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desireeslibrary's review against another edition
3.0
postmodernblues's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
amalas_bookstop's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Infidelity, Grief, and Abandonment
tip_be_knowin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Sexual assault
librarydancer's review against another edition
Very interesting, with very descriptive language and a lovely sense of time and place.
Still, it's a tough read due to sexual harassment & racism, and I chose to stop before things got more graphic.
shannenlc's review against another edition
2.0
"If you looked at them from inside the framework of a fat weekly salary, and you thought of colored people as naturally criminal, then you didn’t really see what any Negro looked like. You couldn’t, because the Negro was never an individual. He was a threat, or an animal, or a curse, or a blight, or a joke."
Petry holds nothing back when digging into these complex themes, and as a result, this book isn't one for the faint hearted. The descriptions of poverty, crime, violence and sex were explicit and unrelenting. I found it particularly difficult to read the chapters from the perspective of the Super, who was a mentally disturbed, obsessive, sexist, terrifying sexual predator whose only thoughts were about raping or harming women.
Whilst I appreciate the value of this book as a piece of social commentary and its depiction of sexism, classism and racism, I didn't connect to the characters or the story. I believe this is because Petry was driven by didacticism; her primary goal was to illustrate her beliefs about the injustices of sexism, classicm and racism. Ultimately, this was its downfall for me because it caused the plot and characters to feel like an after thought. The plot was slow moving, although the dramatic twist at the end redeemed it slightly. The characters were for the most part awful, morally questionable people who were difficult to sympathise with. Bud, Lutie's 8-year-old son was the most sympathetic character, and the one that I felt most for at the end of the book. In addition to the issues I had with the plot and characters, I found Petry's writing to be a tad repetitive and circuitous. There were a lot of unnecessarily long descriptions of the setting and inner monologues from the characters, which led me to skim read more and more as I progressed through the book.
Overall, The Street is an influencial book in black literature. It's a valuable contribution to discourse around race and gender, and for those that are less exposed or knowledgable on these themes, it can function as an eye-opening and educational read. Unfortunately, it didn't have the impact on me that I expected or hoped it would and whilst I appreciate the work Ann Petry did here, the story itself didn't suit my personal tastes.
jennagiles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
charris0903's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
mrsdarcy4200's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75