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mybookloveobsession's review against another edition
3.0
This is a book I will want to reread when I’m not overwhelmed with teaching and my own school. I rushed through it to get done, some of this short classic dragging along. I was mad Clare didn’t stand up for herself against her husband but also couldn’t imagine being in her shoes. I would never want to hide my history even though I’m so called “passing”.
kristawright's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
just_one_more_paige's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“Security. Was it just a word? If not, then was it only by the sacrifice of other things, happiness, love, or some wild ecstasy that she had never known, that it could be obtained? And did too much striving, too much faith in safety and permanence, unfit one for these other things?”
Look, I know this is a classic. So, I'm honestly sort of embarrassed to say I had no idea what it was about (past the obvious, of course, based on the title) until I read The Vanishing Half and there were so many reviews and comments about its nods to Passing that I looked it up. And now, years later, I have finally gotten around to reading it.
Irene Redfield is a Black woman living a comfortable life in 1920s Harlem with her husband and two sons. Her life is thrown out of its balance when she runs into a friend from childhood. Clare Kendry is a light skinned Black woman, passing, and married to a racist white man. Clare's loneliness, after years of cutting herself off from her entire past, in order to hide it from her husband, is brought into stark realization when she sees how at ease Irene is in her life and in her skin. She begins to spend more time with - and insert herself into - Irene and her family/community in Harlem, threatening Irene's stability and leaving her feeling troubled and on edge.
It's always the short books that pack such a big [emotional] punch. I think it's the way they have to be so on point with their language, in order to convey what they want to in such a short time. That was definitely the case in Passing. There is an absolute precision in word choice and details noticed/noted. It's definitely a slightly dated style of writing - to the extent that I would have guessed it was published decades (almost a century?!) ago if I haven't already known - but once you settle into the slightly unfamiliar cadence, you can really start to appreciate it. Because it is meticulous.It's the kind of writing that you slow down reading, in order to really absorb and admire it.
The narrative itself is very internal. We are all up inside Irene's mind as she is thrown into a tailspin of introspection by Clare's insertion into her life. It's fascinating to watch her as she thought she had everything figured out, was comfortable in her life and choices, and then is faced with having to explain to herself why she is good with her choices (and what about Clare's choices makes her edgy and uncomfortable). As her convictions (re)build, it brings us to an ending that oh, was not quite a surprise, but was still very much a shock. (On the writing of it, the abrupt nature of the event and the way it was conveyed/concluded the book was a lovely literary parallel).
There were definitely some things, plot-wise, that happened throughout the novel, to give it some timeline and framework. But they were very much the sort of everyday things that happen in a person's life; nothing dramatic or major until the finale. This was very much a character-centered, inner-development sort of reading experience. As I said, watching Irene (and to some extent, through her words and actions, Clare) work through their own complex thoughts about loyalty, of race, marriage, childhood, culture, friendship, and themselves within that - all through a rather multifaceted lens - was gripping.
Overall, I can see why this is a classic. I'm glad I finally read it. And, having read The Vanishing Half, I see (and highly agree with) the comparisons/parallels and definitely recommend the pair as complementary reads.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Murder
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Infidelity and Alcohol
ms_hartman's review against another edition
4.0
Not how I thought this would end.
I really like Larsen's writing style though- you can tell she would have made the most intelligently funny conversation.
I really like Larsen's writing style though- you can tell she would have made the most intelligently funny conversation.
miamiabobia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked the writing style. Clare and Irene should have made out like bruhhhh . I also think the ending was rushed.
critlo's review against another edition
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
paulafschr's review against another edition
mal wieder für die uni gelesen. es ist das dritte buch für den kurs (es geht um "the new woman"), die anderen zwei waren the awakening und daisy miller. warum dürfen frauen in romanen um 1900 nicht ein mal glücklich sein?? literally alle protagonistinnen sterben einfach am ende! daisy miller? glücklich, dann tot. edna? unglücklich, dann glücklich, dann kann sie nicht mehr mit der unbearable last leben, dass sie den lebensstil, der sie glücklich macht, niemals ausleben kann --> tot. toll. clare und irene (eventuell, da bin ich mir nicht ganz sicher)? am ende TOT. warum dürfen frauen nicht einfach mal freude und zufriedenheit und ein bisschen seelenfrieden verspüren!!!
onetrooluff's review against another edition
4.0
Hard to take, but an important read. It reads like a character study and shows how various characters arrange their lives in response to the stress, danger, and overwhelming unfairness of being a person of color in that time and place. Do they play it safe? Do they take tremendous life-threatening risks in order to have the sort of life they want? And how far will the main character go to preserve her own lifestyle? There's also extensive examination of loyalty - personal, familial and racial. An interesting read.