Scan barcode
hannahrmcl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
albertomdh's review against another edition
3.0
Un novela amena que ejerció una importante influencia sobre los autores del boom latinoamericano. Carpentier transmite una atmósfera potente e inmersiva, pero para mi gusto, los personajes resultan un tanto anodinos y sus peripecias bastante inconexas.
aliyatrvd's review against another edition
3.0
i didn’t like it as much as i hope i would bc there wasn’t really any plot? parts just seemed thrown in the book, and i wish there was more character development
anna_scht7's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
fast-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? It's complicated
3.0
shirdal's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
whothehelliskaitlin's review against another edition
3.0
Read this a few months ago. I enjoyed the magical realism aspects of the novel and the way that they were used to tell the history of Haiti through the people's eyes rather than through the West's eyes. The writing was a little hard to follow sometimes as it would jump to a different subject unexpectedly and it often required background knowledge about certain topics but that is not a major issue when reading a book based in history as you probably won't know all off the facts or events. A good book to read if you want to know the history around the slave rebellion in Haiti and the events immediately before and after it.
faintgirl's review against another edition
2.0
Okay, I admit it. I had pretty much no idea what was happening in this book from the start to finish. It was in Haiti. The French had left the country to figure itself out. And apart from that, well, I'm lost. I know I use the term "fever dream" a lot when it comes to literature from this region (the Caribbean/Central America) but this one is probably the best exemplar of the term so far. Skittish and disorientating, full of death and disease, it's quite a nightmare. Even on reflection, I can't really make any sense of it.