John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead (ISBN:0385498209)

English (US)

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		John Henry Days
	
				(9 reviews)			
(131 Readers)

			Colson Whitehead		
	
Colson Whitehead’s eagerly awaited and triumphantly acclaimed new novel is on one level a multifaceted retelling of the story of John Henry, the...more
 Colson Whitehead’s eagerly awaited and triumphantly acclaimed new novel is on one level a multifaceted retelling of the story of John Henry, the black steel-driver who died outracing a machine designed to replace him. On another level it’s the story of a disaffected, middle-aged black journalist on a mission to set a record for junketeering who attends the annual John Henry Days festival.  It is also a high-velocity thrill ride through the tunnel where American legend gives way to American pop culture, replete with p. r. flacks, stamp collectors, blues men , and turn-of-the-century song pluggers. John Henry Days is an acrobatic, intellectually dazzling, and laugh-out-loud funny book that will be read and talked about for years to come.   less

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Showing 8 of 9 reviews

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Wow. One of those books where you marvel at his talent.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Though a bit long-winded in spots, well done.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Think this might be my favorite Colson Whitehead book, though Sag Harbor is a definite contender for that spot.  I love the way he writes!!! and the way he just leaves ya hangin at the end...you can only surmise what actually happened.

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							Anna
						
							few weeks ago						
yes, it is a long and challenging read. but i do implore readers to continue on to the end. trust me: it will be worth it.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
so far so good and it is vastly superior to the intuitionist.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I'm struggling to get through this book. It just doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I'm confused on how the characters relate to each other. It seems like a collection of stories that keep going back and forth. Maybe when I finish it I will understand more.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Enjoyed this one more that The Intuitionist.  Bravo, Mr. Whitehead.  And the ending was real gangsta.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Okay, I know this book is good and that I should have finished it.  I thought for the first hundred pages or so that it was really excellent and occasionally quite funny.  (It may the only book ever where someone loses an eye to finger quotes.)

But I think the problem for me was that it is not very plot-driven and seemed content to wallow in its own verbal cleverness.  And it took an ironic...more
 Okay, I know this book is good and that I should have finished it.  I thought for the first hundred pages or so that it was really excellent and occasionally quite funny.  (It may the only book ever where someone loses an eye to finger quotes.)

But I think the problem for me was that it is not very plot-driven and seemed content to wallow in its own verbal cleverness.  And it took an ironic point of view on all the characters so that I didn't really care what happened to them.  So I felt no pull from the characters or the plots to keep on chugging and I eventually lost steam.  

A better reader, or one more inclined to literature, might like this book more than I did, and if you tell me that I am a no-nothing because I didn't finish it, then I will just have to admit that you are probably right.   hide

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