I'd read this book before, probably 10 years ago or more. However, it did win the Pulitzer and in my quest to read all of the Pulitzers I am re-reading those I'd read before I set my goal.
This was one of the few I'd read that I wasn't looking forward to re-reading.
Having just finished this book, I'm trying to remember what I thought about it before I began it this second time around. I believe my disinterest was probably almost entirely due to the fact that it was an assigned book. I did not like to read in high school and I can't think of a book I was ever assigned that I didn't hate.
In any event, I'm glad I read it again. I typically don't enjoy books that use a lot of dialect as I usually just find it distracting. However, reading this book made me realize that, when attempted by someone as skilled as Ms. Walker, it can be extremely effective.
In fact, I'm not sure I can think of anything in this book that wasn't effective. There were a ton of characters, which can easily be a problem, especially when many of them disappear for years at a time like they did in this book. But here they were rich and alive enough that I never needed a moment to remember who was who or what was what.
There were a lot of lessons in this book. Some of them regarding religion, some on the history of Africa, the realities of Reconstruction and other lessons of a more internal and philosophical nature. While the intent of Alice Walker was clear, she managed to get these things across without being preachy and they flowed as naturally as the rest of the story.
I was also very pleased with the ending. I only vaguely remembered the plot from my previous reading and as the end was approaching I realized that I had no idea what was going to happen. I don't usually wish for happy endings but in this case I did and I was not disappointed.
I'm not sure why I gave this an 8/10 and not a 10/10. I guess, while it was expertly crafted, it just didn't grab me. I really have no complaints about this book and would highly recommend it. But it wasn't the type of book that made me think about my life differently or the type of book that I will still be chewing over weeks from now. It was a very self-contained story that didn't reach me on a personal level. I suspect this has much more to do with my own life and what touches me than it does with Ms. Walker's ability to write affecting prose.
In summation, I found this book to be incredibly effective but not very affecting.
8/10
YTD:
Books read : 21
Pages read : 6,465
Currently reading : Silence of the Lambs - Thomas Harris & The Destiny of Nathalie X - William Boyd
No comments:
Post a Comment