A unanimous chorus of critical acclaim greeted this powerful novel last year—one of the most significant works of African-American fiction since Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.
This huge oratorio of a novel unfolds over seven days in the life of Joubert Jones, an aspiring playwright making ends meet tending bar at his Aunt Eloise's Night Lounge. A Rabelaisian cast of characters and a Shakespearean range of voices crowd the pages of this book, an infinitely rich and suggestive tapestry of Black-American life and identity.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Forrest's celebrated fourth novel is an epic account of an aspiring African American playwright's life in Chicago.
Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Review
Simply put, Leon Forrest's massive masterpiece Divine Days is the War and Peace of the African-American novel. (Henry Louis Gates )
Almost every page offers abundant evidence that Leon Forrest is a writer of virtuosity and power. . . . A landmark in the artistic representation of social and historical reality, a rich and complex entertainment that deserves our praise, respect and gratitude. (Arnold Rampersad - New York Newsday )
An adventurous masterwork that provides our literature with a signal moment. . . . This epic detective story pulls in elements of the Gothic, the tall tale, the parable, the philosophical argument, the novel of ideas, the history lesson, the novel of manners and the sort of close observation Balzac, Mann and Hemingway would have admired. (Stanley Crouch - New York Times Book Review )
Divine Days is that rare thing in our self-conscious and ironic age—a full-out serious work of art. (Sven Birkerts - New Republic )
Almost every page offers abundant evidence that Leon Forrest is a writer of virtuosity and power. . . . A landmark in the artistic representation of social and historical reality, a rich and complex entertainment that deserves our praise, respect and gratitude. (Arnold Rampersad - New York Newsday )
An adventurous masterwork that provides our literature with a signal moment. . . . This epic detective story pulls in elements of the Gothic, the tall tale, the parable, the philosophical argument, the novel of ideas, the history lesson, the novel of manners and the sort of close observation Balzac, Mann and Hemingway would have admired. (Stanley Crouch - New York Times Book Review )
Divine Days is that rare thing in our self-conscious and ironic age—a full-out serious work of art. (Sven Birkerts - New Republic )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
jazz, stories, history- it doesn't get any better than this!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Divine Days (Paperback)
Written in the free-form style of jazz music, Leon Forrest's novel captures the pride, woe and miracle of a people and of a generation. There will never be a more human, more complete, more whole celebration of storytelling and history than Divine Days!!!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
please read this book,
By Jennifer A Hamilton, author of Indigeneity in... (Amherst, MA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Divine Days (Paperback)
Divine Days is as beautifully written as it is challenging. It is massive, complex, and wonderful. Leon Forrest is truly one of the great writers of the 20th century. History may look back and place Forrest in the Canon along with the likes of Ellison, Faulkner, and Morrison. On the other hand, the book may continue to be overlooked. Either way, do yourself a favor and read this book. You'll be glad you did.
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