Social Sciences
![Edward P. Jones - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B000APXUPM.jpg)
The Known World
From National Book Award-nominated author Edward P. Jones comes a debut novel of stunning emotional depth and unequaled literary power
Henry Townsend, a farmer, boot maker, and former slave, through the surprising twists and unforeseen turns of life in antebellum Virginia, becomes proprietor of his own plantation―as well his own slaves. When he dies, his widow Caldonia succumbs to profound grief, and things begin to fall apart at their plantation: slaves take to escaping under the cover of night, and families who had once found love under the weight of slavery begin to betray one another. Beyond the Townsend household, the known world also unravels: low-paid white patrollers stand watch as slave "speculators" sell free black people into slavery, and rumors of slave rebellions set white families against slaves who have served them for years.
An ambitious, courageous, luminously written masterwork, The Known World seamlessly weaves the lives of the freed and the enslaved―and allows all of us a deeper understanding of the enduring multidimensional world created by the institution of slavery. The Known World not only marks the return of an extraordinarily gifted writer, it heralds the publication of a remarkable contribution to the canon of American classic literature.
Henry Townsend, a farmer, boot maker, and former slave, through the surprising twists and unforeseen turns of life in antebellum Virginia, becomes proprietor of his own plantation―as well his own slaves. When he dies, his widow Caldonia succumbs to profound grief, and things begin to fall apart at their plantation: slaves take to escaping under the cover of night, and families who had once found love under the weight of slavery begin to betray one another. Beyond the Townsend household, the known world also unravels: low-paid white patrollers stand watch as slave "speculators" sell free black people into slavery, and rumors of slave rebellions set white families against slaves who have served them for years.
An ambitious, courageous, luminously written masterwork, The Known World seamlessly weaves the lives of the freed and the enslaved―and allows all of us a deeper understanding of the enduring multidimensional world created by the institution of slavery. The Known World not only marks the return of an extraordinarily gifted writer, it heralds the publication of a remarkable contribution to the canon of American classic literature.
Editorial Reviews
"Jones has written a book of tremendous moral intricacy." -- The New Yorker
"A masterpiece that deserves a place in the American literary canon." -- Time
"Breathtaking....A fascinating counterweight to Toni Morrison's Beloved....It is essential reading." -- Entertainment Weekly
" 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
" 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
"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 stunning debut novel." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Fascinating...poignant....[A] complex and fine novel." -- Baltimore Sun
"A strong, intricate, daring book by a writer of deep compassion and uncommon gifts." -- Peter Matthiessen
"Stunning....His first novel is...likely to win acclaim." -- New York Times
"If Jones. . .keeps up this level of work, he'll equal the best fiction Toni Morrison has written about being black in America." -- Speakeasy
"One of those rare works of fiction that both wound and heal." -- O Magazine
"'The Known World' is a great novel, one that may eventually be placed with the best of American Literature." -- San Diego Union-Tribune
"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
"Fascinating . . .There is grief and fear, genuine affection an envy in this complex and fine novel." -- Philadelphia Inquirer
"A major achievement." -- Time Out New York
"Extraordinary.....Nothing...quite prepares readers for the imaginative leaps and technical prowess of ‘The Known World.'" -- Seattle Times
"A profoundly beautiful and insightful look at American slavery and human nature." -- Booklist (starred)
"Vivid....[An] epic novel." -- Book Magazine
"Beautifully written . . .[it] ought to enjoy the massive readership that Charles Frazier's runaway hit, Cold Mountain did." -- USA Today
"Brilliant...Jones' novel movingly evokes one small landscape of a larger map that so stubbornly yi...
