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Publisher:
Harper Audio |
Release
Date: August 2003 |
ISBN:
0-06-056943-3 |
Awards:
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Format
Reviewed: Audio Cassette |
Buy
it at Amazon |
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Literary Fiction |
Reviewed:
2004 |
Reviewer:
Jo Rogers |
Reviewer Notes: Violence,
Language, Sexual Situations - AA interests
Today Show Book Club # 17
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The
Known World
By Edward
P. Jones
The
Known World is a story of slaves and slavery before the Civil
War. It begins with the death of Henry Townsend, a black plantation
owner who was also a slave owner. He had been a slave himself until
his father bought his freedom. Augustus Townsend never understood
why Henry would buy others of his own color and not set them free.
Henry
had another mentor besides his father. William Robbins was perhaps
the most powerful man in Manchester County, Virginia. He had owned
Henry and his parents. Augustus made furniture and carved walking
sticks to earn money to buy his own freedom. That done, he made
payments to Robbins until his wife, Mildred, was purchased and was
also free. Next he bought Henry and freed him.
Henry
had learned the cobbler's trade while he was still Robbins' slave.
With the money he earned he not only made a good living, he saved
money and soon bought his land from Robbins. Then, even before he
had a wife, he bought his first slave--a man named Moses. Moses
was with him as long as he lived.
The
story jumps back and forth from the past to the present to the future.
Though it makes several jumps, there is never a roughness to the
story. Mr. Jones doesn't leave any loose ends. He tells what happens
to each of the men and women involved in the story. Not all of the
characters come to a happy end, though most do.
The
Known World is a long book--fifteen hours of listening--but
it is more than worth the time and effort. It is so well written,
I would not be surprised if it one day takes its place among the
classics with Uncle Tom's Cabin, Gone With the Wind
and other books of that caliber.
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