Reviews

This is the sort of book that should be required reading, especially for college-level literature courses. It paints a very believable picture of black upper-class life. The story itself was suspenseful and, at times, grotesque and heart-wrenching. Gloria Naylor really knows how to write about mental anguish - there were times when I had to put the book down. The ending was sad yet satisfying.

jonask36's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

caralikesbooks's review

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

lachellerising's review

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reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

spetty88's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

gaobrenda's review against another edition

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4.0

Good, but a lot of things left unexplained.

Spoiler

Why did Luther put catfish heads inside his corpses?
Did or did Willa not cheat? (Luther had medical records that proved it in the prologue.)
And more that I can't recall.

There is a deeper meaning behind this novel that my brain cannot totally grasp. For now.

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