Manchester County, Virginia doesn't exist. Never has.

However, after reading The Known World, one could be forgiven for thinking they could take a tour of its plantations and slave cemeteries during a vacation to colonial Williamsburg. The pre-civil war Southern society that Edward P. Jones creates is both real and surreal, much like any factual history of slavery one has read.

It wasn't so much the story of Henry Townsend, a black slave owner, and all the people his death allows us to meet that engaged me. It was the world itself, a world where I could almost taste the soil I might till, envision the women I might marry, and feel the weight of the terrible choices I might face. This world put its claws in me and refused to let go.

It took me nearly 2 months to finish the 388 pages of the book. It should have been a quick read, as it is a fascinating place with peculiar problems and characters that made me cry on more than one occasion. But I kept asking myself this question: who would I have been?

Would I have been the slave, toiling away in the fields? The overseer, unable to see the world for what it truly was? The freed man, working desperately to free the rest of his family? The smart child, taken under the wing of the rich white slave owner and convinced that there was nothing wrong with owning another human being? The broken black man tortured by his family's wealth built on the backs of those who look just like him? Or the slave too proud, too strong, too powerful to let another take his freedom?

Who am I now?

In matters of race, there is often that fool's point, usually made by a white person (though not always), that asks, "why aren't you over it, already? Can't we just let it go?" It's a way to end an uncomfortable conversation. But the reasons do matter. I know many people for whom the sticky issue of race in America is simply a discussion they can't touch. It's too difficult, too raw, too cloudy to be sure that people will remain friends after an honest chat.

The way I feel when I read books like The Known World is my answer. No matter how well-adjusted, integrated, loving of my fellow man, or multiculti kumbayah I am, I'm not over it. I can't let it go.

This fictional world was very real not all that long ago, and its effects still ripple through our daily lives. The world I know doesn't exist without it.

Highly highly recommended.

There is that old adage that a good book will tell you how to read it. I have no idea to whom that should be attributed. Only that my undergrad professors seemed to have been born to quote that thought endlessly. In my gothic lit class, my enlightenment class, my victorian lit class... the african and irish lit professors mostly kept their mouths shut on the subject. But the rest - hoo boy - did they love to drag that old chestnut out.

And it makes sense, to a certain degree. But this book doesn't tell you how to read it so much as it presents itself to the reader, like a fat man in a speedo lolling around on an undersized towel saying, "look at me ladies, you like it?? this is what you get!!" It almost demands that you read it and like it.

But I was disobedient. Every sentence, every paragraph, seemed to be trying to contain multitudes. I am a fan of "thick" writing, but the manner in which this book presented itself quickly soured on me. There were too many stories or episodes ending with, "years from now, when Celia was on her deathbed, she would think back to her third year of marriage", in a scene where she has yet to even be married, or right after two characters are introduced to each other, "this would be the last time they would meet until the hailstorm of aught-six". I am making up all the names and situations here, but you get an idea of the shape of my complaints. It's constant foreshadowing and some of the foreshadowing is just teasing, as the events never come to pass in the novel itself. It's like sitting down to tea with a god in his dotage, rambling and making connections only he can understand; seeing the past and future simultaneously.

"Hey, Karen, didn't you really like that Kjaerstad trilogy, where he basically did what you are complaining about here??"

Yeah, what? So? Shut up - isn't it past your bedtime??

Yeah, but sure, that's true. But for some reason, it bothered me here. All I wanted was a straightforward linear narrative about a fascinating subject matter: free black men and women who owned slaves. When I read "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" last summer, the whole transition period between slavery and freedom really excited my brainparts. I dunno. And Mister Jones was a real sweetheart when he came for the New Yorker Festival and I waited in line to get a book signed for a friend and I really wanted to like it because it seems like a nice fat sprawling sweeping story the way I like, but I just got lost in the names and the timeline and my confusion turned into apathy.

It's like this guy you date who seems really perfect - he is smart and looks like Gabriel Byrne and he dotes on you and everything is fun and on paper it all looks great and you know you should really like him, but he just doesn't make you laugh so you run off and leave him for a rockstar. You know?

Because I feel like I should like this one because it is award-winning, and my experience with the African-American novel is middling (although I love the African novel, the West Indian novel and the Afro-Canadian novel - go figure) so I feel like as someone who appreciates literature in general, I should totally love this. But it wasn't there for me.

Oh, Chris Wilson, I am sorry. Now you are going to want full custody because your baby is being raised among heathens.