"A masterpiece that deserves a place in the American literary canon." -- Time
"Breathtaking....A fascinating counterweight to Toni Morrison's Beloved....It is essential reading." -- Entertainment Weekly
" 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
" 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
"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 stunning debut novel." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Fascinating...poignant....[A] complex and fine novel." -- Baltimore Sun
"A strong, intricate, daring book by a writer of deep compassion and uncommon gifts." -- Peter Matthiessen
"Stunning....His first novel is...likely to win acclaim." -- New York Times
"If Jones. . .keeps up this level of work, he'll equal the best fiction Toni Morrison has written about being black in America." -- Speakeasy
"One of those rare works of fiction that both wound and heal." -- O Magazine
"'The Known World' is a great novel, one that may eventually be placed with the best of American Literature." -- San Diego Union-Tribune
"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
"Fascinating . . .There is grief and fear, genuine affection an envy in this complex and fine novel." -- Philadelphia Inquirer
"A major achievement." -- Time Out New York
"Extraordinary.....Nothing...quite prepares readers for the imaginative leaps and technical prowess of ‘The Known World.'" -- Seattle Times
"A profoundly beautiful and insightful look at American slavery and human nature." -- Booklist (starred)
"Vivid....[An] epic novel." -- Book Magazine
"Beautifully written . . .[it] ought to enjoy the massive readership that Charles Frazier's runaway hit, Cold Mountain did." -- USA Today
"Brilliant...Jones' novel movingly evokes one small landscape of a larger map that so stubbornly yi...
Readers Top Reviews
Hazel PageJim W.-
I am struggling reading this book. There are so many characters that it is hard to follow plus it is written in a way that the black race spoke in the 18th century. I am hoping that shortly it will become easier to read and I can enjoy it.
Moodleprof
I've been reading through the 'Best Books of the Century' and puzzled at a couple of them. But Edward P Jones is an astonishing storyteller who captured me from the outset of this epic tale. His style means you can almost hear him narrate, even down to his 'interrupted' timeline when he suddenly remembers something to tell us (I loved when I am reading something he has told the reader before). The Known World describes a place and the characters that exist within it; one that will stay with me for a long time - I feel like I've almost been there! Brilliant book.
Adnan SoysalFeFe
After reading about the story of the book, I was excited. It is about a slave who gets free, and later gets his own slaves before the civil war in America. But it was a disappointment. It could be a great story, but not an enjoyable reading. This author also fell into trap of logical sentence construction with words, instead of writing something that can be read with enjoyment. Couldn't proceed after page 20.
Thomas MoodyPlubius
Truly a brilliant work when viewed in its proper literary context, this book has often been overtly characterized as revolutionary when considered in narrative fictional character development and depiction. A longstanding standard to episodic excellence, it is also usually cited as an emotional qualifier, connecting the brilliance of the pen to the heart. Indeed it is difficult to find even one character within these pages who does not possess a deeply connected emotive base…but oftentimes this attribute becomes the book’s major burden. In my view, there were just too many moments that I found individual personality expansion to be at the expense of the overall story. This novel centers largely around one Henry Townsend, a former slave who garners his freedom and becomes owner of his own southern anti-bellum plantation and, curiously, master to a number of his own slaves. That theme becomes the central agenda in which Jones builds all subsequent tangents…each character and their individual story then expands from this notion and Jones attempts to scrutinize the impact of this 1850’s cultural phenomenon. My feeling though is that this novel suffers from a variety of faults; the most obvious being this heavily induced character expansion. Paragraph after paragraph go into almost meaningless dialogue between individuals or, most often, descriptions of latent aspects of Moses’ or Elias’ or Minervas’ peculiarities as they diverge and contrast upon approach or exit from each scene. I also suffered with a mind-numbing of “time-travel” occasions where Jones visited the characters in the past and/or the future. These excursions, again, provided no useful subplot, only to personify the individual that he was describing…this became a sort of Catch-22 to the reader; useful for character depth but utterly wasteful as a storyline tool. And again that is this book’s utter dichotomy…literally useless as a readable novel storyline but yet brilliant in its construct. I can honestly say that I’ve never read anything like this…and as you can probably tell, am torn as to how to adequately review it. Suffice it to say that this work has probably fallen into the class and readership that it belongs…intellectuals and college classrooms. Since I am neither, I nevertheless do count myself fortunate to have indulged if for nothing else than the brilliant literary stylings. Perhaps I’m not expanded enough but I also found it to be a rather tough slog and would certainly not recommend it to the reader who is looking for an enjoyable read.
