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Summary: Linden Hills is a frightening flip side of "making it".
Review: Linden Hills is a timeless book about "success", andthe frightening consequences of selling out to "the highestbidder". The story portrays the tragically successful neighborhood of Linden Hills, 3 generations deep in Black progess and the American dream. But now, as Luther Nedeed tries to keep up his father's and grandfather's traditions in the modern times, it becomes fragmented and falls apart. Now, instead of requiring only the work of the residents, Linden Hills wants their very dreams and souls: A young lawyer must give up the love of his life for a sham of a marriage, a preacher gives up the word of God for power and pretention, a young businesswoman lets the world tell her what's important instead of looking inside herself until it's too late. And 2 young men from both sides of the tracks discover the horrid reality and lead to its demise as they work their way through the neighborhood for holiday spending money. Incredible, prophetic, educa! ting book.!!!READ IT!!!!
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Summary: Too involved for me.
Review: LINDEN HILLS was a very involved novel that bordered on lost and found. I was lost on several chapters and found my way back in the next. The story of blacks who made it and the blacks who hadn't was a good one, however, the point would have been better if it hadn't dragged on for so long with filler chapters and constant talking between the lines. Still, only if you have the time to kill, should you give it a try.
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Summary: Too involved for me.
Review: LINDEN HILLS was a very involved novel that bordered on lost and found. I was lost on several chapters and found my way back in the next. The story of blacks who made it and the blacks who hadn't was a good one, however, the point would have been better if it hadn't dragged on for so long with filler chapters and constant talking between the lines. Still, only if you have the time to kill, should you give it a try.
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Summary: Another Complex Book By Gloria Naylor
Review: Linden Hills, like Bailey's Café, is yet another complex book that I would not put in the "easy-to-read" category. Gloria Naylor definitely challenges her readers to keep up with her and, at times, I found myself unclear as to what I was reading. Since I've never been into poetry much, some of the poetry in the book had me TOTALLY lost and I also found myself re-reading a lot of the passages that pertained to Mrs. Nedeed. I've become convinced that Gloria's goal is to DEPRESS her readers because there just doesn't seem to be much happiness in ANY of her books. Mama Day is about as close as she'll probably ever come to a "happy" book and even it had sadness in it. With all of that said, I must admit that I found myself totally drawn into this story and I found myself fascinated by the residents of Linden Hills.
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Summary: Another Complex Book By Gloria Naylor
Review: Linden Hills, like Bailey's Café, is yet another complex book that I would not put in the "easy-to-read" category. Gloria Naylor definitely challenges her readers to keep up with her and, at times, I found myself unclear as to what I was reading. Since I've never been into poetry much, some of the poetry in the book had me TOTALLY lost and I also found myself re-reading a lot of the passages that pertained to Mrs. Nedeed. I've become convinced that Gloria's goal is to DEPRESS her readers because there just doesn't seem to be much happiness in ANY of her books. Mama Day is about as close as she'll probably ever come to a "happy" book and even it had sadness in it. With all of that said, I must admit that I found myself totally drawn into this story and I found myself fascinated by the residents of Linden Hills.
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Summary: A Complex Novel Based on Dante's Inferno
Review: Naylor's work is genius, but to truly enjoy it, readers must first check out Dante's Inferno. Linden Hills parallels this book, describing the nine levels of Hell that exist in the African-American suburb. Naylor takes the readers through each level, getting closer to the final and most evil level, where Luther resides. Linden Hills is a complex novel incorporating African-Americans' struggles with the American dream, accepting inevitable evils that accompany the search for this dream, and the lengths people go to for power and wealth. Many readers say this book is depressing, however, to fully understand the purpose and meaning of it, you must read Dante's Inferno.
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Summary: A Complex Novel Based on Dante's Inferno
Review: Naylor's work is genius, but to truly enjoy it, readers must first check out Dante's Inferno. Linden Hills parallels this book, describing the nine levels of Hell that exist in the African-American suburb. Naylor takes the readers through each level, getting closer to the final and most evil level, where Luther resides. Linden Hills is a complex novel incorporating African-Americans' struggles with the American dream, accepting inevitable evils that accompany the search for this dream, and the lengths people go to for power and wealth. Many readers say this book is depressing, however, to fully understand the purpose and meaning of it, you must read Dante's Inferno.
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Summary: STAY REAL AND KEEP THE CROSSOVER....
Review: This novel is a harrowing, breathtaking description of what can happen when individuals allow their dreams to become deferred to someone or something other than themselves and how it kills their souls in the process. The central character, Luther Nedeed (all 3 of them), is a sinister and pathetic vampire of a man who sucks the life out of all around him by twisting their desires around, making them seem contrary to what they actually want and he dances around in their ashes...his fate is all too deserved. For deep, delicious story-telling with a moral, this book has all that you need, and you'll learn from the characters and the scenarios and the process. Ecellent, excellent story that you will never forget.
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Summary: A Genuine Classic on Social Class
Review: This novel stands far above most contemporary American literature. It's an intricate, smoothly allegorical warning about the dangers of climbing our society's class ladder. The network of allegorical symbolism works beautifully. And, along with that, the characters are highly credible as human beings whose thoughts and feelings deserve our sympathy. Except those dastardly Luther Nedeeds, of course, whose devil-like natures make them perfect, yet also perfectly tempting, occupants of the lowest circle of Naylor's Inferno. If you find this novel confusing at first, stick with it--the whole structure, a visit downward through various contemporary temptations and their potential costs--will become clear soon enough. Love, love, and love--that's where this book finally finds salvation. (Great companion piece: Where We Stand: Class Matters, by bell hooks.)
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Summary: Shocking! Explosive! Gritty and Compelling
Review: This was the second novel of Gloria Naylor's that was assigned to me by Dr.Taylor-Thompson(Texas Southern U.) and at first I found it to be a strange and complex book. I often talked with Dr.Thompson to make sure I was getting the point. To my surprise I was and started to enjoy the book once I realized what was going on. The story I've been told mirrors that of Amiri Baraka's(LeRoi Jones)Dante's Inferno, which I also plan to read.What I found so compelling about this story was how the residence seem to believe they were nothing if they didn't live on certain streets within Linden Hills, an affluent African American suburb. They were educated, money hunger and strange all in one. Willie the main character and narrator, along with his bestfriend Lester take us on a journey beyond the walls of these strange peoples homes and into their lives for an unforgettable experience. They introduce us to people like Luther Nedeed, Willa Prescott-Nedeed, Xavier Donnell, Rev.Michael T.Hollis and Laurel Dumont to name a few. What the story reveals is greed, the need for power and more power and the hierachy of what they believed life to truly be. I'm planning and looking forward to reading this book again. Naylor's style of writing maybe complex at first but, you'll soon get over that and find the book very thought-provoking. You'll then be hooked ready to read her other wondeful novels. I recommend this book to all, especially english teachers in middle school and beyond for their students
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