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Summary: Good exposition, poor ending
Review: I believe that this book was well written. I enjoyed the book until the end of the book when the shootout begins. I think that Mr.. Gaines rushed too many events into the short ending. This book is by a far a great one, but I believe more time could have been spent on the ending.
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Summary: I think the end could have been better.
Review: The book was preetty good over all but the end should have been a little better
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Summary: This novel offers insight on many difficult human issues.
Review: In this Ernest J. Gaines classic, numerous topics such as racial differences, pride, integrity, and dignity and adressed in a manner which is both pleasing and appropriate. Presented in an accurate dialect, the reader is swiftly carried into the setting of the story. While the narrator's voice shifts from one charaters' point of view to another's, the story flows easilly with continuity. Set in a typical 1970's sugarcane plantation, normalities are disrupted by an unordinary series of events. A Cajun man is murdered, and instead of having to search for the culprit, the sheriff is left with an even greater problem. Fifteen black men, all of whom are witnesses and suspects, each admit to comitting the crime. With all of these armed men claiming to be the murderer, it is impossible to determine the actual criminal. The affluent late Cajun's father launches a campaign to aid in finding the true culprit. This simple revolt against the whites provides an oppurtunity for the character of each person to become more clearly defined. The plot continues to dig into tones of humor, serenity, and reality, which result in the creation of a true Amercan classic. Gaines has tackled a few significant struggles which lie at the pit of every man's heart in this stellar novel.
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Summary: student who read the novel
Review: This book was ok. In the novel I didn't sense any real racial tension that was supposed to be there. The book doesn't just get to the point it sort of plays around and that lost my intrest. But for the most part I liked it!
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Summary: Classroom teachers take note
Review: "A Gathering of Old Men" makes for intense discussions about Afrocentricity, African American history, and southern violence. The humor appeals to young readers, as well as mature audiences. I have taught this book for years in college courses and want to hear from others who have assigned it.
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Summary: AN AMERICAN CLASSIC!
Review: This is one of the most powerful, moving, intense novels that I've ever read. I saw Ernest Gaines on Oprah and found him to be an intelligent , well spoken man. After reading this book I think he's one terrific author. The story takes place on a plantation where a white man has been killed. The white woman that lives on the plantation and has the local older African-American man to shoot there guns and claim they did the shooting. When the town sherrif comes to investigate, Fifteen of the men were tell why they would commit such a crime, and there explanations revel secrets that will shock and cause others to examine there own inner pains and struggle. Ernest Gaines weaves this book like a beautiful tapestry. I felt with each chapter I was in these characters minds and felt there emotions. Ernest J. Gaines has written a novel that I put on my all time favorate lists and I hope that others will to.
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Summary: Wonderful Story!!
Review: " A Gathering Of Old Men" is a touching story about race set in 1970s Louisiana. This tale is about older black men finally standing up for all the wrongdoings of those particular white people who have not considered them worthy human beings. This book will make you angry, it will make you laugh, maybe even bring a tear or two to your eyes. Ernest Gaines is a wonderful writer. This is only the second work I've read from Gaines while others may have discovered him a long time ago. I say better late than never. Read this, you won't be disappointed.
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Summary: A GATHERING OF OLD MEN
Review: Ernest J. Gaines brings a 1970's Louisiana plantation to life in A Gathering of Old Men. A Cajun man, Beau Boutan, lies dead on a black man's farm and Mapes, a white sheriff, must solve this unusual racial dilemma. In addition to the main suspect, there are seventeen old black men with shotguns and one Cajun lady who all confess to the murder. As the day progresses, Mapes presses to find the culprit by whatever means he has at his disposal, often resorting to corporal punishment. During this time, we can see three strong forces in the plot, all consenting and opposing each other's opinions and points of view: Candy, being a Cajun and a lady, is pushed aside as the killer in the "investigation" by Mapes; the old, black men, who are proving to both themselves and to others that, in their old age, they can still present a force to be reckoned with, and Mapes himself, who acts the tough sheriff until time comes down to the wire to uncover the murderer of Fix Boutan's son.
A Gathering of Old Men brings out the racial tension of the Deep South, but at the same time, shows the reader that a most unsuspecting bond can form at any time. Ernest J. Gaines cleverly intertwines the numerous characters, making their use of the local dialect an integral part of his story telling. The colorful and expressive dialog replaces the need for lengthy descriptions of people and settings. The fascinating and unpredictable story line makes this a great novel, one that is hard to put down.
