jessgock's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
william_sg's review against another edition
4.0
This was a tough read. Quite possibly the bleakest, saddest play I have ever read in my life. The situations only get worse. I want to have a hundred conversations about it.
rtwilliams16's review against another edition
3.0
King Hedley II is the ninth play in August Wilson's Century Cycle. This one was good but like the rest of his plays not as good as [b:Fences|539282|Fences (The Century Cycle #6)|August Wilson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481833774s/539282.jpg|60745]. One interesting fact that I noticed in this play was that the character of Aunt Ester, who is the main character in [b:Gem of the Ocean|764325|Gem of the Ocean|August Wilson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1354209853s/764325.jpg|268788], is mentioned as being 366 years old in King Hedley II (she is not in this play but is mentioned). So I asked myself, "when was Aunt Ester born?". So I subtracted 366 from the year that King Hedley II was set which was 1985 and I got 1619. 1619 is an important year in American history. It's like 1492 but there is no clever rhyme to remember the year's significance. 1619 is the year that the first African slaves were brought to America, specifically Jamestown, VA. She is a symbol of African American history going back to 1619.
I have one play left in order to finish the Century Cycle.
I have one play left in order to finish the Century Cycle.
marystevens's review against another edition
4.0
One of a series of plays set in Pittsburg, PA in each of the decades of the 20th century all with Black characters and all in the same impoverished neighborhood, the Hill section. Several of the plays were hits on Broadway and Off.
Only two of the plays have some of the same characters, this one and Seven Guitars which takes place 30 years earlier.
It's 1985 and King Hedley II, the son of a popular singer who is also in both plays, has just come out of the pen and is determined to build a new life as a video rental store owner with his partner Mister. His wife is pregnant, he's planting a garden for her, he's full of hope in a situation where the deck is stacked against him and he adds a few cards to that deck.
Only two of the plays have some of the same characters, this one and Seven Guitars which takes place 30 years earlier.
It's 1985 and King Hedley II, the son of a popular singer who is also in both plays, has just come out of the pen and is determined to build a new life as a video rental store owner with his partner Mister. His wife is pregnant, he's planting a garden for her, he's full of hope in a situation where the deck is stacked against him and he adds a few cards to that deck.
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