Rating: 
Summary: Truly enjoyable
Review: I am nearly finished reading this novel but felt compelled to share my experience with the vivid world created by Mr. Jones. The writing is so rich and the sentence structure so simple. Several times I have reread a passage, impressed by the impact of the word selection. Mr. Jones has developed a seamless style of putting the reader at three places in time -- all within the same paragraph. And this book is packed with quirky, nuanced and sometimes endearing characters. It shows that the author really understands the small things that make people tick. In addition, he tackles so many deeply complex topics without telling the reader what to think. Since the best work should have flaws, this is a work of art whose perfection lies in the juxtaposition between its intricate details and occasional bumpy prose. But in those bumps the reader is able to pause and reflect on the true brilliance of this simple, thought-provoking novel. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: More Hype than Hope
Review: Again, like the Emperor of Ocean Park, critics annoint a mediocre book. I don't know why they do it. Most readers I've met said that it was interesting. That's about it. And it seemed to be split down the middle among black and white readers--meaning an equal number on each side didn't think it was that great. I would have thought that black readers would have all hated it. But it looks like some, like my wifes black female friends, are so saturated with romance books that when anything with meat comes along they will embrace it. I was impressed with the Faulkner-esque creation of a mythical Southern county. But the images and themes really don't set me afire beyond that. Maybe people need to take a deep breath, and mayb we need to make this one of those times where the critics are wrong. Usually, weingore them and buy truly silly books, but some times, we are right on the money. This is one of those tims (like the Emperor of Ocean Park).
Rating:
Summary: The Known World
Review: Edward P. Jones has succeeded - no, triumphed - in writing an epic scale novel about an aspect of American history little known to most of us. Scholars of African American history are well informed that during the 1800s, when slavery was a way of life for both whites and blacks, there were many permutations of who is master and who is slave. The fact that former slaves, granted their freedom by whatever means, purchased their own cadre of slaves may sound shocking to some readers and it seems that it is that audience of readers to whom Jones wishes to address this story. Based on facts and related in a way that, however lyrically written is the story line, makes this novel seem like historical biography, Jones has created a novel that is compelling, beautifully composed, and very smart. His characters are so vivid that they grow to inhabit our minds, engaging our empathy and disgust as well as any characters in fiction. The story of Henry and Caldonia Townsend, Fern Elston, the Robbins, the Skiffingtons, mad Alice, Zeddie, Loretta, Elias, Louis, Dora et cetera has been well outlined in the other reviews of this major book. But what takes this novel a step further than just being a fascinating tale is Jones' use of language. He waxes musically in describing the boundaries and inner spaces of his Known World of the plantation (closed to the slaves by the boundaries of the land and the legacy of ownership). He manages to be so intimate with the lives of his characters that he even chances to suggest the homoerotic underpinnings between Louis and Elias without calling attention to the fact that he is doing anything more than creating complete people. His use of the vernacular goes beyond merely the very tersely studied dialogue and extends into the mindset of the character who is remembering or postulating. Some novelists would elect to find that vernacular voice and then force the entire novel into its cadence, a style choice that can make a story cumbersome. Not Jones. When the story is reportage or in the minds of the non-slaves, Jones writes in melodic and eloquent prose, not unlike an orchestra in collaboration with soloists. This is a slow read and that is a good thing: speed reading THE KNOWN WORLD would deprive the reader of the warmly langorous pace of the times in which these wholly credible people 'lived.' A very fine book!
Rating:
Summary: Don't Read This Book Before Bed Time
Review: I usually read for a half hour before I go to sleep. "The Known World" changed my habit: I read later and later into the night and then found it
hard to fall asleep. Here is a book that makes you think and feel. It's hard at first to keep track of all the characaters and where in time the action's taking place, but it's worth the effort. The novel is dense and rich, powerful and disturbing. I found myself haunted by scenes I had read the night before. For anyone interested in American history and/or race relations, "The Known World" is a must. We as a nation avoid what's hateful and disturbing in our past and present. "The Known World" certainly does not.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Concept, But the raise is a Bit Troubling
Review: I browsed through this book yesterday, after reading about the excessive praise it is receiving. I think it reads well, and Mr Jones and I once shared the same literary agent. But here is what I find troubling. Like Stephen Carter's "The Emperor of Ocean Park," once more we are faced with excessive praise for a book that, among other things, portrays a loving relationship between a Caucasian man and an African American woman. Rarely do we see the same amount of praise dispensed for books portraying love between attractive Caucasian women and African American men. I, personally, don't think this is a coincidence. And as far as certain reviewers are concerned. I wish to take as an example, Jonathan Yardley of the Washington Post, who is among the major reviewers praising this book to the high hilts. In this book, Jones travels back and forth in time. Yet, in a review of my 2000 book, "Under the Knife: How a Wealthy Negro Surgeon Wielded Power in the Jim Crow South," Mr. Yardley, who wrote the sole negative review that book received, took me to task for writing a book that did the exact same thing -- traveled back and forth in time. So, why isn't Yardley criticizing Edward Jones the way he criticized me? It just goes to show how POLITICAL the entire review process is.
