Slavery is often inaccurately portrayed as a one-dimensional and uniform institution. However, "The Known World" shatters this misconception by delving into the complex world of slavery, particularly the phenomenon of free middle-class Blacks owning slaves shortly before the Civil War.

Edward P. Jones begins his exploration in a seemingly unassuming manner. The book initially presents as a collection of seemingly unrelated short stories that give the impression of going nowhere. But as the narrative unfolds, it becomes evident that these stories are intricately connected, much like the pieces of a mosaic. Each anecdote serves to highlight and clarify the others, gradually building a comprehensive and nuanced picture of the slaveholding society.

"The Known World" is a masterful braiding together of multiple storylines. The characters and their experiences are diverse and complex. Some, like Alice and Augustus, have their own idiosyncrasies that add depth to the narrative. Saskia and Thorbecke play crucial roles in bringing about Counsel's downfall. Jones' characters often lack self-awareness, as seen in the passage where a character naively believes that escaped slaves will return easily.

One of the remarkable aspects of "The Known World" is its ability to avoid excessive emotional manipulation. Jones believes that the subject matter itself is rich with emotion, and his role as a writer is simply to tell the story. By refraining from using cheap emotions, he allows the readers to engage with the text on a deeper level and form their own emotional responses. This approach gives the book a true emotional depth that would have been lost if he had resorted to more obvious techniques.

The characters in "The Known World" are not simply good or evil; they are morally ambiguous, just like the situations they find themselves in. Augustus' statement about freedom being both big and little, yes and no, up and down, captures the complexity of their lives. Moses, for example, is a character that the reader may both like and yell at as he makes a series of mistakes. Similarly, Skiffington, despite vowing never to own a slave, finds himself complicit in the institution of slavery.

The known world of the characters in the book is often small and confining, preventing real communication across racial and class lines. The incident with Minerva and Winifred illustrates how a simple statement can be misinterpreted and lead to a breakdown in communication.

Overall, "The Known World" is a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of slavery and the complex lives of those involved. It challenges our assumptions and forces us to confront the moral questions raised by this dark chapter in American history.

I think I can go for several years now without reading another novel about slavery.

It seems that I have reached a saturation point when it comes to this particular theme. While I understand the importance of literature in depicting and exploring the horrors and consequences of slavery, I feel the need for a break.

There are so many other aspects of human experience and history that I am eager to explore through literature. Maybe it's time to delve into stories about different cultures, or perhaps focus on contemporary issues.

However, I also recognize that the topic of slavery is an important one that should not be forgotten. Maybe in a few years, I will be ready to return to it with a fresh perspective and a deeper understanding. For now, though, I'm looking forward to exploring new literary territories.

To be honest, when I initially picked up this book and perused the back cover, I was completely in the dark about its contents. The only thing I knew was that it had been included on a list of the best books of the century thus far. My very first reaction was an immediate and resounding "Oh, hell, no."

When the first sentences of the blurb began to mention Black slaveowners, I don't believe my reaction of "What the hell?" and "no" was unjustified. It seemed all too possible that this could turn out to be a book that perpetuated the harmful narrative of "Black people were responsible for slavery too!" and that was simply unacceptable. Just no.

Note: The remainder of this review has been removed due to the alterations in Goodreads' policy and enforcement. You can find out the reasons behind my decision by clicking here.

In the meantime, you have the option to read the entire review at Smorgasbook.

This kind of swung between 4-star material and 2-star material.

It was a really interesting subject matter. Indeed, it was kind of horrific to read about. Let's be real, a novel about slavery is never going to be fun. Parts of the novel were really gripping, informative, and thought-provoking. It delved deep into the harsh reality of slavery and made the reader reflect on the atrocities that took place.

However, there were parts of the narrative that were just confusing. I could handle the jumping back and forth in time to a certain extent, but sometimes it was excessive. You'd cover at least 3 different periods of people's lives on one page. For example, it might say: "There was a day 3 years before X died when Y was walking down the street with her then husband." To be honest, it could get a little muddled. And at times, it was just irritating.

Also, there were a lot of characters. It was quite challenging for me to keep track of who was whom. With so many individuals and their complex relationships, it was easy to get lost.

But overall, it is a good book and I'm glad I read it. It was pretty brutal and didn't offer any kind of happy ending. This is a much more realistic portrayal for a novel that focuses on the enslavement of black people in the States. It covered a wide range of themes, including white and black slaveowners, slaves earning "freedom", racism, internalized racism, and the kidnapping and sale of free black people into slavery. It was a powerful and eye-opening read.

