Esi Edugyan

"Originally published in hardcover in Canada by Patrick Crean Editions, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd., Toronto, in 2018"--Copyright page.

Washington Black

Nienke Timmermans

The air was still and hot, and smelled of some nutty substance, earthy and edible, and of freshly washed stone. Peering down the hall, I saw a bright room already filling with sun, dust turning in the white light. A window glowing with sunlight. I entered the room, and the tattered burgundy rug under my naked toes was like some stiff, dead creature, I shuddered.

These sketches were some of the softest I ever drew. True, I had done technically better ones, ones in which a flower looked so powdery it seemed the paper might break apart at a touch. But these secret etchings of the glutton were strangely vivid, underlit with a tenderness I did not understand. I showed them to no one, Titch least of all. Each night in my room I tore them up, burned them piece by piece in the candle's fame.

Moffatt Clarke

A challenging read, rich, dark and dense. Highly imaginative, all over the map, literally, with acutely observed traits of nature, early marine science, the evil of our forebears and the grace of the storyteller in the midst of it all.

(3.25) Really enjoyed the writing style, as well as seeing where the story would go (both in plot and geography). However, sometimes all of those twists felt like too much- like a distraction from the actual point of the book. I wanted more from character development (well done with Wash, but was hoping for more in the way of other characters throughout), where it seemed like the themes really lied. Disappointed by the ending.

Alyssa

matylda<3

Niezwykle często nie doceniamy najprostszych przywilejów, na które nie musieliśmy nawet zapracować, natomiast jedenastoletni George Washington Black urodzony na plantacji jako niewolnik w XIX wieku, stara się zatracić w każdej chwili, w której okazuje mu się choć krztynę dobroci. 

Fabuła i ogólny zarys powieści bardzo mi się spodobał, lektura pokazuje powszechną historię z innego punktu widzenia, dzięki któremu możemy lepiej zrozumieć wiele błędów z przeszłości.

Klimat przygód i podróży przez pięć kontynentów był zdecydowanie odczuwalny, mimo opisów, które mi nie przypadły do gustu, ponieważ sprawiały wrażenie szczegółowych i rozbudowanych poprzez elokwentne słownictwo, jednak w rzeczywistości były dość płytkie i zawsze czegoś mi brakowało, czułam się jakbym była w stanie odkryć tylko wierzchnią warstę tej książki bez możliwości dostania się głębiej. 

Postacie główne takie jak Wash czy Tyci, były dość dobrze zbudowane, jednak bardziej poboczni bohaterowie sprawiali wrażenie, jakby nie mieli określonej osobowości i jeżeli nawet opis postaci sugerował pewien sposób zachowania się w danej sytuacji, ich reakcja znacznie się różniła. 

Samo zakończenie bardzo mnie również zawiodło, pozostawiając wiele do życzenia. Zupełny brak wytłumaczenia ostatniego czynu Washingtona Blacka bez zaprezentowania jakichkolwiek motywów, zostawił mnie bez informacji jaki był ostateczny rezultat jego zachowania. 

Mimo tych wszystkich wad, udało mi się jednak bardzo przywiązać do tego świata jak i postaci. Pisarskie niedociągnięcia nie zmieniają faktu, że jest to powieść ucząca człowieczeństwa i tolerancji, doceniania codziennych dóbr i ludzi na naszej drodze. Wierzę, że każda osoba, która przeczyta tą książkę zdoła wyciągnąć z niej coś wartościowego i zdecydowanie nie żałuję żadnej chwili spędzonej z tą lekturą.

kate humphreys 

finally finished this book smh, giving it three stars because analyzing it was super fun and there were a lot of excellent and relevant quotes, but overall the plot wasn’t my favorite and kind of all over the place? ngl i skipped over 30 pages so i could just read the lads few chapters, wish i had been more into this!

- TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR: New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, Entertainment Weekly, Slate - ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Boston Globe, NPR, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, The Economist, Bustle - WINNER OF THE SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE - FINALIST FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE, THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE, THE ROGERS WRITERS' TRUST PRIZE "Enthralling" --Boston Globe "Extraordinary" --Seattle Times "A rip-roaring tale" --Washington Post A dazzling adventure story about a boy who rises from the ashes of slavery to become a free man of the world. George Washington Black, or "Wash," an eleven-year-old field slave on a Barbados sugar plantation, is terrified to be chosen by his master's brother as his manservant. To his surprise, the eccentric Christopher Wilde turns out to be a naturalist, explorer, inventor, and abolitionist. Soon Wash is initiated into a world where a flying machine can carry a man across the sky, where even a boy born in chains may embrace a life of dignity and meaning--and where two people, separated by an impossible divide, can begin to see each other as human. But when a man is killed and a bounty is placed on Wash's head, Christopher and Wash must abandon everything. What follows is their flight along the eastern coast of America, and, finally, to a remote outpost in the Arctic. What brings Christopher and Wash together will tear them apart, propelling Wash even further across the globe in search of his true self. From the blistering cane fields of the Caribbean to the frozen Far North, from the earliest aquariums of London to the eerie deserts of Morocco, Washington Black tells a story of self-invention and betrayal, of love and redemption, of a world destroyed and made whole again, and asks the question, What is true freedom?

Satya Nelms

The book is beautifully written. The characters and the places they occupy are well-developed and easily transcend the page, and yet I did not feel terribly invested in the story. 

There was nothing wrong with it, no singular or combined aspect(s) of the story that I can point to that bothered me (aside from the ending, but I’ll get to that), I just didn’t feel compelled to read it. It never felt like time wasted, but I didn’t wasn’t eager to know what would happen next. 

The only part in particular which irritated and disappointed me was the ending, which felt as though it came to a close in the middle of a thought. It felt like accidental ending. The ending seemed to be a disservice to the complex, grand journey Wash had taken up to that point.

When two English brothers take the helm of a Barbados sugar plantation, Washington Black - an eleven-year-old field slave - finds himself selected as personal servant to one of these men. To his surprise, the eccentric Christopher "Titch" Wilde is a naturalist, explorer, inventor and abolitionist, and he wants Washington to help him create the perfect aerial machine. But Titch's plans are soon shattered, and Washington is plunged into mortal danger. They escape the island and embark on a strange, life-altering journey. And when Titch disappears, Washington must make his way alone, following the promise of freedom further than he ever dreamed possible. From the blistering cane fields of Barbados to the icy wastes of the Canadian Arctic, from the earliest aquariums of London to the eerie deserts of Morocco, Washington Black teems with all the strangeness and mystery of life. This is the extraordinary tale of a world destroyed and the search to make it whole again.

Sonja H

Wer hier schon eine Weile mitliest, weiß, dass ich mich schwer tue mit Büchern über Rassismus oder Sklaverei.

"Washington Black" beginnt auf einer Plantage und wir lernen einen Jungen kennen, der mitten in all der Brutalität das Licht der Welt erblickt hat und kein Leben außerhalb dieser kennt - bis ihn der Bruder des Plantagenbesitzers in seine Physikexperimente einbezieht.

Bei diesem Anfang war schnell klar, dass die Autorin sich nicht mit der gewalttätigen Seite dieser Epoche auseinander setzen würde oder zumindest nicht so intensiv wie andere Autoren.

Ein wenig märchenhaft erzählt sie nun von den Abenteuern des jungen Black, die immer phantastischer werden. Wir stolpern gemeinsam mit ihm von einer unerwarteten Wendung in die nächste und lernen auf dieser Reise sehr ungewöhnliche Menschen kennen.
Ehrlich gesagt fand ich den erzählerischen Kniff, auf diese Weise die Länge des Mittelteils interessanter zu gestalten, ein wenig unglaubwürdig, je weiter sich die Geschichte entwickelte. Manche Begegnungen wie die mit dem Humanwissenschaftler fand ich eher überflüssig. Er wurde allein in die Story eingeführt, um Black die Möglichkeit zu geben, einen selbstbestimmten Weg in die Freiheit zu wählen, was der jedoch ablehnt.

