Name: Washington Black
Rating: 3.916666666666667 (84 reviews)
ISBN: 9780525521426

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

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.

- 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)

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

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.

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.

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.

Washington Black

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