The author of The Known World has masterfully crafted a vivid world populated by diverse individuals - slaves, whites, and slave-owning free African Americans. This fictional county in Virginia exists mostly in the pre-Civil War era, with the stories of its inhabitants跳跃 around in time. While there are some linear aspects, the author presents the entire life spans of each character. In creating this world, the author has achieved something remarkable as the reader feels as if a genuine and authentic history is unfolding. The portrayal of this specific county in this particular time calls to mind Faulkner's works.

The writing in this book is truly excellent, confronting the reader with the complex and thorny issues of the times and the circumstances of these lives. For instance, when the possibility of the Civil War or a slave uprising looms, the black slave owner ponders, "The only question for us, around this blessed table, is which side should we choose. I suppose that is what the pamphlets want me to do. Choose my side."

Similarly, when a white man attempts to tell the truth about a situation involving a wronged free black man, he fears being seen as betraying his white brethren. He laments, "A body should be able to stand under some…some kinda light and declare what he knows without retribution. There should be some kinda lantern, John, that we can stand under and say, ‘I know what I know and what I know is God’s truth,’ and then come from under the light and nobody make any big commotion bout what he said." This speech, which has more depth, reminds one of Tom Joad's speech when leaving his mother at the end of The Grapes of Wrath.

To be compared to Faulkner and Steinbeck is indeed high praise. However, my hesitation in giving this book a higher rating stems mainly from the fact that I didn't feel a strong connection to the characters in the novel. It was almost as if I was observing them from a great distance. Nevertheless, it was a fascinating perspective.

Bello molto, a truly remarkable piece. It has a Faulknerian quality, raw and Southern.

When the slave owners themselves became slaves, it creates a complex and thought-provoking scenario.

This work invites us to delve deep into the history and the power dynamics that have shaped our society.

It makes us question the nature of freedom, oppression, and the cyclical nature of power.

Reading it is like embarking on a journey through time and space, experiencing the emotions and struggles of those who lived through such tumultuous times.

It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the human condition and the impact of historical events on our lives today.

Whether you are a lover of literature or a student of history, this piece is sure to leave a lasting impression.

So, pick it up and let yourself be transported to a world that is both familiar and yet so different from our own.

Discover the beauty and the pain that lies within these pages and let it inspire you to think differently about the world around us.

The Known World is truly an unconventional book.

For me, the most peculiar aspect is the absence of a traditional main character. Henry Townsend serves as a sort of focal point, yet he passes away at the novel's beginning. Equally significant are his wife Caldonia, parents Augustus and Mildred, the overseer Moses, the slaves Elias, Celeste, Stamford, and Alice, the teacher Fern, Henry's former master William Robbins, and the sheriff John Skiffington and his cousin Counsel. The secondary cast, of course, is exponentially larger.

Then there's the structure; the narrative jumps around a great deal, mainly between the 1840s and the 1850s, with some leaps forward or backward in time.

If you can manage all of this, the outcome is a rich and rewarding read.

This book zeroes in on what one reviewer has termed a "footnote of history": black slaveowners. Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? As it turns out, not so much. If I had to name the number one best thing about this book, I would say it's the mature, nuanced way Jones handles the provocative issue of slavery.

This is no simplistic, black-and-white book that hammers home the message "slavery is wrong!!" by wallowing in descriptions of whippings, rapes, and families being forcibly separated (although at least two of these are present). White people are not neatly divided into the Good Guys (all of them volunteers on the Underground Railroad) and the Bad Guys (all of them racist, greedy, and cruel), nor are blacks stereotyped as the good-hearted but not necessarily intelligent victims.

This leads to what I would call the next best thing about this book: the authenticity of the characters. (Second best not because there's anything wrong with them, but because many books have solid characterization, while very few can examine something like slavery in such a thoughtful and restrained manner). It's not just the realistic portrayal of individuals, each one unique despite the large cast, but the way they interact with one another and their known world feels entirely genuine.

There's no room for 21st-century ideas here; these characters accept their world as it is, as most real people do, and attempt to make the best of it. This book is sometimes heartbreaking, but never revisionist.

Then there's the setting and customs, which seem three-dimensional and well-researched. Jones doesn't merely tell us what the slave cabins look like; he shows us the family and community life within them. And the dialogue: not only does it flow smoothly, but it evokes a particular accent without getting bogged down in overly strong dialect that requires you to sound out the words.

Need I continue?

