Kindred - by Octavia Butler (Kindle Edition):
I'll get the negative out first. The Kindle edition looks like someone did a dumb scan of the text. The type of font can't be changed and had annoying serifs on it. That sums up the downside.
The rest of the review:
The first Octavia Butler book I read was Fledgling (audiobook edition) and I was instantly mesmerized by it. I was listening to it when I was bedridden with back/leg issues, and it made the hours pass by smoothly. I also need to mention that the person reading the audiobook did a stellar job - if you use Text-to-Audio on your Kindle, it won't sound as good.
I had to have Kindred because of how I felt about Fledgling. Kindred tells the story of a modern day Africa-American woman who time travels against her will into the slave era of the late 1700s. If you thought that the time travel in Time Travelers Wife was well done, you won't be able to help being amazed at this book which was written more than 20 years before it. The writing style is gripping and you never want to put the book down.
Kindred has the emotional ingredients I like in books - compelling lead characters, strong bonds tying the people together, a sense of suspense, happiness or despair that keeps you wanting to turn the page and see what happens next. The author doesn't strive to make the sci-fi aspect of it (time travel) seamless - she just takes it for granted, and then weaves the story around it, rather than trying to explain the science behind the sci-fi.
With this theme, the book explores life in a slave-era plantation, relationships between slaves, free African-Americans and plantation owners, and the life of the lead character being transported back in that period. What would a current-day woman do when she finds herself trapped in the life of a slave?
This is a beautiful work of fiction and I highly recommend it!
The rest of the review:
The first Octavia Butler book I read was Fledgling (audiobook edition) and I was instantly mesmerized by it. I was listening to it when I was bedridden with back/leg issues, and it made the hours pass by smoothly. I also need to mention that the person reading the audiobook did a stellar job - if you use Text-to-Audio on your Kindle, it won't sound as good.
I had to have Kindred because of how I felt about Fledgling. Kindred tells the story of a modern day Africa-American woman who time travels against her will into the slave era of the late 1700s. If you thought that the time travel in Time Travelers Wife was well done, you won't be able to help being amazed at this book which was written more than 20 years before it. The writing style is gripping and you never want to put the book down.
Kindred has the emotional ingredients I like in books - compelling lead characters, strong bonds tying the people together, a sense of suspense, happiness or despair that keeps you wanting to turn the page and see what happens next. The author doesn't strive to make the sci-fi aspect of it (time travel) seamless - she just takes it for granted, and then weaves the story around it, rather than trying to explain the science behind the sci-fi.
With this theme, the book explores life in a slave-era plantation, relationships between slaves, free African-Americans and plantation owners, and the life of the lead character being transported back in that period. What would a current-day woman do when she finds herself trapped in the life of a slave?
This is a beautiful work of fiction and I highly recommend it!
2 comments:
Thanks for the review! I put it on my library queue, and it looks like I'll be able to get my paws on it by the end of this week.
A Kindle has been on my wish list for awhile, but I just can't seem to completely convince myself that I need one since my library system is so good and I cherish my unplugged moments.
I finished reading this last now. Thanks again for putting Butler on my radar! I devoured that book. Now, off to decide which work to read next...
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