A review by odpeppiatt
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

"The poor are always crossing the Sahara. And the lawyers and bondsmen and all that crowd circle around the poor, exactly like vultures. Of course, they're not any richer than the poor, really, that's why they've turned into vultures, scavengers, indecent garbage men." (15)

"...he looks at the others, he listens: what have they done? Not much. To do much is to have the power to place these people where they are, and keep them where they are. These captive men are the hidden price for a hidden lie: the righteous must be able to locate the damned." (274)

This story brings such a vulnerable, universal, human quality to one of the coldest, most insensitive elements of American culture that it strikes a nerve unreached by other authors. I loved his precise blending of romance and commentary on race, police brutality, family dynamics and gender roles.

4 stars bc I really wanted more Baldwin prose mixed in with all the plot.
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