Juneteenth: A Novel Audiobook

" I loved the story and the language in this book; but I must admit the the sermons were too numerous and got me wanting to skip pages....... "

" I wish ralph ellison had had time to finish this. It kind of reminds me of the movie AI. You know Kubrick had a vision for the film, but then he died, and then these other people came in and tried to piece together his vision as best they could. Juneteenth has so much that is good in it, but it is a bit confused, it reads as tho it is not finished. "

" absolutely beautiful writing. his discussions of race and democracy set the book apart. "

" It is unfortunate that Ellison was unable to complete this novel. Invisible Man remains my favorite novel of all time because of the ease with which Ellison navigates such tricky and complex topics. Here, thematically there is much of the same: race, identity, religion, and politics, but Ellison approaches these subjects in a much different way. This is largely third-person (although the novel is constantly shifting) and because of that there is a new distance here. Also, there is no cohesion to the story at all; oftentimes there are italicized monologues, missing punctuation, etc. that really knocks me off track. There is no doubt in my mind that had Ellison finished this, it would have been a masterpiece. Nevertheless, it stands as a posthumous salute to an intriguing literary figure. "

" An Amazon reviewer said it best: This is a brilliant disappointment. The material is rich with possibility - and most of what's here (aside from the abrupt, dissatisfying ending) fulfills that possibility. Really, the problem is that there isn't *more* story to flesh out the nuanced characters and their setting. "

" interesting book on texas emancipation history... "

" Ellison's unfinished second novel, issued years after his death, was panned by critics, yet there's plenty to like here if you enjoy his work. The prose is as good as it ever was - vivid, striking characters. "

" Post humously published. Bliss is a white child adopted at birth by a black reverend and raised to be a preacher. He grows up to be a virulently racist senator. The novel is set in his hospital room after he is shot while giving a speech. "

" I think Ellison is easily one of the most important writers of the 20th century, and although this gets a little meandery at times, I chalk it up to the fact that it was edited after his death. Rich with history lessons and secrets to understanding the U.S. American soul. "

" This book was clearly an unpolished work by a master. It was an engaging story but a more difficult read than Invisible Man because it lacked the same shine and charisma of Ellison's polished writings. "

" Classic Ellison, in that he tackles huge ideas in a very specific, human way. Great writing, but I can see why he wasn't satisfied with it yet. It doesn't quite cohere. Still worth reading. "

" It is somewhat hard to get into at first but when you realize whats going on it gets really good. Although Ellison unfortunately did not write this in its entirety himself, I consider it to be one of his greatest books. "

" Tried for 2 weeks to get into the book. I started it over and over again. After struggling for 2 weeks and reaching only page 36! I gave up. Couldn't follow what was going on and at some point, I didn't care. "

" ralph ellison's unfinished second book. i read it a while ago, but i remember it felt like a dream. the story of a black man who passes for white and becomes a southern preacher. can't say much more since i haven't read it in a while but i do remember i was excited by this book. "

" Kind of an epic beauty. I would give it more stars, but, of course, it's unfinished, since Ellison died before he completed it. Parts of it sing, parts of it are as elusive as Ulysses. "

" I was clear when I started reading this that it was not a finished novel, yet, even this considered I had a difficult time wading through it. Read Invisible Man instead. "

" Pieced together from a monster manuscript that Ellison was never able to finish, intended to tell the story of black and white American history as essential to each other. Not a finished work, it contains astounding writing. The revival episode brings song, taste, smell, spirit to life, and moves. "

" I didn't want this story to end. I was so moved by the oratory of one of the central characters. And this is but a fraction of the 2000 page work. "

" I had high expectations for this work as I loved Invisible Man. While there were moments of lyrical beauty, the rest of the work was disjointed and didn't flow. I found the ending very frustrating and I really wish Ellison had lived to finish his book. "

" I loved the story and the language in this book; but I must admit the the sermons were too numerous and got me wanting to skip pages....... "

" I have to admit that I didn't finish this one. I got half way through and quit (this was a while ago). There are some very interesting ideas throughout, but I got a little tired of the first person narration that didn't move into dialog or anything else. I may pick it up again. Later. "