Comments (14)

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Jun 30, 2021theojones41 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Some books I can't even remember two weeks after reading them. Others I will never forget. The Known World is one I won't EVER forget. I've read a lot of the reviews of this book, and people tend to either love it or hate it. The reason…
Apr 17, 2021
FIne bit of literature. Explores moral nuances insightfully.
Jul 27, 2018RogerDeBlanck rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Not since Toni Morrison’s Beloved has the devastation of slavery been approached with more complexity and emotion than in Jones’s epic, The Known World. What’s most fascinating about Jones’s book is that he explores the lives of slaves…
Nov 01, 2017
Extremely detailed historical fiction written about a fascinating subject -- freed blacks who owned slaves prior to the Civil War. Edward Jones really immerses you into the fictional community of Manchester County, VA and delves deep into…
May 28, 2017kwsmith rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I was eager to read this highly acclaimed story about black slave owners living in the American south. Unfortunately, reading this Pulitzer Prize winning book is a bit like taking a long walk through a forest and wandering around aimlessly…
Dec 28, 2016Candaceb108 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I just loved this book. The rhythm and poetry of the writing, the horrific treatment of human by other humans, the total hopelessness of slavery and yet the dignity and integrity of those who had nothing but their own center moved me…
Jan 05, 2015WVMLStaffPicks rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Jones, who is a National Book Award finalist, tells an unforgettable story with characters that linger because he makes them so believable. This is a story of slavery – of both blacks and whites – in the southern United States; and of the…
Apr 12, 2014sxl rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
elucidates the complexity of individuals, black, white, mixed....the lines blur and criss-cross with skin color and morality.
Mar 17, 2014lukasevansherman rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This won the Pulitzer and was in a Times list of the best American novels since 1980. So maybe I went in with unreasonable expectations. I did appreciate this story of race and the wages of slavery in the South, with its echoes of…
samutavi
Aug 15, 2013samutavi rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I wish they would not label books as "Winner of the Pulitzer Prize". It always gets your hopes up. Then, if you read it and don't love it you think there is something wrong with you (am I not smart enough for this book?). I did not love…
Apr 09, 2012lalalady rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Detailed and nuanced story of the effects of living with oppression. A slow and somber read with no relief, but it does draw you into a world that is nearly impossible to imagine.
Apr 28, 2011carol554 rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
This novel opens with immediacy and unforgettable descriptions. It quickly loses momentum, however.
Feb 27, 2010Darrelln rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Interesting book about slavery. Very well written but not a barn burner. One man's attempt to get away and horrible slave owners.
Dec 06, 2007Cabby rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Winner of the 2004 Pulitzer prize for fiction.