Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It “I enjoyed the book it brought me back tot he south and how life is..” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“I enjoyed the book it brought me back tot he south and how life is..”
CiCi B wrote this review Thursday, November 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This piece of literature is impeccable. The way Ward's words flow and her descriptions are comparable to the writings of authors who were a part of the Harlem Renaissance. It is good to read a lucrative work such as this.”
Marilyn R wrote this review Friday, March 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Brotherly Love
OOSA Online Book Club wrote this review Friday, February 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Jesmyn Ward has written a hopeful novel. The very vivid descriptions coupled with the deep connections shared by fraternal twins, Joshua and Christophe, makes it feel as if you’re apart of the story. WHERE THE LINE BLEEDS, admittedly, is slow at times, but, Ms. Ward’s precision of the Mississippi dialogue and the dysfunction of the family keeps the book buoyant. Whereas I believe that some readers will find the book complicated, I believe that Ward has provided readers with a pleasant read. I recommend this book to serious readers only!
”
“Joshua and Christophe are twins, raised by a blind grandmother and a large extended family in a rural town on Mississippi's Gulf Coast. They've just finished high school and need to find jobs, but in a failing post-Katrina economy, it's not easy. Joshua gets work on the docks, but Christophe's not so lucky. Desperate to alleviate the family's poverty, he starts to sell drugs. He can hide it from his grandmother but not his twin, and the two grow increasingly estranged. Christophe's downward spiral is accelerated first by crack, then by the reappearance of the twins'; parents: Cille, who abandoned them, and Sandman, a creepy, predatory addict. Sandman taunts Christophe, eventually provoking a shocking confrontation that will ultimately damn or save both twins. Ward inhabits these characters, and this world; black Creole, poor, and drug-riddled, yet shored by family and community; to a rare degree, without a trace of irony or distance.
F WARD”
Independence Public Library New Fiction Books wrote this review Monday, February 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Title: Mississippi Melodrama
Phyllis wrote this review Saturday, January 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Jasmyn Ward's debut Where the Line Bleeds focuses on the delicate familial interrelationship of fraternal twins, Joshua and Christophe DeLisle. Products of teenage love, they are raised by their legally blind maternal grandmother in a small town situated in the Deep South on the impoverished Mississippi Gulf Coast. They are restless men-children with no direction and nothing but time on their hands. The outlook is bleak: high school is behind them, college is never an option, and their rural, backwoods existence severely limits their job prospects to back-breaking manual labor on the docks or service jobs at fast food restaurants. Unresolved issues of parental abandonment, employment pressures, and the re-emergence of their drug-addicted father form a wedge between the siblings and their father in ways unimaginable.
The character driven plot is loaded with attention to detail almost to a fault; there were times I nearly lost the plot thread amid the descriptive passages. The author successfully conveys her familiarity with the region by painting an intimate and brutally honest depiction of a way of life that sadly is the norm for far too many. A few points were deducted for lack of closure (I was left with questions) and a bit too much descriptiveness; however, I would definitely read this author again; she has a nice, easy literary style with a talent for strong imagery and character development.
Reviewed by Phyllis
January 22, 2009
APOOO BookClub”
“A vivid story, WHERE THE LINE BLEEDS, introduces readers to Joshua and Christophe DeLisle, fraternal twins who reside in Bois Sauvage, Mississippi. Its summer, the twins are graduating and they are anticipating the remainder of their lives. As soon as they graduate they are on an immediate job search. The boys, who are grateful for Ma-Mee, their maternal grandmother, want to provide a better life for all of them. Things take an immediate dive when Joshua is called for a job. The twins, who have a close knit relationship, usually communicate without words, are off balanced. Christophe is filled with jealousy and anger and refuses to be dependent on Ma-Mee’s disability and Joshua’s job. Christophe’s desperation leads him to a different road. Will making his money by selling drugs make a difference?
Nardsbaby wrote this review Tuesday, December 23 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
WHERE THE LINE BLEEDS sheds light on an impoverished family, their love, heritage and addictions. Jesmyn Ward vivid descriptions easily makes the Gulf of Mississippi a character in the story and allow readers who may have never been in this part of the world feels as if they are actually there. My only concern is at times, the story doesn’t seem to have the same flow and while I love the flamboyance of the setting, it was overwhelming. A great read.
”
Displaying 1-6 of 6
