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In one of the most acclaimed novels in recent memory, Edward P. Jones, two-time National Book Award finalist, tells the Pulitzer Prize-winning story of Henry Townsend, a black farmer and former slave who is now a slave owner in Manchester County, Virginia. Making certain he never circumvents the law; Townsend runs his affairs with unusual discipline. In a daring and ambitious novel, Jones weaves a footnote of history into an epic that takes an unflinching look at slavery in all of its moral complexities. ''A masterpiece that deserves a place in the American literary canon.''-Time Freshman Common Read: Kalamazoo College
Commentaire
"'The Known World' is a great novel, one that may eventually be placed with the best of American Literature." - San Diego Union-Tribune
"Fascinating...poignant....[A] complex and fine novel." - Baltimore Sun
"Heartbreaking....fascinating." - Newsweek
"Brilliant....Glorious....[The Known World] belongs on the shelf with other classics of slavery, like Toni Morrison's "Beloved." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Jones has written a book of tremendous moral intricacy." - The New Yorker
" An exemplar of historical fiction. . . [it] will subdue your preconceptions, enrich your perceptions and trouble your sleep.. . .The way Jones tells this story. . .recalls Cormac McCarthy, William Faulkner and Gabriel Garcia Marquez." - Newsday
"If Jones. . .keeps up this level of work, he'll equal the best fiction Toni Morrison has written about being black in America." - Speakeasy
"To the extent that [Toni] Morrison spun a surreal tale of American slavery into mythic proportions, Jones has carved a companion series of stark anecdotes into national legends....A stunning portrait of moral confusion....Jones has a kind of biblical style that suggests whole lives in a few stark details" - Christian Science Monitor
" An exemplar of historical fiction. . . [it] will subdue your preconceptions, enrich your perceptions and trouble your sleep.. . .The way Jones tells this story. . .recalls Cormac McCarthy, William Faulkner and Gabriel Garcia Marquez." - Starred Library Journal
"Breathtaking....A fascinating counterweight to Toni Morrison's Beloved....It is essential reading." - Entertainment Weekly
"Stunning....His first novel is...likely to win acclaim." - New York Times
"A stunning debut novel." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"A strong, intricate, daring book by a writer of deep compassion and uncommon gifts." - Peter Matthiessen
"Astonishingly rich. . .The particulars and consequences of the 'right' of humans to own other humans are dramatized with unprecedented ingenuity and intensity, in a harrowing tale that scarcely ever raises its voice. . . . It should be a major prize contender." - Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"A grand and inspired work of historical fiction. . .[It] deserves every word of praise that comes its way." - Chicago Tribune Books
"A masterpiece that deserves a place in the American literary canon." - Time magazine
"Heartrending....[The Known World] walks with the pace and solemnity of the Bible." - Dallas Morning News
"[A] powerful, multigenerational saga." - Chicago Tribune Books
"Magnificent...Deeply felt and exquisitely executed, The Known World seems destined for a permanent spot on the...shelf of great American novels about slavery, next to Toni Morrison's Beloved and William Faulkner's Absalom! Absalom!" - Boston Globe
"Destined for a permanent spot on the...shelf of great American novels about slavery, next to Morrison...and Faulkner." - Boston Globe
"A masterpiece that deserves a place in the American literary canon." - Time
"Exceptional. . . .an achievement of epic scope and architectural construction." - New York Times Book Review
"Complex, beautifully written, and breathtaking...the book will knock the wind out of you with the depth of its compassion." - QBR: The Black Book Review
"Jones has written a book of tremendous moral intricacy." - The New Yorker
"An incredible saga." - Essence
"Stunning....Pitch-perfect....Too much cannot be said about Mr. Jones gifts as a storyteller and a stylist." - The Washington Times
"A major achievement." - Time Out New York
