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There are currently 13 member reviews
for Half-Blood Blues
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Carol J. (Isle, MN)
Jazz in the time of Hitler
What an enlightening book regarding a topic that is rarely discussed. Edugyan provides an interesting insight to the world on Berlin and Paris in 1939-1940. What is one's life like if you are black and a jazz musician, both of which were verboten in that time. How does one behave when just who you are puts at risk. How do you treat your friends, who also put your life at risk?
The style of the book, with the jazz slang, deprivation during their time in Berlin and Paris, and the pervasive fear made for slow reading at times, but did succeed in putting you in the time.
This would be an interesting book club book, could generate and interesting discussion.
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Janice C. (Hayward, CA)
HalfBlood Blues
I found myself really drawn to this book in the first few chapters. It was a little slow at times. Edugyan is a passionate writer. It was very interesting reading about musicians during this era. I was drawn more to the music aspect than the characters. The ending was a little disappointing. Would I recommend it to my Book Club? I never gave much thought to Afro-Germans during the Nazi takeover of Paris, this book prompted me to do a little research. I liked the jive kind of language, it made me feel more connected to the characters.
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Carolyn L. (Cincinnati, OH)
Jazz, Germans and Being Black
Imagine being in Berlin and then Paris in 1939. Then imagine being a black man who is German and several black Americans all trying to play jazz in these two cities as the war nears. All the Hot Time Swingers (a German American band) wanted to do was play music.
This novel weaves a tale between survival in 1939 and a documentary that was being unveiled in 1992. This novel unwraps the story how a group of jazz musicians had to consider their own lives, the lives of their fellow musicians and surviving an ever growing presence of Nazi's in 1939.
This novel is a peek into a side of pre-WWII that most of us have not considered.
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Cathy R. (Scottsdale, AZ)
You gotta like jazz
I had a hard time with this book. Maybe it's because I have read so much on this period or maybe because I'm not a strong jazz lover. It ebbed and flowed but definitely worth reading.
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Mary S. (Bow, NH)
I love the blues - this book...meh
The dialogue in Half-Blood Blues is what makes the book worth reading. The story had ebbs and flows, making the book a bit tedious a some points, but slogging through those low points was rewarded by the high points. Throughout it is the dialogue and the capture of the times, reflected through the eyes of African-American jazz players, that provides the most enjoyment.
For people who enjoy historical fiction, this will give you a new look at Germany and France at the beginning of WWII.
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Kathy M. (Neptune Beach, Florida)
Half-Blood Blues
I have read many wonderful reviews of this book but unfortunately I can't agree. The plot developed very slowly and the slang they used was very unfamilar. I normally enjoy this type of novel immensely but this one just wasn't for me.