Years from now, when my and Chris Wilson's book-baby became the mayor of Littleton, he would read this review and a tear of sorrow would come to his eye at my short-sightedness.

Come to my blog!

Layers of excellence!

I am truly amazed by this book. It has such depth and complexity that I feel as if I could immediately go back to the first page and read it all over again.

I have owned my first edition hardcover copy for so long. There were times when it was boxed-up and stored away in a storage space, waiting for the perfect moment to be discovered.

And now, this has been the right time for me to finally read it. It's as if all the stars have aligned and I am ready to fully immerse myself in the world that the author has created.

The words on the pages seem to come alive, painting vivid pictures in my mind and evoking a wide range of emotions.

I can't wait to see what other hidden gems and treasures this book has in store for me as I continue to explore its pages.

A very complex and beautiful, compelling book indeed! It's about Henry, a former slave who astonishingly becomes a slave owner, and his wife Caldonia. But they are just the tip of the iceberg. The book is truly a series of captivating stories and vignettes about the families, friends, neighbors, and the entire community surrounding Henry and Caldonia.

It took me an incredibly long time to fully immerse myself in this book. There are so many characters, some of great importance and others not so much. Moreover, the book jumps around in time, which makes it quite difficult to follow initially. But trust me, if you make use of the cast of characters at the end of this edition (though it would be better if it were placed at the beginning!), and let go of your expectations about the traditional narrative format, you'll come to love this book as much as I did.

In life, we all have our own story playing in our heads, while simultaneously hearing countless other stories. It's like the story about your mother's great-uncle, or the one about your brother-in-law's neighbor, or the tale of your sister's husband's aunt and her neighbor, or even the story of your coworker's mother. You know all those stories, right? Well, that's exactly what this book is like. Some characters are more prominent than others, so you get to hear more of their stories. But the minor characters also have their own tales to tell. They sort of pop up out of nowhere, and you get a chance to listen to their story, and then they disappear. It's really very cool!

I particularly adored the story of the womanizing slave who has a vision during a powerful lightning storm/tornado and goes on to become the founder of an orphanage. And there's that little tiny story about the family who are reluctant to give up their cow. The woman goes into the barn to milk the cow, and there's this lovely description of her squirting the cow's milk into a cat's mouth. If you've ever witnessed a cat eating with true contentment, you'll instantly recognize the cat body language that Jones so vividly describes.

Towards the end of the book, there's a very powerful scene. A character, who isn't necessarily a particularly "good" character, remarks that there should be a lantern or light of truth in the world. An actual place where people can stand and tell the truth without the fear of retribution, a place where one might be able to right a wrong. It's a moment that makes you think, yes, this guy could potentially right the wrong by speaking out. His fear of having people think he's "on the negro's side" is, well, unjust! But that's his fear, and in that moment of the book, you understand it. You think, yeah, what if he could speak out under that light of truth and not have anyone judge him? How wonderful would that be?

While the book graphically depicts the horrors of slavery, and there are a few characters who are outright despicable, there are also many shades of gray in Jones' vision. It's a book that will make you deeply reflect on slavery, the myths, the realities, and the tragedies associated with it. Moreover, it'll make you think about your own life and all the people you've known. It shows just how complex and interesting we all are. It's beautifully written, and the characters will stay in your head as if you had known them personally. Oddly enough, I think what I initially disliked the most about this book - its multitude of characters and convoluted timeline - is precisely what I ended up truly enjoying! It's yet another example of a book that made my mind expand, with a bit of creakiness perhaps, but I'm glad that such expansion can still occur!

Set in antebellum Virginia, Henry Townsend, a former slave, now owns fifty acres of land and thirty-three slaves. As the story commences, Townsend is on his deathbed. The novel meticulously chronicles his life, the lives of his family members, and the lives of those he encountered in the community.

The main characters are richly three-dimensional, feeling like real individuals with both admirable qualities and flaws. Jones employs an omniscient narrator and a non-linear storytelling approach. He skillfully weaves together overlapping stories of past and present events. This unique narrative structure means that the reader gains knowledge of what will happen to these people in the future before learning about their experiences in the book's "present." There is a vast array of characters in this book, and the list of Dramatis Personae proves to be extremely helpful in keeping them all distinct.

This novel is based on a relatively lesser-known historical fact. Although it was not the norm, there were indeed cases where some free blacks owned slaves. This aspect adds a layer of complexity to the slavery narrative, vividly demonstrating how people can be influenced by society's strictures and how victims of exploitation could, in some circumstances, become perpetrators of the same system.

