Reviews

Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks

willchaney's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

greenblack's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

faintgirl's review against another edition

1.0

My god. Take "Islands," multiply the boredom by two. I have no idea what possessed Russell Banks to take so long to write this book. I can't think of a single good thing about it. Avoid!

dannb's review against another edition

adventurous challenging informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.25

Yowza!

Fascinating and definitely research. Pulitzer winner

Sooooo much detail... especially if you want to know about 1/2 of the OT Bible

A solid look into family, farming, scholarly, race-relations life in the 1830s-1859.  

If you want a Harper's Ferry focused book, this might not be the one... only the last 5% or so of this one.

katzreads's review against another edition

2.0

I gave this 750+ bestseller 135 pages to engage me. And while it was interesting, it was dense and slow and I just couldn't do it.

lelandbuck's review against another edition

2.0

This was a long slog. An exercise in perseverance that sadly never delivered a suitable reward.

mcrammal's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A beautifully and poetically written tale about a man who never left his fathers shadow or learned how to live without him. Going beyond the showcasing of life before the Civil War in the United States as well as our complicated relationship with race, this novel also explores the existential angst that comes with struggling to figure out who you are and a lifetime of regret. 

rachelsbooks23's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

sheltoneezer's review against another edition

5.0

“Father believed that the universe was a gigantic clockwork, brilliantly lit. But it’s not. It’s an endless sea of darkness moving beneath a dark sky, between which, isolate bits of light, we constantly rise and fall.”

One of the best books I’ve read in long while. It’s a doozy, but the payoff is well worth the effort. Highly recommend.

aegisnyc's review against another edition

5.0

Disturbing, enlightening, beautiful. Fought the impulse to read some of Banks' lyrical passages aloud.