The Known World

By: Edward P. Jones

Narrated by: Kevin Free

Pulitzer Prize, Fiction, 2004

National Book Critics Circle Award, Fiction, 2004

Henry Townsend, a black farmer, bootmaker, and former slave, has a fondness for Paradise Lost and an unusual mentor, William Robbins, perhaps the most powerful white man in antebellum Virginia's Manchester County. Under Robbins's tutelage, Henry becomes proprietor of his own plantation, as well as of his own slaves. When he dies, his widow Caldonia succumbs to profound grief; and things begin to fall apart: slaves take to escaping under the cover of night, and families who had once found love beneath the weight of slavery begin to betray one another. Beyond the Townsend estate, the known world also unravels: low-paid white patrollers stand watch as slave "speculators" sell free black people into slavery; and rumor of slave rebellions set white families against slaves who have served them for years.

An ambitious, luminously written novel that ranges seamlessly between the past and future and back again to the present, The Known World weaves together the lives of freed and enslaved blacks, whites, and Indians, and allows all of us a deeper understanding of the enduring multidimensional world created by the institution of slavery.

©2003 Edward P. Jones (P)2003 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, 2005

"A masterpiece that deserves a place in the American literary canon." (Time)

"This remarkable novel, winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award and short-listed for the National Book Award, deserves all the acclaim it has won and then some, especially in this flawless rendition.... Kevin Free's narration is so accomplished that when a woman character speaks, you utterly forget that she does it through a man's voice. He gives each character color, personality, and heft, without ever vamping or straining for effect. The novel bears comparison with Trollope and Faulkner, and Kevin Free's performance of it is in the same league." (AudioFile)

"A complex, often startling picture of life in the region....[Jones'] narrative achieves crushing momentum through sheer accumulation of detail, unusual historical insight, and generous character writing." (Publishers Weekly)

"Jones has written a book of tremendous moral intricacy." (The New Yorker)

Fascinating and extraordinary.

eye opening to learn the horrific lives people lived in this period of time. Extremely hard to understand a race of people could think and behave in such a manner.

Fascinating Story ...

Fascinating story with rich characters brought to life by Kevin Free. Listen - intently.

Great atmosphere… But challenging to follow.

Please read this book for your own education! But I’ll be the first to admit I had trouble following the story because it jumps back-and-forth decades and generations without much warning, and has hundreds of characters which are therefore difficult to keep straight in your mind. I think the way to approach this book is to appreciate it for its exploration of the overall atmosphere of race relations in the south and as an exploration of the personal dynamics that can arise in the context of such bizarre and contradictory institutions as black slavery, and a black slave owning class. Fantastic performance by the reader.

Would be a great book if I can follow it

First the bad news... The book is hard to follow. There are too many characters (which in itself is not that bad)... but the constant shifting between timeframes and characters makes it hard to follow. It took me until well pass the half way point before I can start to follow it ;-(
The good news is that it is actually a very good story. The characters had a lot of depth; and it provides a good glimpse into the world of slavery.
So at the end of the day, 1 star off for a story that do much bouncing around. Otherwise, could have been a 4 (if not 5 star) book.

FIVE STARS

If you are looking for light, simple reading - don't read this book.

BUT, IF YOU WANT a truly quality read that gives you insight into a world you might never have known, you HAVE TO READ!! It's got depth of characters, love, action, adventure, fear, worry .... and it makes you think about today.

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

Powerful and boring

In some ways this is a story which really moves the listener, unfortunatly it's couched in prose which is not particularly thrilling. The person who said this book meanders, is right on target.

Incredible

Such a wonderful surprise. The depth of the characters is a plus. This book is history and fiction. The Known World joins my list of best read. I cried, laughed, and rejoiced.

I liked the interconnectivity of the characters.

The social and interpersonal complexities drew me in as I tried to understand each character. Their choices or lack thereof were sometimes painful and sometimes painted the many shades of gray that exist throughout history.

A Fascinating World

Very few people, black or white, would be familiar with this world since it is set in a world of slavery prior to the American Civil war and deals with *black* slave owners. That in itself is a fascinating backdrop that Edward P. Jones masterful utilizes along with the black dialect of the time. The author creates a richly textured story around multiple, intertwined lives within the *known world* that exists largely within the microcosm of the plantation and at most Manchester county. Without making too many proclamations about good and evil (which would have made it a bland read) Edward P. Jones creates characters that are not cleanly delineated or labeled much like real-life where people have their many shaded complexities. The only criticism I have is that it is difficult to follow the numerous characters as they are first introduced. The story does weave in and out of plots so you need to get used to this approach early on. Once you do, it's a great ride that keeps moving forward.

The Know World

This is a unique story written in a unique way. The author weaves a very mesmorizing story with unforgettable characters in an historic tale I was enthralled with!