shri_ace13's review
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bobsamson's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
themildone's review
3.0
A beautifully written story about a depressed man who fruitlessly strives most of his life to claw his way out of poverty and have a home of his own. Then he dies.
Kind of wish I hadn't been so optimistic that it would have a happy ending.
Kind of wish I hadn't been so optimistic that it would have a happy ending.
ulrikworm's review against another edition
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bethanyam's review against another edition
This was fine, but I wasn’t feeling very…moved? Decided not to finish this because my reading time is too limited to want to spend it on things I’m not loving.
binstonbirchill's review against another edition
4.0
I held off on a review until I talked to my friend from Trinidad, now I'm confident in saying that this book very much represents the way Trinidad was and in many ways still is. The book is foremost about Mr Biswas' struggle for independence, his family, poverty, religion and a host of other obstacles stand in his way. A great read for anyone with absolutely no knowledge of Trinidad, it serves as a nice introduction to a the culture. Now I understand why I thought of India when I first saw my friend from Trinidad who I call David-David-David.
charlie12xxx's review
reflective
slow-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
3.0
tmstrong7's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
roshk99's review
3.0
A strange but interesting book tracking the life of Mr. Biswas from birth to death as an Indian living in Trinidad. The book touches on themes like societal mobility, family dynamics, and racial issues and explores them through the journey of Mr. Biswas from house to house, but not necessarily home to home.
alicia_welshimer's review against another edition
3.0
I can appreciate the epic prose of this story, but I wasn't sad to see it end. Mr. Biswas is an altogether frustrating character; he doesn't grow or learn, and his life is one long tale of wasted potential.