Almanac of the Dead, White Butterfly
#5: Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko
This is a very large novel both in scope and length, with an enormous cast of character. (One review I read gave the estimate as over seventy, while another claimed there were over a hundred. I didn't count.) This great size both works for and against it. Some parts were very engaging and had me devouring the pages, while other parts dragged. Likewise, Silko does an admirable job of linking all of her numerous characters, and she makes her theme of the interconnection of people work. However, there were some characters I quickly grew bored or annoyed with, while others I dearly wanted more of. (Can I have an entire book about Angelita? Please?)
The plot is vast, sprawling, and at times feels rambling. There were some plot points that I feel were never resolved to satisfaction. But over all, Silko keeps the novel together, and pieces come together in ways the reader doesn't expect.
Unfortunately, there's a good deal of homophobia in this book, which kept me from enjoying it as much as I might have. The number of evil gays in the novel is kind of staggering, especially since so many of them start to feel cartoonish in their wickedness. There is one good, kind, decent gay character. He dies. Yeah.
Over all, a good book, but don't expect a quick or simple read.
#6: White Butterfly by Walter Mosely
I'm going to note at the front that White Butterfly contains rape triggers, as does this review.
The third book in the Easy Rawlins series. I'm enjoying this series a great deal, but this book suffers from the same pitfalls as its predecessor, A Red Death, namely that the final part of the book feels rushed, and the twists at the end seem to come from nowhere. I wonder if these books would benefit from being longer, giving Mosely more time to set up his endings.
Easy Rawlins has also been a gray character, but in this book he rapes his wife. It's portrayed as wrong by Mosely, and as a result of sexism and Easy's own perceptions of 1950's gender roles, and there are consequences for Easy, but he's is still intended to remain a sympathetic character afterword. I intend to keep reading the series, but I have reservations, and wouldn't be surprised if someone stopped here.
Of the three Easy Rawlins books I've read, my favorite remains the first, Devil in a Blue Dress, but I'm going to go ahead and read more.
This is a very large novel both in scope and length, with an enormous cast of character. (One review I read gave the estimate as over seventy, while another claimed there were over a hundred. I didn't count.) This great size both works for and against it. Some parts were very engaging and had me devouring the pages, while other parts dragged. Likewise, Silko does an admirable job of linking all of her numerous characters, and she makes her theme of the interconnection of people work. However, there were some characters I quickly grew bored or annoyed with, while others I dearly wanted more of. (Can I have an entire book about Angelita? Please?)
The plot is vast, sprawling, and at times feels rambling. There were some plot points that I feel were never resolved to satisfaction. But over all, Silko keeps the novel together, and pieces come together in ways the reader doesn't expect.
Unfortunately, there's a good deal of homophobia in this book, which kept me from enjoying it as much as I might have. The number of evil gays in the novel is kind of staggering, especially since so many of them start to feel cartoonish in their wickedness. There is one good, kind, decent gay character. He dies. Yeah.
Over all, a good book, but don't expect a quick or simple read.
#6: White Butterfly by Walter Mosely
I'm going to note at the front that White Butterfly contains rape triggers, as does this review.
The third book in the Easy Rawlins series. I'm enjoying this series a great deal, but this book suffers from the same pitfalls as its predecessor, A Red Death, namely that the final part of the book feels rushed, and the twists at the end seem to come from nowhere. I wonder if these books would benefit from being longer, giving Mosely more time to set up his endings.
Easy Rawlins has also been a gray character, but in this book he rapes his wife. It's portrayed as wrong by Mosely, and as a result of sexism and Easy's own perceptions of 1950's gender roles, and there are consequences for Easy, but he's is still intended to remain a sympathetic character afterword. I intend to keep reading the series, but I have reservations, and wouldn't be surprised if someone stopped here.
Of the three Easy Rawlins books I've read, my favorite remains the first, Devil in a Blue Dress, but I'm going to go ahead and read more.