Rating: 
Summary: Thought provoking, eye opening...................
Review: Edward P. Jone's novel, The Known World, is a story about the social and moral boundaries that were woven into the fabric of those living in Virginia in the time of slavery. The author creates a clear and insightful look into the lives of individuals whose lives were bound with the reality of slavery. The focus of the story are black slave owners and black slaves. While many are familiar with this period of time and the issues involved, Edward P. Jones sheds new light on the issue of black slave owners.
The perspectives of the slave owners, the slaves and as well as the freed blacks (those who accepted the fact of slavery and those who opposed it) are all explored. The thoughts of white slave owners and the whites who did not own slaves are also an integral part of this book.
The story seemed to lack a fiery passion to it that I thought it would have. I have realised that this technique is a critical part of the style the author used to tell the story. The lack of passion relays the feeling that these people had accepted their KNOWN WORLD, that slavery was a part of the fabric of their lives and was an acknowledged normal aspect of life. No matter who you were, you aspired to become a slaveowner because it signified that you were successful and deserving of respect.
It begs the question, what in our own KNOWN WORLD do we accept that in years to come will be viewed very differently by future generations. The story is a thought provoking, eye opening work by Edward P. Jones.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Tapestry
Review: This is an intricate and well written novel about the relationships between slaves, white slave owners, free black slave owners, free blacks, and low class whites in the antebellum south. It is a very subtle yet easy to penetrate writing style that fabulously brings all the pieces together in one large tapestry. It is a very impressive novel and I would think in the running for the next Pulitzer Prize. One warning to potential readers, the author often abruptly switches back and forth to previous settings. It works well if the reader is really absorbing and following the story. Some might find this distracting. It requires a close reading to stay with the tapestry that the author has constructed.
Rating:
Summary: I never knew
Review: I never knew that blacks were free in the South and some of them owned slaves. I never knew these black slave owners could be as cruel as the man depicted in this novel.
Other readers will outline plot for you so I don't have to do that. For me, the writing style stands out as both a strength and a weakness. Mixing freely the past, present and future, Jones often leaves the reader scratching her head. Indeed, everything is neatly tied up at the end but along the way, the wayward strands get a little tangled. Jones didn't leave anyone out: there's free man and slave, black and white, rich and poor, man and woman. Jones portrays a vivid picture of the South at this time, a picture rich in details of daily living, rich in character development and plot. Because he included so much in this dense novel, I never felt involved with any one person. Often, for me, a book is far more satisfying if I can identify with one main character, or at least, form an attachment for this person. There were so many people, places, incidents, histories all going on at once in this novel that I couldn't relate to any one soul.
I enjoyed the book, was glad I read it, but found it lacking.
Having said that, you should know that I intend to read his short stories.
