Reviews

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

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megansgc's review against another edition

3.0

3.5🌟 An eminently readable book with some lovely writing. However I felt in places that it was trying to hard to be a prize winner with unique allegorical moments (the octopus?). It also felt like there were a few elements that could have been flushed out more thoroughly. And the ending was too ambiguous for my personal taste.

kellhunter36's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

red_steele's review against another edition

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2.0

The narration was decent, however, the writing is flat. Once the story reached Nova Scotia it was a disaster. The relationship between Tanna and Washington was unrealistic. For the time period Goff would not have allowed Tanna to have an affair with Wash while he conveniently lives in the guest house.

It was also far fetched that Wash developed the vocabulary or scientific knowledge since he was illiterate.

elderlingfool's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is a coming of age story about a slave boy named Washington Black, Wash for short, that opens with him living on a Barbados sugar plantation under the care of an harsh slave woman nicknamed Kit. When his master's brother, nicknamed Titch, arrives he chooses Wash to help him in the creation of a flying machine. Titch is very interested in science and Wash discovers a love for scientific drawing that will last until his adulthood and create a better future for him.

The narration is in first person, which is my favourite, and that made it easy for me to care about the main character and it got me immediately immersed in the story.

I really liked the first half of this book, but after a certain event, where an interesting character gets out of the picture, the book becomes less interesting and seemingly aimless. I loved the dynamic between Wash and Titch and that art featured quite a bit in this book.

I liked the writing. Even though it was simple it flowed really nicely and made it easy to keep reading. The chapters were short, which also helped.

The transitions between the book parts and some of the chapters were often abrupt and the resolution to certain situations were too convenient so it got tiresome when it happened for the third time.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I am glad I read it. I just wish it had been as good throughout as it seemed to be at first.