The Known World by Edward P. Jones Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Known World
Book Review: Nice Try...
Summary: 3 Stars
Sadly, this book does not live up to its billing; it's certainly not a Pulitzer winner on merit. "Hard to follow" is kind; the plot and the telling is a mishmash that bobs and weaves, takes five steps forward and six back, enters cul-de-sacs and makes hairpin turns. You get the idea. Frankly, Jones could have written a good book, but he needed a good editor. Book Review: great book
Summary: 5 Stars
At the beginning a bit tough to follow, but get through it as it is worthwhile!Book Review: Good as a novel, great as an analysis of social custom
Summary: 4 Stars
This book tells the story of a Virginian plantation during the slavery period. When the black proprietor dies, his widow does not have the ruthlesness required to hold the slave community together and everything goes wrong.
As a novel this book is good but not great. The storyline is interesting enough and the events are heart-wrenching, but there are too many characters, and there is too much hopping between dates, locations, and viewpoints. The original perspective, with different third-person viewpoints interspersed with historical facts, make the story hard to get into.
As a social analysis however, the book beautifully illustrates how the system of slavery is sustainable as the interplay between the customs, beliefs and motives of the participants. The slaveowners and those who uphold the law are driven by lust for power, greed, and sadism, but also genuine belief in the divine justness of racial separation and benevolence in guiding what they believe to be less worthy people. The subordinated display acceptance, resignation or fruitless resistance. The result is a social system that shapes the characters and their actions and is at the same time created by them. Jones skillfully shows how even the most horrible racist acts carry a sense of inevitability and justness within their context. Symbolic is the map of the county ("The known world"), that the pious and honest sheriff of the community has in his office.
At the same time, the book shows that the system is fragile, and depends crucially on the authority and the threat of violence by the powerful few. The decline of the plantation and the unravelling of the status quo show that there is no space for moderates within the slavery system.
In short, the book brilliantly lays bare how the system of slavery trappes its participants in a self-enforcing but fragile web of beliefs and customs. This more than makes up for the unfortunately fragmented storyline.
Book Review: A True Piece of Art
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book a few years ago and it still remains one of my favorites. I am disappointed to see that other reviewers didn't appreciate the complexity of this story. I have read books with far more characters and difficult plots to follow, for example The Master and Margarita. Edward P. Jones visually creates a story of love, sacrifice, horror and triumph. I was pulled in right from the first few pages. This is not a story of just one character but of a community of people surviving the enslaved south. I normally shy away from these sorts of books because I find myself angry by the end. This book too contains many atrocities, but I was swept away by the determination and eventual triumph of several of the characters. The complex relationships of the slaves with each other, with slave owners and with law enforcement are haunting. It's a wonderful story and one that I would gladly recommend.Book Review: Boring and tedious. Don't expect to be entertained.
Summary: 2 Stars
I can't believe this book won the Pulitzer prize. The premise is interesting but far from what really happened. I think Jones could have done a much better job given his creativity. There are way too many characters in the book (there is a summary of all the names in the book at then end which is very useful for refernce). Because of the different characters, the reader is unable to connect with any one of them. The writing is okay.
From a historical standpoint it is not of much use since nothing close to what Jones describes really happened. On the positive side, he does paint a nice picture of life during those times and I also appreciated his creativity.