sarakomo's review
3.0
2021: Fascinating to read Whitehead's early work, but it doesn't hold a candle to his later efforts.
The premise here is that elevators are VERY IMPORTANT in this world. It's kinda New York, it's almost Chicago, it's maybe the 1960's, we are never clear, but it's not OUR world. In their world, elevators are literally what make the world go round (or up. You get it.) Things are never clearly defined or explained, which of course frustrated me, but the world's set up to be this noir, old school, highly factional society. They are at the precipice of change and acceptance, but certainly not quite all the way there yet.
Whitehead spends the entire novel exploring dichotomies: black versus white, old school versus new school, empiricists versus intuitionists, and they are all metaphors for the binaries we interact with on a daily basis. I understood the allegory that Whitehead was setting up here, and I was on board until the very end (where one paragraph essentially destroys all of the symbolism). I even respect the decision of highlighting the elevator in his metaphor, as emphasis on the social uplift / upward mobility / Black elevation. But I just couldn't get on board with CARING about the elevators!
There's a line where Lila Mae says something like, "it had been nine days since she last inspected Number Eleven. It was the longest she'd ever gone without visiting the elevator" and I think I was supposed to feel sad about that? I just think that the allegory only works if I am also invested in what Lila Mae was working towards / fighting for. Unfortunately, Whitehead fell short of that for me.
It was also a little strange to not have any other races depicted in the novel? I don't mean to say that I need Whitehead to cover the everyone's experiences in this one book, but it seemed odd that no one else was discussed. Maybe that's because I wasn't alive in the 60's to understand how much it was very Black versus White at that point in time, and I'm approaching it too much from a 2021 perspective.
I feel like I've had a lot of 3 star books recently. This book wasn't BAD, but it just also didn't do it for me. I would not recommend starting here if this is your first time reading Whitehead - go for [b:The Underground Railroad|30555488|The Underground Railroad|Colson Whitehead|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493178362l/30555488._SX50_.jpg|48287641]. I'm still really excited to get my hands on [b:Harlem Shuffle|54626223|Harlem Shuffle|Colson Whitehead|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612449660l/54626223._SY75_.jpg|85227984]!
The premise here is that elevators are VERY IMPORTANT in this world. It's kinda New York, it's almost Chicago, it's maybe the 1960's, we are never clear, but it's not OUR world. In their world, elevators are literally what make the world go round (or up. You get it.) Things are never clearly defined or explained, which of course frustrated me, but the world's set up to be this noir, old school, highly factional society. They are at the precipice of change and acceptance, but certainly not quite all the way there yet.
Whitehead spends the entire novel exploring dichotomies: black versus white, old school versus new school, empiricists versus intuitionists, and they are all metaphors for the binaries we interact with on a daily basis. I understood the allegory that Whitehead was setting up here, and I was on board until the very end (where one paragraph essentially destroys all of the symbolism). I even respect the decision of highlighting the elevator in his metaphor, as emphasis on the social uplift / upward mobility / Black elevation. But I just couldn't get on board with CARING about the elevators!
There's a line where Lila Mae says something like, "it had been nine days since she last inspected Number Eleven. It was the longest she'd ever gone without visiting the elevator" and I think I was supposed to feel sad about that? I just think that the allegory only works if I am also invested in what Lila Mae was working towards / fighting for. Unfortunately, Whitehead fell short of that for me.
It was also a little strange to not have any other races depicted in the novel? I don't mean to say that I need Whitehead to cover the everyone's experiences in this one book, but it seemed odd that no one else was discussed. Maybe that's because I wasn't alive in the 60's to understand how much it was very Black versus White at that point in time, and I'm approaching it too much from a 2021 perspective.
I feel like I've had a lot of 3 star books recently. This book wasn't BAD, but it just also didn't do it for me. I would not recommend starting here if this is your first time reading Whitehead - go for [b:The Underground Railroad|30555488|The Underground Railroad|Colson Whitehead|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493178362l/30555488._SX50_.jpg|48287641]. I'm still really excited to get my hands on [b:Harlem Shuffle|54626223|Harlem Shuffle|Colson Whitehead|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612449660l/54626223._SY75_.jpg|85227984]!
shanaedidgood's review
4.0
I really had to chug through this novel...I just really could not get into it. By the end of the novel, however, I found myself satisfied with all my labor - it was not in vain. This is one of the best novels I've read this semester and I thoroughly enjoyed Whitehead's use of language. He's a brilliant writer and I can tell that he's well-read from this novel alone. Would I read it again? Probably not. Will I recommend it to others? Most likely, nope, not unless you need research & even then, it would only be certain passages. I'm glad I read the book, the truth is I just don't know who would really enjoy the novel just for what it is unless they're truly interested in African American literature, the African American plight, and/or race relations and its connection to socio-political issues.
angelakay's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
dfumagalli236's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lizmart88's review
4.0
Reading Colson Whitehead's first novel helped me understand why he just won a Pulitzer Prize. It's not just his writing, but the entire depth of his storytelling.
This is the story of Lila Mae Watson, the first black (they use colored in the novel as its set in the past) elevator inspector. In a similar universe to ours, elevator inspectors are a government job, not a corporate one. And it's a prestigious position that has warring factions - Empiricism and Intuitionism.
Lila Mae is caught in the middle when an elevator she just inspected has a catastrophic accident. As she begins to navigate the world of white people and of the warring sides, she has to emerge from her self created cocoon to engage with her coworkers and the people trying to use her.
Most reviews call it a racial allegory, which it is. But it's also a powerful political allegory. And the two are connected. Why do we believe what we believe? Which side is right? How does chance start a chain of effects that change lives forever? And what should we be contributing?
The book starts slowly, and builds to a crescendo ending. Take your time reading it and enjoy the beautiful writing and good storytelling.
This is the story of Lila Mae Watson, the first black (they use colored in the novel as its set in the past) elevator inspector. In a similar universe to ours, elevator inspectors are a government job, not a corporate one. And it's a prestigious position that has warring factions - Empiricism and Intuitionism.
Lila Mae is caught in the middle when an elevator she just inspected has a catastrophic accident. As she begins to navigate the world of white people and of the warring sides, she has to emerge from her self created cocoon to engage with her coworkers and the people trying to use her.
Most reviews call it a racial allegory, which it is. But it's also a powerful political allegory. And the two are connected. Why do we believe what we believe? Which side is right? How does chance start a chain of effects that change lives forever? And what should we be contributing?
The book starts slowly, and builds to a crescendo ending. Take your time reading it and enjoy the beautiful writing and good storytelling.
disasterchick's review
3.0
Whitehead's work is often layered and while not quite magical realism but not tethered to reality. Many reviews touch on race. However, with the resending of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court and conversations I have had or seen over social media this to me had a focus on the political divide we have in the United States.
How did this book find me? I have been working my way through Whitehead's work.
How did this book find me? I have been working my way through Whitehead's work.
marla0505's review
3.0
3.5? This book made me work too hard for what it was! Enjoyed the characterization and the lexicon.
mar's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
this is a speculative fiction novel and a mystery novel and an alternate history novel and a noir detective novel and a novel about race and, most of all, this is a novel about elevators. and it FUCKS
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Fatphobia
libellus's review
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0