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Liked It “Central figure, John, celebrates his 14th birthday - look at the people in his life and how his birth has affected them all. John has epiphany in church and is brought into his step father's fold.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “The writing is beautiful, but Baldwin spends a lot of time on Christian Hell and Heaven talk. I wanted the story to flow faster, I got the culture and the mindset of the book. I'm glad I read this important work of fiction, I will check out another of his works.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“Central figure, John, celebrates his 14th birthday - look at the people in his life and how his birth has affected them all. John has epiphany in church and is brought into his step father's fold.”
Jane H wrote this review Friday, October 9 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I think it's a very well-written book. Not exactly my cup of tea, but very good.”
Bryan G wrote this review Monday, October 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“The writing is beautiful, but Baldwin spends a lot of time on Christian Hell and Heaven talk. I wanted the story to flow faster, I got the culture and the mindset of the book. I'm glad I read this important work of fiction, I will check out another of his works.”
robyn r wrote this review Tuesday, September 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is Baldwin's first novel, and I really enjoyed it. It takes place over the course of one day, but also spans years and examines the life paths that led one group of people to connect with each other in such a complicated and important way in the life of the main character, Jon Grimes. Teaching it this semester. Highly recommend.”
jessmyoung wrote this review Wednesday, September 16 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is a powerful novel, to say the very least. While it stands out as a testament to the African-American experience after the Civil War in Harlem as well as in the South, the real heart of the novel is Baldwin's outstanding depiction of spirituality. The story of John, the son of a Harlem preacher, Baldwin's book soars through his character's relationships with God, not simply in the Christian sense of the word, but in the sense that God is the force which compels us to love each other, to move forward, and to resist the forces that would oppress us.”
Meg B wrote this review Friday, June 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Baldwin's novel does an excellent job highlighting the tension between human desire and the imposing moral code of the church. He is the double ironist, showing us two sides of belief. There is a kind of underlying hypocrisy here too as characters worship and alternately sin. ”
Anne of Green Gables wrote this review Sunday, June 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Maybe if I'd read this before other works by Baldwin I would've been more impressed with it. I suspect, though, that its reputation lies in part in it being something new and unexpected when it was published. My reaction on finishing was the same as on reading Catch-22 or Slaughterhouse Five -- that it was good, but that I didn't quite understand what the fuss was about. Baldwin is indisputably an amazing writer, though, and this book is definitely worth reading. ”
Surfacing wrote this review Friday, March 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I'm aghast at the importance of this story, how one person's childhood background could speak for an entire cultural phenonemon. The unexamined role of the Christian Church in the lives of black Americans is shown in numerous lights in this book. As a source of community and inspiration, but also repression and moral hypocrisy, the Church is not the simple answer that so many of Baldwin's character's attest it to be. This novel speaks volumes, read it!”
Claudia S wrote this review Wednesday, January 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I am enthralled! I came across this book by accident and am glad I did. The tensions between Gabriel and John have just become clearer in the section of Gabriel's Prayer. This book is as relevant today as it was when first published in 1953. A classic? Definitely.”
Amanda C wrote this review Sunday, October 26 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