Rating:
Summary: A Stained Glass Assemblage
Review: Blacks owning blacks is not something that one normally considers when one thinks of the conditions in the South prior to the Civil War. But, though rare, it did exist, and this novel explores one such case, and by doing so helps provide a more complete picture of the Known World, another window into that era and by reflection a vision of the current world. Perhaps most noticeable at the beginning of the book is the style it is told in. This is not a linear narrative with a well-defined protagonist and a clear-cut set of problems. Instead, Jones jumps from character to character, backward and forward in time, sometimes with his focus on an individual, sometimes reading more like an academic treatise documenting historical occurrences - often doing so even within a single paragraph. Because of this style and the sheer number of characters that are introduced or casually mentioned (over a hundred of them), it is very difficult to get quickly engrossed in this work. Not until almost a hundred fifty pages in does a coherent picture emerge and the characters coalesce from names into being people. But what does finally emerge is a picture of just how 'free' blacks could really be in that time. Though legally able to buy and sell others, the rights of this miniscule class of people did not extend to the full protection of the law - although as clearly shown here, it didn't extend to many others as well: the poor, the half-breeds, even women as a class. Entry into 'society' is clearly denied, even though some of them were well respected for their skills and general level-headedness. And they always had to carry their papers proving their freedom - in a world where only a few were literate, this is quite an irony as well as being degrading. Perhaps most disturbing was the incident of Augustus Townsend, who purchased his own freedom and then that of his wife and son, respected as one of the best furniture makers in the county, who is sold back into slavery not for any malfeasance on his part, but merely due to the malice of a 'slave patroller' - and the only action taken against the patroller is a 'talking to'. Conditions of that time are shown almost as a sidelight to the story: the prevalence of diseases now unheard of, the very short life expectancy, working hours from before dawn to after dark, the casual attitude towards worker injuries - highlighted by the 'insurance' policy sold to the wife of Henry Townsend after his death. The climax of this novel does not come as any surprise, as Jones has left multiple clues and forshadowings throughout the earlier portions of the work, but it is extremely depressing, pointing out in no uncertain terms just how inhumane all too many people are, and how little an individual can do to change his own circumstances. Though clearly well-researched and with a powerful story at its heart, I found the style to be quite a detriment to the story's overall impact. Though the mosaic formed by this style does eventually become a large picture of that time and place, it necessarily means there is no tight focus, and difficulty in presenting any depth of character. This lessened my emotional involvement in the main characters, and their fates never quite got beyond 'an historical occurrence' to become 'a real event' - a pity, as with a more direct style I think this could have been a great book. --- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)
Rating:
Summary: Fully realized and incandescent
Review: Slavery is one of those topics that present day Mississippians may shy away from as a matter of principle. There is the ever present refrain to "get beyond" race and tout the positive aspects of the New South, the mantra that is often used by both black and white Southerners. I'm not one who believes it, but I did have the crusty misconception when I began The Known World that there wasn't much more I could learn on the subject of slavery and its effects, both then and now. However, Eudora Welty's photograph on the book's cover helped peak my interest and after the first chapter I didn't need anymore encouragement to continue. The Known World is an entirely surprising testament to why no one, black or white, should refuse to constantly revisit the roots of the here and now. The strength of the novel is in its unique writing style. The sheer accumulation of detail, a piling on of names and characters and events in their personal lives is reminiscent of jazz. Mr. Jones takes the reader by the imagination so to speak and walks her through an intimate recreation of multiple lives and situations, free blacks, slaves, immigrants, American Indians, Southern and Northern whites, buying and selling slaves, a small pox epidemic, present and past. The book's underlying premise is to tell the story of a black "Massa" and the slaves he owns in Virginia, but that is actually only a part of The Known World. Mr. Jones creates a strange and exhilarating reading experience, that is not easily categorized, like jazz, into a single melody. Anyone who picks up The Known World expecting to read a knock off of Roots will be disappointed. This is not an uplifting story of one family's struggle to be free, but of times and places and the flawed people who inhabited them. Truth overcomes political correctness and there is nothing "known" about The Known World. The prose is not lyrical in a traditional sense, but it is compelling. The character development is not apparent, yet the faces and bodies and pains and joys of the characters are clearly drawn. Everything is slightly off-center, the day to day functioning within the known world a conglomeration of human foibles and social injustices and sometimes a callousness that must be evil, but feels within the context of Mr. Jones' creation, to be a byproduct of the times. I suspect that different readers will settle on different characters as the book's "main" characters. For me, Augustus - the talented wordworker who bought his own freedom and his wife's and his son's, then suffered the anguish of seeing his son idolizing his former master and ultimately owning slaves himself - is the most memorable character in The Known World, especially after he suffers a cruel fate. But even with a compelling premise, it is not the story that provides evocative moments of reflection long after finishing this novel. It is Mr. Jones's writing style, his structure and passion and accretion of historical detail that are the real reasons to read The Known World. It is a poignant and fully realized journey of discovery, with ample rewards and surprises.
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