Ich war ein wenig verwirrt, wohin die Handlung sich entwickeln würde und dachte bei Erreichen der Hälfte des Buches, dass nun die Wendung kommen und Washington Black sein Leben selbst in die Hand nehmen würde.

Doch weit gefehlt.

Der Protagonist stolpert weiterhin von einem seltsamen Ereignis ins nächste und lässt sich von den Umständen leiten, statt selbst das Geschehen lenken zu wollen. Ich war irritiert, was die Autorin damit zeigen wollte. Ja, das Leben des ehamligen Sklaven war nicht leicht, dennoch wirkt Washington sehr verklärt, nicht gebrochen.

Die zweite Hälfte der Geschichte wurde für mich immer zäher und das Ende schließlich fand ich relativ schwach im Vergleich zum Anfang.

Stilistisch ist "Washington Black" gut gelungen. Es liest sich flüssig und man kann gut in die Handlung eintauchen.

Warum dieses Buch auf der Longlist des Man Booker gelandet ist, kann ich nicht so recht nachvollziehen. Das Thema "Sklaverei" steht nicht zwingend im Vordergrund und alles andere ist ein wenig zu "holprig", um ein rundes Gesamtbild abzugeben. Ich vermute jedoch, dass es auch auf der Shortlist erscheinen wird.

(Eigentlich 2,5 Sterne)

Cindy Lieberman

3.5 rounded up for writing. This is the unlikely story of an 11 year-old slave boy selected by the brother of the plantation owner to be his apprentice. The brother is a scientist, inventor and abolitionist, and we are led to expect an exciting journey. Alas, the journey is long yet fairly limited in excitement.

Melissa Schwartz

The writing was beautiful and smart; there was really good use of imagery by the author. At times the plot went on some unnecessary tangents but overall there were great messages in this story. I would love to see a film version of it

Anna Campbell

** spoiler alert **
           More like a 3.5 stars. It was an interesting book, but I didn’t love it. I only sometimes felt any empathy towards Wash, though his character seemed only defined by the things he wanted and the things he was scared by. I liked Tanna and Mr Goff quite a bit, as they were whole, multi-faceted characters, who were intelligent and interesting and hard working. Titch was lovable and despicable in equal measures. And while Wash’s travels were extremely extensive, no one seemed to care about it at all. I would have thought that his freedom and his story would be amazing to those around him. I was disappointed in the ending as well, which held no closure. I would like to know how the octopus fared, and what happened to Ocean House.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2018 WINNER OF THE GILLER PRIZE FINALIST FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL AND THE ROGERS WRITERS TRUST FICTION PRIZE LONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE 2019 New York Times Top Ten Book of the Year 2018 'A masterpiece' Attica Locke 'Strong, beautiful and beguiling' Observer 'Destined to become a future classic ... that rare book that should appeal to every kind of reader' Guardian When two English brothers take the helm of a Barbados sugar plantation, Washington Black - an eleven-year-old field slave - finds himself selected as personal servant to one of them. The eccentric Christopher 'Titch' Wilde is a naturalist, explorer, scientist, inventor and abolitionist, whose single-minded pursuit of the perfect aerial machine mystifies all around him. Titch's idealistic plans are soon shattered and Washington finds himself in mortal danger. They escape together, but then Titch disappears and Washington must make his way alone, following the promise of freedom further than he ever dreamed possible. Inspired by a true story, Washington Black is an extraordinary tale of a world destroyed and made whole again.

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2018

Moray Lyle McIntosh

There are plenty of positives in this adventure-filled tale of an escaped plantation slave with a remarkable gift for scientific thinking. Esi Edugyan’s story is pacey and readable with an engaging narrator and a brisk but lyrical writing style that shifts the narrative along nicely. The descriptions of the (very!) different landscapes Wash encounters from the harsh reality of the Virginia plantation, to sea voyages, the Far North, London, Amsterdam, Morocco are nicely described but in this improbably varied list lies much of the problem I had with the book as a whole. There is both TOO MUCH and TOO LITTLE.

