If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

Like the blues -- sweet, sad and full of truth -- this masterly work of fiction rocks us with powerful emotions. In it are anger and pain, but above all, love -- affirmative love of a woman for her man, the sustaining love of a black family. Fonny, a talented young artist, finds himself unjustly arrested and locked in New York's infamous tombs. But his girlfriend, Tish, is determined to free him, and to have his baby, in this starkly realisitic tale... a powerful endictment of American concepts of justice and punishment in our time.

If you're going to write a book like this, this is exactly the way to write it :(( ugh
4.5

pretends to be shocked

This is James Baldwin's first work of fiction that I've read and I am wrecked. Not “ugly sobbing at 1am” wrecked, but a much deeper subconscious feeling. When I finished this last night, I had to stare at the ceiling for a little while. Tish and Fonny will stay with me for a long, long time. Part of me wishes this story was longer, but right now, I'm content with it being as long as it is.

I might have Baldwin-fatigue, but I thought this was just ok. I have to say I don't think it's much compared to [b:Another Country 38474 Another Country James Baldwin https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1353255131s/38474.jpg 1427427], [b:Go Tell It on the Mountain 17143 Go Tell It on the Mountain James Baldwin https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348424233s/17143.jpg 1027995], or [b:Giovanni's Room 38462 Giovanni's Room James Baldwin https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1501485157s/38462.jpg 814207] ... which is fine, because those are some damn hard-hitters. It's interesting because this almost feels like one of those novels some hugely successful author wrote before they found success with better, later works. This is the opposite, which makes sense somehow; Baldwin was nothing if not unconventional.