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kinddog2073's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Not sure what the last quarter star of my rating represents. This book is tremendous and shaped by the lives of the figures upon which it is based.
The story is truly not about John Brown and I am glad I knew this before starting it. It is about Owen Brown and his transformation into the man John Brown needed by his side to urge him to action and turn him into Osawotamie Brown. It is a story about someone confronted by deep principles, ones held sincerily, but constantly at risk of flaking. It is a story of extremism and rationalisation after the fact.
The narration here is different than in Continental Drift, the only other Banks I've read. Owen Brown is similarly sympathetic and of course still concerned with Banks's same question in CD, why we make the decisions we do in the face of world-sized terror and risk. Owen Brown's answer is specific to himself, rather than more broad like Bob and Vanise in CD. But his answer is a reflection of someone who mirrors Bob so closely. Prevented from becoming a rich man, from participating in "America" the way it promises is available to everyon who seeks it because of his own lack of foresight, unscrupulpusness in business, and of course the fradulence of the lie, driven to a contextually radical yet at turns reasonably motivated, despite being practically foolish, decision that ultimately leads to the end of his story.
There is much to adore here, Banks's narrative structure I still love. After pausing to see if a friend caught up, I read the last 600 pages in a few days. Banks's writing grips me here just as he did with Continental Drift.
The story is truly not about John Brown and I am glad I knew this before starting it. It is about Owen Brown and his transformation into the man John Brown needed by his side to urge him to action and turn him into Osawotamie Brown. It is a story about someone confronted by deep principles, ones held sincerily, but constantly at risk of flaking. It is a story of extremism and rationalisation after the fact.
The narration here is different than in Continental Drift, the only other Banks I've read. Owen Brown is similarly sympathetic and of course still concerned with Banks's same question in CD, why we make the decisions we do in the face of world-sized terror and risk. Owen Brown's answer is specific to himself, rather than more broad like Bob and Vanise in CD. But his answer is a reflection of someone who mirrors Bob so closely. Prevented from becoming a rich man, from participating in "America" the way it promises is available to everyon who seeks it because of his own lack of foresight, unscrupulpusness in business, and of course the fradulence of the lie, driven to a contextually radical yet at turns reasonably motivated, despite being practically foolish, decision that ultimately leads to the end of his story.
There is much to adore here, Banks's narrative structure I still love. After pausing to see if a friend caught up, I read the last 600 pages in a few days. Banks's writing grips me here just as he did with Continental Drift.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War
Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Alcohol