Reviews

Passing by Nella Larsen

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manglitter's review against another edition

4.0

That was a great and interesting read, Passing is mainly about the struggle of two African American female characters in trying to establish their racial identity. The story is also about rejection, female friendship and a longing for belonging.

The story of Rachel Dolezal which is another "real" but different story of passing, Dolezal was pretending to be black but was actually white. Was it also a racial identity crisis or a desperate need for belonging to a community?

This book also reminded me a lot of "The Great Gatsby" which both share some similarities when it came to faking one's identity in order to feel that they belong to a certain class (or a race like here). I found that Gatsby and Clare's personality have a lot in common even the ending of their stories. The Great Gatsby was published in April 10, 1925 and Passing was published in April 1, 1929, could Nella Larsen have been inspired by Gatsby's story in creating her book? I don't know if someone has already studied this topic for I would be happy if I was right about comparing this two classics!

Of course we have to see Toni Morrison's Recitatif as a same but different version of Passing but with Morrison not revealing in her story who was salt and who was pepper. I have to say that I was amazed much more by Recitatif than by Passing.

happytreereads's review against another edition

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don't know what I think about this one. just felt depressed at the end, honestly, and slightly peeved because I'm such a curmudgeon about ambiguous endings. don’t know what I think about the story exactly by oh my some of those lines were fabulous:

She was weary and depressed. And for all her trying she couldn't be free of that dull, indefinite misery which with increasing tenaciousness had laid hold of her.

giiirrrl sameee. 😎

It was if in a house long dim, a match had been struck, showing ghastly shapes where had been only blurred shadows.

oOoOh

Pouring tea properly and nicely was an occupation that required a kind of well-balanced attention.

it be true. ☕
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🚫SUS meter: low - medium sus🚫
- racial slurs, hate & discrimination against POCs, mostly from one man
- woman thinks her husband is cheating on her and she has to go downstairs and pour tea for him and other pErSon and it's uncomfy
- a death