This is not a light or facile read. It feels as though one is being immersed in the life and times of Manchester County, Virginia, in the 1850s. It is an eloquently written condemnation of oppression in all its forms. This remarkable book rightfully won the Pulitzer Prize in 2004.

This is a story that reveals the existence of black slave owners in the pre-Civil War South.

It presents an ensemble of characters, vividly depicted in rich and detailed language, and told with a sense of respectful remembrance.

The narrative skillfully jumps back and forth in time, creating a sense of anticipation and mystery.

While we are given glimpses of the fates of some of the main characters early on, not all of them are revealed immediately.

The endings for the diverse cast of characters are often tragic, but not all follow this pattern.

Some may find redemption or a glimmer of hope in the midst of the darkness.

Overall, this story offers a unique and thought-provoking perspective on a little-known aspect of American history.

It challenges our assumptions and forces us to confront the complex and often uncomfortable reality of slavery.

Through its engaging characters and compelling narrative, it invites us to reflect on the past and consider its implications for the present and future.

This book requires you to read it slowly and attentively. Just like enjoying a huge Thanksgiving dinner, you need to pause and digest before moving on to the next course. At the beginning, the plot appears to be rather chaotic, jumping from one character to another, telling numerous stories, sometimes not providing enough details and then seemingly overloading with information. However, as you make a little progress, the rhythm starts to establish itself. The stories begin to intertwine, the minute details start to form a diorama, and the picture stops being a blur and comes into sharp focus. This is not just one man's story or even the story of a single place; it is the story of all men and the tale of a world.

This book is not so much about race as it is about the abject insanity and evil of the institution of slavery, regardless of where it is found or whoever is practicing it. In this system, there are free black masters who own black slaves, some of them with good intentions, but this does not make the practice any less immoral. There are white men who love their black mistresses and the children they bear, but it does not change the fact that they hold a dominion over them that is not based on any form of love. There are also individuals who are victims of the system and others who refuse to be victims, even at the cost of their lives.

I had a great affection for many of Jones' characters, especially Augustus and Mildred Townsend. They embody the best in us. I felt sorry for some of them, like Sheriff John Skiffington, who desires to be better than what society permits him to be, and Caldonia Townsend's brother, Calvin, who wishes to go to New York to avoid witnessing the cruelties around him, cruelties that he must realize have spared him only due to a stroke of fortune. I despised some of them, and I recognized most of them. The petty and jealous, who need to have power over someone to feel they have value; the ungrateful and traitorous, who would betray a friend for personal gain; the meek and hopeless, who submit to the yoke and simply try to find a corner where they are allowed to exist; the defiant and strong-minded, who fight until their last breath because anything else would be to support the indefensible; all of these are present in this novel.

What I loved most about this novel is its authenticity, its absence of exaggeration or hyperbole, where none is necessary. It emphasizes the daily injustices of an institution that is accepted as insurmountable or even correct simply because it is the status quo. Edward P. Jones has launched an attack at the core of mankind and challenges one to imagine what they would have done, what they would have dared to do, in such a place and time.

People kept telling me how amazing this book was.

At first, I was rather skeptical and didn't think it would live up to the hype.

I had my doubts as there are often many books that are overly praised but don't deliver.

However, when I finally picked up the book and started reading, I was completely blown away.

It turned out that it absolutely did live up to all the amazing things that people had been saying about it.

The story was captivating, the characters were well-developed, and the writing was simply superb.

It took me on an incredible journey and made me feel a whole range of emotions.

I couldn't put the book down until I had finished it.

Now, I can wholeheartedly say that this book is truly amazing and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

I'm going to have to rave a bit, because this is one of the best books I've read in the past ten years. It truly stands out in a sea of literature.

Jones packs in all the historical detail you could want. He has chosen a subject, black slaveowners, which is in and of itself tabloid-sensational. Lesser writers might overemphasize the sensational aspect or rely on it to support a weak narrative. However, Jones skillfully weaves it into a compelling and powerful story.

What makes it so powerful is the mix of fascinating characters who are integrated into a series of overlapping plotlines. The structuring is brilliant. I actually diagrammed the time shifts in the chapters as an exercise to understand how Jones connected the whole thing. This less than linear approach might frustrate those who prefer straightforward stories, but if you stick with it, you'll find that the shifts provide both suspense and texture, and they推动 multiple storylines simultaneously. Trust me, it all comes together in the end.

