Most Helpful Customer Reviews
305 of 314 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intelligent, thoughtful, and utterly compelling, September 12, 2003
Edward P. Jones tackles a difficult subject with depth and courage. Unlike other reviews listed here, I did not find his prose difficult, but enjoyed its richness and color, and found "The Known World" filled with flawed and genuine people of all races who grapple with slavery-America's "peculiar institution"-in a way that will surprise and compel readers. Mourners come to Manchester County, Virginia to bury Henry Townsend and comfort his widow Caldonia. Henry was only 31 years old, a successful landowner and the owner of 33 slaves. He was also black, and a former slave himself. His human property learned from the start that working for a black master was no different from working for a white-or an Indian, for that matter. But they hold out the tiniest shred of hope that Caldonia, who was born free, will free them. Henry's father Augustus bought his own freedom from his owner, Bill Robbins. He then worked to buy his wife, and then his son. But Henry always felt more affinity with Robbins than he did with his own family, shocking his parents when he buys his first slave. There are a number of black and Cherokee slave owners in the area who look on slaves with perhaps even more dispassionate eyes than do their white neighbors. "The legacy," Henry's mother-in-law calls his slaves when Caldonia briefly considers manumitting them. "Don't throw away the legacy." I have never found a book that looks at slavery like "The Known World" does. Throw your preconceived notions out the window and be prepared to be completely pulled into a world where, no matter the characters' race, nothing is black and white.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
254 of 266 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truly a Book for Every Thoughtful Person, August 15, 2004
***** The Known World was unique among fiction books I have read in the last twenty years or so. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I would not call it an easy read, because it was some work to keep track of all of the different characters, but nevertheless, so very well worth it. Despite the work, it was entertaining. Like other reviewers, it kept me up at night, and kept me reading. The book caused me to wonder how I would behave had I the same cultural background as the various characters in the book---the white slave owners, black slave owners, the black slaves. I had always thought before that I "of course" would be against slavery, would fight for rights for all races, and absolutely never do anything so repulsive as to own slaves. I wondered how anyone ever could! The Known World opened my eyes to how this could happen, and how easily one of those slaveowners---black or white---could have been me. Or how easily I could have been a slave. It also provided insight into the psychological world of the slave. All of this was done by showing, not telling, so the reading was more of a powerful emotional experience rather than an intellectual experience. What made this so different for me is that I picked this book soley upon the Amazon reviews and rankings. I had no inherent interest in American history or race relations or the Civil War era, but this book GOT me interested. I think that the only person who would not enjoy this book would be the person who is not open or interested in challenging themselves, not interested in thinking, or afraid to find out about or explore the dark side of the human experience. Because of the complexity of the book, as far as the feelings of the characters, the layers of meaning, and the strong impact, I know that I will read this book again and again, and am therefore glad that I spent the money to get it in hardback. It is well worth the money, and is a beautiful "rough cut" book. I have thought about its message again and again since reading it; I would call it haunting, thought-provoking, disturbing, and honest. *****
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
60 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thought provoking, eye opening..................., October 14, 2003
Edward P. Jone's novel, The Known World, is a story about the social and moral boundaries that were woven into the fabric of those living in Virginia in the time of slavery. The author creates a clear and insightful look into the lives of individuals whose lives were bound with the reality of slavery. The focus of the story are black slave owners and black slaves. While many are familiar with this period of time and the issues involved, Edward P. Jones sheds new light on the issue of black slave owners. The perspectives of the slave owners, the slaves and as well as the freed blacks (those who accepted the fact of slavery and those who opposed it) are all explored. The thoughts of white slave owners and the whites who did not own slaves are also an integral part of this book. The story seemed to lack a fiery passion to it that I thought it would have. I have realised that this technique is a critical part of the style the author used to tell the story. The lack of passion relays the feeling that these people had accepted their KNOWN WORLD, that slavery was a part of the fabric of their lives and was an acknowledged normal aspect of life. No matter who you were, you aspired to become a slaveowner because it signified that you were successful and deserving of respect. It begs the question, what in our own KNOWN WORLD do we accept that in years to come will be viewed very differently by future generations. The story is a thought provoking, eye opening work by Edward P. Jones.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
