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Washington Black

Esi Edugyan

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What Members Thought

Dec 16, 2018 Lark Benobi rated it it was ok

Shelves: knopf, words-without-borders, canada

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

36 likes · Like · see review

Nov 15, 2018 Nadine in California rated it really liked it

This is a historical novel that doesn't offer pinpoint historical accuracy, like Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall or have a strong speculative component, like The Underground Railroad or Pym. It occupies a kind of middle ground where a character's surviving certain events strains belief, but given the terrific writing, plot, and character building, and the fact that unlikely survival happens often enough in real life, I'm fine with that. Lots of historical novels I love, like Sacred Hunger do it too, o ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Apr 24, 2019 Rosana rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019

Esi Edugyan's prose is poetic and engaging.
Why not 5 stars? I am not sure, but I never quite engage with it. Maybe is the eternal problem of having my expectations built too high. I still highly recommend it. ...more

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Jan 10, 2019 Sera rated it really liked it

Shelves: library, literary-fiction, historical-fiction

I really enjoyed this book, but I am not sure it's one of the best books of last year as many critics have said.

The story is about a young, slave boy (George Washington Black) who escapes via the help of his master's brother. The rest of the life is about his life as a "free man" as he travels around the world. The story is an engaging one, and I enjoyed it, but what started out with great promise, fizzled out a bit by the end.

I would recommend reading it, because it provides a different persp ...more

1 like · Like · see review