I also admire the overarching authorial voice in the novel. It leans towards the formal but is also aware of the history it's dealing with. Jones projects his voice forward at times or digresses with factual material and research. This is all part of the tapestry and the mix, and I believe that the level of narrative awareness adds another layer to the concept of history, making it both historical and contemporary.

And for those who can do without all this writerly blather, you'll still find engaging, ignorant, cruel, earnest, sympathetic, tragic, hopeful, and flawed characters in this book. In short, they are complicated. Halfway through, you'll be fighting the urge to skip ahead to find out everyone's fate.

Finally, I'll admit that this book isn't perfect. There are aspects that sometimes don't work, such as narrative turns that seem like pointless digressions or a character or two that are a bit stereotypical or annoying. But that doesn't matter. This book aims high, like all brilliant works of art, and the result is truly amazing.

Basically, this is a book about slavery in the South. I have a penchant for such topics, especially after reading "The Secret Lives of Bees". However, with this particular book, it seemed rather pointless.

As I was reading, I constantly found myself wondering, "What did I just read? Am I truly reading and understanding this book?" I even had to refer to the back cover of the book repeatedly. But no, the story was exactly as I read it. O.......K! Then came the ugh moment. I detest leaving a book unread, so I forced myself to persevere through the entire thing.

Finally, the misery I was subjecting myself to came to an end, and UGH! The storyline was a mess. The author jumped around the timeline far too much. Honestly, I would describe this book as a mere glimpse into the lives of slaves in the South, but with a lackluster storyline.

Surprisingly, this book has won a Pulitzer Prize. EH!? Is there anyone out there who has read this book? What are your opinions??

However, as always, we can learn from books. What I gained from this book was a new piece of knowledge that I had never come across before - that black people owned black slaves. They would even buy their own family members, and slaves were regarded as properties, including families. Hmm... History is far richer than we could ever know or imagine.

A beautifully paced novel that inverts every cliché about the institution of slavery. Jones manages to demonstrate that even within the African-American community, the pernicious nature of slavery could have a devastating impact on an entire generation. This is not to say that race is completely removed from the equation of slavery, but rather that Jones presents a more complex and nuanced view. The best summary of this idea comes from a NYTimes review:

'There are few certified villains in this novel, white or black, because slavery poisons moral judgments at the root. As Jones shows, slavery corrupts good intentions and underwrites bad ones, yet allows decency the odd occasion -- but only by creating such an enormous need for it.'

The pacing and structure of this novel may pose a slight challenge to some readers. However, I found that it was a perfect fit for the narrative. This isn't a novel that overwhelms you with its quotable sentences. Instead, it leaves a lasting impression with its powerful images. There were moments when I felt as if I was reading a Cormac McCarthy novel, which is no small praise.

The Known World does this rather strange thing: it cites sources that don't actually exist. For example, there are passages like this:

[Manchester, VA] went through a period of years and years of what University of Virginia historian Roberta Murphy in a 1948 book would call 'peace and prosperity'.

Jones then proceeds to tell you about the publication history of that non-existent book and a few more details about its supposed contents, even implying that Roberta Murphy was a bit racist. But in reality, there is no Roberta Murphy, no such book, and no Manchester, VA. So what is Jones up to?

Wyatt Mason notes that Jones's research on the subject was quickly derailed after he came across an account of a white slave owner abusing a black slave girl. Jones said that if he had told the whole truth about slavery, Americans couldn't have taken it. But Toni Morrison and Harriet Jacobs have different opinions about what Americans can handle. And Jones knows this, so he seems to be being disingenuous.

You also notice that Jones is talking about books he didn't read. NPR reports that he collected two shelves of books about slavery but never got around to reading them. He used his imagination and stories he heard growing up to make his characters come alive. But the citation of imaginary sources in the book either adds undeserved authenticity or underlines its lack of authenticity when you try to follow up on those sources. It's puzzling.

This kind of meta-sourcing has been done before by Nabokov, Cervantes, and Borges, but it's especially jarring here. Maybe it's because I find the truth of slavery a difficult subject, or maybe because the layers of inauthenticity go so deep. Even in interviews about his lack of authenticity, Jones appears to be consciously inauthentic. I don't understand it.

But as a novel, The Known World is excellent. Eventually. The first half can be a bit annoying with its chronological confusion, huge cast, and super-omniscient narrator who tells you the life stories of trivial characters. But the second half ramps up the tension and makes up for the irritation in the first half. So yes, it's a great novel, but the authenticity issue is worth looking at carefully since it won a Pulitzer and we take this book seriously. I looked carefully and was confused by its truth.