michellelouise's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
celiatois's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
eva_dx's review against another edition
2.5
This book was just fine. I was interested in the first half, especially since I don't know that much about the Republic of Congo's history, so the setting was really interesting to me. I didn't feel connected to the main character though. The longer the book went on, the more it lost me. The ending was also very anticlimactic.
shaniquekee's review against another edition
4.0
If it weren't so hilariously written it would be so sad. Black Moses tells of the exploits and escapades of Moses, a young orphan in Congo who spends his early childhood in an orphanage and then later lives on the streets of the city. We hear of the ridiculously power hungry manager of the orphanage, the struggles and triumphs of street life, and the challenges of an unstable existence. Moses is simultaneously entirely believable and completely inconceivable as a character, and his life often has a laugh to keep from crying feel to it.
tomkipp's review
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
fast-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? Yes
3.75
njw13's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
paulap's review against another edition
medium-paced
2.5
it is written in sort of vignettes, which makes it feel fragmented and at times somewhat convenient. But I did like the parts when it talks about the politics of the place, and the situation of the local children.
saorosco's review against another edition
3.0
Solid 3.4 star. The ending really bumped this up for me. The first 80 pages I couldn't connect with but the latter half was a good story.
m_anabel's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
The episodic structure made it difficult for me to connect with any of the characters. Each supporting character got a long background story, but I immediately forgot who they were a few pages later because they felt unimportant. To be fair, I read this book very quickly, but I didn't learn anything from it. I don't know what the takeaways are or what the purpose of reading this was. Also, I have no idea why Mari said that the second half would be funny. I barely felt any emotions while reading, but the strongest one would probably be disgust because of the guy who worked at the morgue and the whole cat story. The best part of this book is the cover.