Reviews

Insightful and revealing of the thoughts and emotions that surround death -- particularly as viewed by a young child. Agee deftly captures the patois of the time and place. For all that, it's a bit of a dull read.

ireadslow's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

savvystory's review

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3.0

I know this is a classic. But I lost interest halfway through. When it switched to the children’s perspectives, I felt less connected to the weight of the loss and the feelings in the family. Because the kids were mostly confused about what was happening, the loss became more distant. The scenes where Mary’s parents, brother and aunt were gathered drinking whiskey processing what happened were the most impactful. They captured the big, existential experiences alongside the family dynamics and the mundane small details. It made it feel very real. That’s ultimately what made this book worth reading: the way it captures the huge feelings of loss and grief in the tangible details of a family’s life and history - without feeling cliche or sentimental. I felt like I knew this family and mourned Jay, too. However, maybe because it was grounded in this family’s experience I didn’t externalize it to mine or a personal meaning. But then that may have been because of the main themes was religion vs. spirituality, and I am not religious or from a religious background.

meglybcoul's review

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5.0

James Agee is an interesting author because he writes in a way that makes you want to skip chapters to see what happens, but his actual prose is so good you don’t even want to read it very fast because you feel like you’ll miss something amazing.

qwu's review

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3.0

In many sense this story connects with me. In 2015 we lost a beloved uncle in our family, who was also killed in a traffic accident, instant death without any scratch. The news came in the middle of night, and my aunt kept the secret for the whole night before it had to be exploded out on the next day. Almost 4 and a half years later, life carries on but no one would wish to relive that night. Hence reading the story, which I didn't and couldn't foresee how alike this is to our story, really triggers some difficult memories.

mmenth's review

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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