Lark Benobi's Reviews > Washington Black

After a promising beginning this novel quickly began to feel contrived to me, and then pointless. People die, or walk off into the snow, or show up unexpectedly, or disappear unexpectedly, all in service to move the protagonist to some other location, rather than for any organic reason. The final denouement between protagonist and his wan and inexplicably conflicted benefactor ends with the protagonist reaching the same conclusions that he had reached already three times before in the novel.

A peripatetic novel works better for me when it reveals a character who is clearly learning and growing from his life experiences. In the case of this novel it felt like Washington Black was the same person in the beginning as he was the end, in spite of his travels and travails.

So: not for me. Two stars for some vivid period details.