Although this book has surely earned its 5 stars, it's not without flaws. Unrelated sentences are sometimes inserted in the middle of paragraphs, details occasionally contradict each other (I do love Jones's specificity, though; he's the type to tell you everything from the exact ages of the characters to the price of a mule), the jumping around in time can be confusing, and a couple of scenes oddly veer into magical realism. Still, this isn't sufficient to truly detract from the reading experience.

My one caveat is that, given the complexity of the book and the number of characters, readers who attempt to breeze through it at 10 pages a night before bed are likely to end up frustrated; it demands serious attention. Those who have the time, however, should not be disappointed.

This is a book that, had I not been reading it for a book club, I wouldn't have managed to get past page 50.

The author has clearly done extensive research and presented a truly fascinating premise. The idea of free blacks owning slaves in 1840s Virginia is certainly a thought-provoking one.

However, the problem lies in the fact that there isn't much of a coherent story or a central character or group of characters that the reader can really latch onto.

As a result, I found myself slogging through the book, which was a lot more laborious than I would have anticipated given the captivating premise.

This is one of those instances where I wish I could take the author, who is undoubtedly talented, aside and gently remind him that a novel is, first and foremost, a medium for storytelling.

If you're not effectively telling a story, you're essentially breaking the fundamental contract you have with the reader.

It's a shame because with a bit more focus on the narrative and character development, this book could have been truly outstanding.

Set in the American South, principally Virginia, in the 1850s, this is an extraordinary novel centered around the theme of slavery.

It weaves together the tales of a diverse group of characters - black, white, Cherokee; free men, slaves, and slaveowners - all of whom are connected in some manner to the "central" figures of Augustus Townsend and his son Henry. Augustus, a former slave and a highly skilled carpenter, was permitted by his former owner to utilize his carpentry abilities to earn money. Eventually, he managed to buy his own freedom and later that of his son. However, Henry later becomes a slaveowner himself, much to the great anger and distress of his father.

I reside in the UK and admit that prior to reading this novel, I was entirely unaware that free black people who owned slaves actually existed in the American South, a fact that I have since seen confirmed in subsequent readings. Simultaneously, the novel makes it abundantly clear that the free black population led a precarious existence.

Initially, I did not take a liking to this novel. In the early chapters, I found the story disjointed, and it was challenging to identify with any of the characters. Nevertheless, gradually, I found myself increasingly drawn into it and invested in the fates of the characters. My initial impression of a two-star "OK" rating first changed to three and then to four by the conclusion of the book. At times, it was not an easy read; many of the characters endure (or inflict) terrible cruelty and injustice. But for me, the novel vividly portrays the almost daily moral dilemmas faced by everyone living in a society of slaves and slaveowners, even if they themselves do not belong to either category.

[Review written in 2014, typos corrected 02/11/2020]

A truly brilliant and heart-wrenching account of life under slavery unfolds in this story. It delves into the multifaceted ways in which slavery corrupted and devoured every individual who came into contact with it. The author's use of a non-linear time frame is nothing short of ingenious. At the start, it had me thoroughly confused, but as I delved deeper into the book, around the halfway mark, it all suddenly clicked. It was as if a lightbulb went off in my head, and I began to see the beauty and significance of this unique narrative structure. It added an extra layer of depth and complexity to the story, making it all the more engaging and thought-provoking. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the harsh realities of slavery and its far-reaching consequences.

This novel truly was a revelation to me.

It is composed entirely of scenes, and I feel deeply indebted to the book itself.

My essay about The Known World was an important part of the application materials that enabled me to gain admission into my MFA program.

(Interestingly, I read it immediately before Gilead, which has a precisely opposite narrative strategy. That was one of those remarkable moments of synchronicity.)

Free Black men owning slaves in the South - Jones learned this fact early in college, and it lingered in the back of his mind, patiently waiting to be transformed into a novel.

What lengths we will go to in order to be considered successful!

I really wish I could open that essay I wrote about this novel in 2005. However, the file is now 12 years old and in a format that is no longer supported by anything on my computer.

Nevertheless, it is sufficient to say that Jones's work was an astonishing read.

The score is very close to 4. However, as good as it may seem, for me, there was just a little something lacking in it.

Even though it is highly acclaimed, I can't give it a clean conscious 4 stars.

There is more detailed discussion in my video review.

I have carefully considered all aspects of this, but that one small deficiency prevents me from awarding a full 4 stars.

Perhaps others may have a different opinion, but based on my personal assessment, this is the score I feel it deserves.

In the video review, I will go into more depth about what specifically led to this conclusion.

Stay tuned to find out more.