How does one respond to the events of a traumatic past? How does one face hatred and prejudice? Is the response one of resilience or revenge?
The Rib King tells the story of an unassuming groundskeeper, a cook, a maid and three orphan boys who find themselves working for the same household. Through a series of events, including the invention of a rib sauce, their lives are changed forever - though not necessarily for the better. This book attempts to provide thought provoking discussions on race and class.
There were aspects of this book that I enjoyed, such as the vivid and dynamic characters and interesting choice of historical setting. The book was written in a way that gives just enough detail while still allowing the reader to set the scene in their mind.
Getting through the book felt like a slow and somewhat unrewarding climb. For the first half I kept wondering when something interesting would happen. I found myself mentally calculating the number of pages left in each unnecessarily long chapter. Once I got to the second half of the book I was surprised by the seemingly mad rush to the ending.
I felt like the author had an interesting concept, but did not fully flesh it out. There was so much more that could have been explored - especially in the light of current events. But the meandering of the first half of the book took time away from deep exploration. I was expecting more and was disappointed by the result as so many of my questions were left unanswered.
The Rib King tells the story of an unassuming groundskeeper, a cook, a maid and three orphan boys who find themselves working for the same household. Through a series of events, including the invention of a rib sauce, their lives are changed forever - though not necessarily for the better. This book attempts to provide thought provoking discussions on race and class.
There were aspects of this book that I enjoyed, such as the vivid and dynamic characters and interesting choice of historical setting. The book was written in a way that gives just enough detail while still allowing the reader to set the scene in their mind.
Getting through the book felt like a slow and somewhat unrewarding climb. For the first half I kept wondering when something interesting would happen. I found myself mentally calculating the number of pages left in each unnecessarily long chapter. Once I got to the second half of the book I was surprised by the seemingly mad rush to the ending.
I felt like the author had an interesting concept, but did not fully flesh it out. There was so much more that could have been explored - especially in the light of current events. But the meandering of the first half of the book took time away from deep exploration. I was expecting more and was disappointed by the result as so many of my questions were left unanswered.