All Souls' Rising

Rating:
Summary: Hardest book I ever read
Review: And not just because of the frequent French, either. This was a difficult read, containing some of the most shocking descriptions of cruelty I have ever read. That said, it was worth the effort. Madison Smartt Bell's sentences shimmer and his characters come alive. Bell's use of the rebel slave who eventually abandons the rebellion for the bush and the unrepentant plantation owner well make his point that violence, as practiced by white or black, is senseless. So why the preachy epilogue? After suffering, to Bell's credit, through chapter after chapter of human sacrifice and dismemberment, I didn't need to be told that race hate is a bad thing. Still, if you quit before you get to the italicized words, you'll have an important and worthwhile read.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Bell's novel recreates the Haitian revolution through the eyes of several different vibrant characters. We as readers come to experience this event as though we were really there. The Island is transformed before our eyes from a slave colony to a surrealistic Hell on earth where bands of men travel the countryside in search of blood and cities burn with regularity. Delving into the minds of slaves, masters and soldiers equally the book shows every side of the event in vivid life. The themes in this book ring out every bit as pertinant today as when the revolution unfolded. The issues of racial hatred and class warfare exist now in America even if they live subdued beneath the surface of everyday life. This novel explores what happens when the shroud is pulled back and the passions and hatred of men is let loose.

Rating:
Summary: A novel about race hatred, not Haiti
Review: Having recently read C.L.R. James's fascinating, Marxist account of the Haiti slave revolt, "Black Jacobins", I was excited to learn of a literate, fictional account of the same subject. Now that I've read it, I agree it is literate, but it is more an exploration of the depths of race hatred than a treatment of the Haiti uprising. Most telling is Bell's decision to develop the character of Toussaint only slightly, preferring instead to focus mostly on a fictional white doctor. How Toussaint and his illiterate allies accomplished one of the greatest miliary and political upsets in history is of little interest to Bell. The goal of the book seems to be to impress upon the reader to what appalling depths mankind, black and white, will stoop when a conflict is racial. Although Bell paints many shockingly violent scenes, he didn't convince me that racial forms of hatred are uniquely virulent.

Rating:
Summary: If you are a fanatic of Steven King and would like to know
Review: how race relations realy were during slavery then this is your book. Bell takes us deep into the souls of cruel slave owners and rebellious slaves.This is one of the few books where the events are explained the way they happend,without restrictions.A very informative novel about the first days of the Haitian revolution,an awsome read.Buy this book you won't regret it.

Rating:
Summary: Ominous, powerful, and exotic
Review: I found this an extremely difficult read: I was 16, knew nothing about Haiti's history, and spoke no French. I took nearly three months to finish reading the book, because every so often I had to take a break from the horrific violence Bell portrays. In the end, however, this novel remains one of the most impressive I have ever read, in terms of the way it really made me think. The depths of terror and violence to which Bell's characters resorted shocked me. But I did not lose sight of the novel's bigger picture. Ultimately, I have little sympathy for the book's reviewers who could not see past the novel's violence and complexity. Five tries to get through the book? Try a Dick and Jane reader, then, and come back in a few years.

Rating:
Summary: comprehensible and worthwhile
Review: I found this an extremely difficult read: I was 16, knew nothing about Haiti's history, and spoke no French. I took nearly three months to finish reading the book, because every so often I had to take a break from the horrific violence Bell portrays. In the end, however, this novel remains one of the most impressive I have ever read, in terms of the way it really made me think. The depths of terror and violence to which Bell's characters resorted shocked me. But I did not lose sight of the novel's bigger picture. Ultimately, I have little sympathy for the book's reviewers who could not see past the novel's violence and complexity. Five tries to get through the book? Try a Dick and Jane reader, then, and come back in a few years.

Rating:
Summary: Epic tale of the birth of Haiti.
Review: I read this book because of "Ten Indians" and because I am a history buff. It is nothing like "Ten Indians", except that many scenes are described from the differing viewpoints of several characters. This is a fine historical novel. I learned a lot of new and interesting facts about Haiti's history and people. It was a little slow going at first because of the necessity to look up French words and phrases (in the dictionary provided). If you read French, I think you can get more out of the book. Also, it would have been nice to have a map for orientation as to where events occurred. Overall, a good book and worth the time. I recommend it

Rating:
Summary: Didn't grab me
Review: I started this book ready to be immersed and fascinated. What was it that kept that from happening? No character that really held my interest. Shifting scenes that were hard to hold together. Why didn't I get to know Toussaint, of all people, better through this book? It is indeed an epic, and it does collect evidence for the texture of life of the times. It horrifies, it blasts. But for me, this novel didn't sing

Rating:
Summary: Unnecessarily Gruesome
Review: I suppose I can understand how others could have enjoyed this book - its subject matter is interesting, and it is descriptive and evocative. However, I found all of this atmosphere to be at the cost of character and plot. If you want page-long descriptions of flaying scenes, this is the book for you. If you're more interested in character development and engaging storylines, you'll need to look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Difficult, but worth it
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I have been told by several friends that it was difficult to read, and thinking back I suppose it was, but don't let that keep you from checking out this great book.