Fatalist (Oxford World's Classics)

by Denis Diderot
- Rated 4 stars
“A rather bawdy, hilarious, intriguing novel with a fascinating narrative structure. A lot of similarities with "Don Quixote" but Diderot left his own mark.”

Imani wrote this review Wednesday, September 19 2007. ( reply | permalink )
Flight Volume Two

by
- Rated 5 stars
“This series is too too good. I started off with the fourth volume and was firmly hooked. The second did not disappoint. Great range of artistic styles, impressive show of talents, intriguing visual rendition of story ideas (the one that incorporated weather symbols was memorable) and overall, just such a positive reading experience. ”

Imani wrote this review Friday, August 31 2007. ( reply | permalink )
The Haunted Hillbilly: A Novel (Soft Skull ShortLit)

by Derek McCormack
- Rated 4 stars
“A fun, creepy book that showcases a distinctive writing style. So short that I had to get more of his books.”

Imani wrote this review Tuesday, August 14 2007. ( reply | permalink )
Flight Volume Four

by
- Rated 5 stars
“Excellent series of graphic stories that really fulfil and go beyond the potential of the genre. Funny, sad, reflective -- the artists run the gamut. I have Vol 2 now and the series is shaping up to be among my best reads of the year.”

Imani wrote this review Tuesday, August 14 2007. ( reply | permalink )
Conrad's Fate

by Diana Wynne Jones
- Rated 4 stars
“Fun fantasy that reminded me of "Gosford Park".”

Imani wrote this review Thursday, July 26 2007. ( reply | permalink )
Goldberg: Variations

by Gabriel Josipovici
- Rated 5 stars
“I've never read such a nakedly intellectual book that was so captivating. I can't wait to read the rest of his works.”

Imani wrote this review Sunday, July 22 2007. ( reply | permalink )
Listen, the Wind (Longman Caribbean Writer Series)Roger Mais
Listen, the Wind (Longman Caribbean Writer Series)

by Roger Mais
- Rated 3 stars
“It's an uneven collection but anyone interested in Mais' evolution as a writer should read it.”

Imani wrote this review Thursday, July 5 2007. ( reply | permalink )