Giovanni's Room, which I read in college, is a book that floored me. I didn't know writing could be so raw. I have never reread it for fear that I would lose that sense of the book. Time does change one. So far, Go Tell It on the Mountain is excellent. No pretense. Young JB as preacher, hiding from street, taking on father, learning power of words . . . confused about his place in the world. Honest. 0 minutes ago
"To all humankind, Tess was only a passing thought. Even to friends, she was only a frequently passing thought." Angel Clare is a good character. He's "enlightened," in so many ways, but when Tess's confesses her "crime," he reverts to ancestral form . . . Tess's "confession" comes earlier than I expected, right after Angel reveals that he has had a bad moment with a woman. Tess points out the similarity in their transgressions, though his is the only true transgression, expecting forgiveness. She doesn't get it. She returns to her mother . . . realizes she can't stay with her. Thoughts to suicide. Unhappiness that divorce is not possible. Departs. Tragic in that the two, if Angel could just see clearly, would indeed be a great couple, each adding to the other. Nature as a definite force involved in the tragedy. It's not neutral--when things go bad, the very skies mock Tess. Tess as unaware of the power of her bea...
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