The Bottom Line
Song Yet Sung by James McBride is the story of an escaped slave who sees visions of the future in pre-Civil War Maryland. McBride describes the time and place well. He also adds an interesting twist to this piece of historical fiction with references to the 20th century. Despite these strengths, Song Yet Sung failed to capture my attention, and I didn't actually want to keep reading it until the last 100 pages or so.
Pros
- McBride paints a dark and poignant picture of time and place
- The ending pulls several strands together satisfactorily
Cons
- The beginning is VERY hard to get into -- slow and dark.
- He never made me empathize with any of the characters.
- 'Song Yet Sung' was not an enjoyable read.
Description
- 'Song Yet Sung' was published February 5, 2008.
- Publisher: Riverhead
- 368 Pages
Guide Review - 'Song Yet Sung' by James McBride - Book Review
Song Yet Song is titled for part of "the code" that slaves on the Underground Railroad. By the end of the novel, the reader understands what "the song yet sung" is. I was thankful for that clarity because the beginning of the novel is jumbled, confusing and hard to get into. If you are required to read Song Yet Sung, you can take heart in knowing that the seemingly random strands all come together well in the end.
The plot also picks up toward the end, making Song Yet Sung more enjoyable to read. I appreciated the suspense after trudging through the descriptive beginning.
As I read Song Yet Sung, I wondered if it was one of those books that is hard to read, but that would come alive with significance if I studied it in a class. Maybe it is. Unfortunately, I was reading it on my own.
Overall, I would not recommend Song Yet Sung. I have to give it 2.5 stars for the quality of the writing and the creativity of the plot; however, it is not something I would give to a friend.