The globe-trotting, adventure-story format of Wash’s life packs an extraordinary amount of action and movement, so much that Erdugyan has so go to great lengths to make it possible. Take Wash and Titch’s airship escape from the plantation, eventually crash-landing into a ship on the open ocean. The impossible nature of this feat gives the whole book an unwarranted “steampunk” feel that jars against the idea of scientific accuracy (see Wash’s gift for observation and illustration). Their journey in search of Titch’s father in the wastes of the Antarctic reminded me of nothing so much as Lyra’s journey in Northern Lights, another unsuitable comparison, and this fantastical element did the story no favours. Rather than being fully-integrated into the story or explained these elements are glossed over, merely convenient devices to move the plot along when it writes itself into a tight corner. The narrative is full of extraordinary coincidences that allow the story to transition to another phase which isn’t a new device (Victorian novels are rife with it!) but here it was more likely to draw an eye-roll and a sigh than any forbearance because the narrative just doesn’t hang together.

Couple the ill-fated airship with the polar exploration, the scientific illustration, the development of aquariums, the search for Titch, the terribly unnecessary romance sub-plot (an attempt to address the fact that there are no female characters of note later in the novel?) AND the constant threat of the relentless bounty-hunter set on Wash’s tail by his former master, this covers the TOO MUCH.

As for TOO LITTLE...There is too little substance. Likeable and engaging the characters may be but they’re not particularly fleshed out beyond Wash himself. When Titch essentially abandons Wash alone and with little hope of survival Wash begins to question the real nature of their friendship. The idea of what kind of equality can exist between a freed slave and a white “saviour” is an interesting historical and contemporary issue, whether it’s the motivation of abolitionists or white allies but it all remains too woolly to be really meaningful, hinted at rather than plumbed in depth. I can’t help but think that it would have been better served had Wash and Titch not separated so soon or if they had reunited earlier so that their relationship had an opportunity to develop in person rather than in absentia. It doesn’t help that the reader isn’t really allowed to consider the issue, rather the regrettable character of Tanna (whose entire existence is an affront to the maxim “show don’t tell”) simply informs us (and Wash) what Titch’s actions mean and how they should be understood. 

The wicked characters have little time on the page and remain essentially that, wicked and unyielding with little understanding of their motivations. This is fine, in fact common, in fantasy and adventure stories but the interrogation of the relationship between Wash and Titch suggests that Edugyan was trying to go further but failed in the attempt. In this way Washington Black just doesn’t capitalise on its own creation and gets side-tracked by the relentless romp of the action. I wanted it to go deeper into the issues at its heart but it was doomed by the unnecessary complexity of the plot that left little space for the characters to draw breath.

Winner of the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize A dazzling, original novel of slavery and freedom, from the author of the international bestseller Half-Blood Blues When two English brothers arrive at a Barbados sugar plantation, they bring with them a darkness beyond what the slaves have already known. Washington Black – an eleven year-old field slave – is horrified to find himself chosen to live in the quarters of one of these men. But the man is not as Washington expects him to be. His new master is the eccentric Christopher Wilde – naturalist, explorer, inventor and abolitionist – whose obsession to perfect a winged flying machine disturbs all who know him. Washington is initiated into a world of wonder: a world where the night sea is set alight with fields of jellyfish, where a simple cloth canopy can propel a man across the sky, where even a boy born in chains may embrace a life of dignity and meaning – and where two people, separated by an impossible divide, can begin to see each other as human. But when a man is killed one fateful night, Washington is left to the mercy of his new masters. Christopher Wilde must choose between family ties and young Washington's life. What follows is a flight along the eastern coast of America, as the men attempt to elude the bounty that has been placed on Washington's head. Their journey opens them up to the extraordinary: to a dark encounter with a necropsicist, a scholar of the flesh; to a voyage aboard a vessel captained by a hunter of a different kind; to a glimpse through an unexpected portal into the Underground Railroad. This is a novel of fraught bonds and betrayal. What brings Wilde and Washington together ultimately tears them apart, leaving Washington to seek his true self in a world that denies his very existence. From the blistering cane fields of Barbados to the icy plains of the Canadian Arctic, from the mud-drowned streets of London to the eerie deserts of Morocco, Washington Black teems with all the strangeness of life. This inventive, electrifying novel asks, What is Freedom? And can a life salvaged from the ashes ever be made whole?