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Summary: A Gathering of Old Men
Review: "A Gathering of Old Men" is a great novel by Ernest J Gaines who again so vividly captures the prejudice in the south in the 1970's. The book focuses on racial issues of the Southern United States, and also the companionship between friends and the strength of family. Like I said the book takes place in Louisiana in 1970 and starts off with a killing of a Cajun farm worker, Beau Boutan. One of the black workers, Mathu, states that he's killed Beau. Candy, the Cajun owner of the farm says that Mathu is just protecting her, yet no one believes her. All the black men from the surrounding plantations come and state they have killed Beau too....or they just as much a reason to. Clatoo leads the black men to the plantation with their empty shotguns each of them trying to prove a point to themselves as well as to the whit community. The Sheriff, Mapes, arrived to meet them and figure out who he is going to take to jail, while also trying to radio to his deputy to keep Fix at home. Fix is Beau's father and notorious for organizing lynching mobs against blacks. Each chapter of the story is told by each character, including the black men, the sheriff and everyone in between. Giving us insight and history of Black Pride and how its formed. It gives a strong feeling of community and maturity. It shows how the South is changing, as well as the black community. "A Gathering of Old Men" by Ernest J Gaines is a great book to read and I highly recommend it. Gaines' vivid descriptions throughout the book makes you think you are there. You can feel the apprehension and frustration of the characters, as well as see the southern countryside through his words. His unique style of writing the book, telling the story from different points of view., from the good people and the bad people, the young and old. Gaines' new style along with the vivid description make this a must read book.
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Summary: old men, indeed
Review: A Gathering of Old Men, set in 1970s Louisiana, is one of the richest and most powerful novels about race relations written in the last few decades. It's really a simple story that could be told fairly quickly, but the event upon which the novel is based is in some ways peripheral to the story. The whole point of the novel is to pry deeply into the hearts and minds of men, both black and white, reveal the pains and struggles that each of them has either dealt out or dealt with, and to reveal the poignant humanity in a group of brave old men who have essentially counted for nothing in their own minds and are determined to take advantage of one last opportunity to stand up for themselves, their friends and families, and their ancestors. Beau Boutan is dead, lying out in the weeds beside his shotgun, and everyone knows who killed him. He was shot in Mathu's yard, and Mathu is the only black man on the place that has ever stood up for himself against the Boutans. By the time Sheriff Mapes arrives on the scene, the situation is far from simple, though. Eighteen old black men are assembled in the yard, each with a shotgun and an empty shell of the type that cut Beau down, and each one of them says he killed Beau. Candy is there, the white lady half-raised by old Mathu after her parents were killed, and she is determined to defend Mathu and all of the blacks on her land the way her parents and grandparents defended them in the past. She says she killed Beau and will confess the crime in court. Mapes has a problem on his hands. Fix Boutan, the dead man's father, is sure to come down to the quarters seeking revenge, and there is bound to be a lynching if Mapes can't get everything straightened out before Fix has time to get there. All the old black men gathered in the yard are there because of Fix. Each one of them has lived a long time without ever really standing up for himself; they've all taken abuse quietly, and they have seen their women and children abused right in front of their eyes for what seems like forever. Now, they see they have a last chance to stand up for themselves against Fix and his cruel gang. They have come for a fight, and no one is going to talk them out of it. Gaines gives us multiple points of view in this novel. Each chapter is related in first person by one of the characters, and the results are incredibly revealing. We learn a great deal about these men, the lives they have led, and their own feelings about those lives. It's really quite intense and revealing. This is not a story of racial hatred, however, despite the fact that a number of white characters have led hateful lives. Twenty years earlier, Fix Boutan would have been revenged his boy's murder without even thinking about it, and this is the Fix Boutan the old black men expect and indeed hope to take their stand against. Times are changing, though, and the younger generation, men such as Beau's brother Gil, don't think the same way that the older generations do. Thus, there is as much hope as anguish in this novel. To some degree, not a lot happens in terms of action over the course of the story, so some may find the reading a little long and boring, but even those who don't fully appreciate the human dimensions of the story will be rewarded by the path the final chapters take and the action that does take place toward the end. I have to say that Ernest J. Gaines proves himself to be an incredible writer, able to communicate thoughts, feelings, and history itself in a manner most writers can never hope to match. A Gathering of Old Men isn't overly complex or lengthy, so there is no reason why anyone should deny himself or herself the pleasure of enjoying and learning from this true landmark of a novel.
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