A Novel

Amanda Wells

I loved this book. 

It didn't shy away from the brutality of slavery, but it wasn't written just to remind us of how bad it was. It didn't try to find easy answers, it didn't try to avoid difficult truths. 

Personally, this book also resonated because of the setting. My fourth great grandfather was a slave, the son of my fifth great grandfather, his owner. When I first found out about this line of my tree, I naively imagined that this was perhaps a match of attraction or love across race and class boundaries. As I've gotten older, and learned more about the brutal realities of life on plantations, I think that's rather unlikely. And there were times when reading this book where I had to stop, and really digest what was being portrayed in the context of my own family history.

My fifth great-grandfather bought, sold and worked slaves on St Kits from 1765 until his death. There are no records as to how he treated them specifically, but I cannot be naive enough to think that he was different to the rest of the owners - he spent over 10 years learning how to run a plantation from those already there... he was shown how it worked. 

Although we don't spend the entirety of this book on Barbados with Wash, the spectre of his enslavement follows him palpably through everything. I love the quiet way that Wash tries to make sense of his life - it seems to me to be a quiet (or not so quiet) attempt by Edugyan to make sense of individual experiences of slavery. What it means, to an individual, to be forced into this life, this narrative, and these varied roles.

I didn't want to say much in this review, but I've gone and done just that. Suffice to say, I recommend it. It feels like an important book for the world, and certainly for me personally.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2018WINNER OF THE GILLER PRIZE FINALIST FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL AND THE ROGERS WRITERS TRUST FICTION PRIZENew York Times Top Ten Book of the Year 2018'A masterpiece' Attica Locke'Strong, beautiful and beguiling' Observer'Destined to become a future classic ... that rare book that should appeal to every kind of reader' GuardianWhen two English brothers take the helm of a Barbados sugar plantation, Washington Black - an eleven-year-old field slave - finds himself selected as personal servant to one of them. The eccentric Christopher 'Titch' Wilde is a naturalist, explorer, scientist, inventor and abolitionist, whose single-minded pursuit of the perfect aerial machine mystifies all around him.Titch's idealistic plans are soon shattered and Washington finds himself in mortal danger. They escape together, but then Titch disappears and Washington must make his way alone, following the promise of freedom further than he ever dreamed possible.Inspired by a true story, Washington Black is an extraordinary tale of a world destroyed and made whole again.

Jade Flynn

Read for my 'Exceeds Expenctations' N.E.W.T in Ancient Runes 2019 #magicalreadathon. Prompt - Read a book written in the past tense. Career choice - Ministry of Magic, Department of Mysteries Worker. I was expecting this to be more than just fine but it wasn't. There was nothing hugely wrong with the novel but there was nothing hugely right either. One thing I will say is that it lacked direction and parts of the plot I felt were contrived. It came across as Edugyan wanted to write a novel about a boy's trial and tribulations in and outside of slavery and didn't really think through said trials and tribulations. I'd recommend you read The Book of Night Women by Marlon James instead.

letterrausch

Ganz starker Anfang, leider konnte Esi Edugyan das Niveau nicht bis zum Ende halten und über den Schluss brauchen wir wohl gar nicht sprechen. Der Roman hörte einfach auf, das fühlte sich überhaupt nicht rund an. Trotzdem eine gute Geschichte, der ich gern gelauscht habe.

Daryl Houston

This book seemed very promising early on, and I did like it on the whole, but it wasn't ultimately as good as I had hoped given its early promise. I suppose I wasn't necessarily supposed to receive it as an entirely plausible story, but some of the implausibilities (e.g. how cultured a man of the world the narrator seemed to become within limited actual experience out in the world) and anachronisms bothered me enough to make the history given in the book feel a little sloppy. It's possible that the author presented the story in this way intentionally -- the very institution of slavery and all its aftermath being sort of mind-bogglingly implausible -- but in any case, I didn't love it in the end. I'd read more by Edugyan, though; the writing itself was pleasant and the story of interest if not ultimately satisfying.

Washington Black

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