Helpful Score: 5
I'm a little more with the London reviewer of this novel who said "Why would anyone commit these atrocities to paper?" Don't get me wrong, it was an engrossing story, and written in an interesting fashion (the main character is illiterate, and as the story is told in her voice, it begins fairly difficult to read, and ends much more clearly as she learns to read and write), but I found myself thinking "Good Lord, how much more are they going to throw at this kid?" It would be one thing if it were based on a true story, and would certainly live up to its hype as "A powerful story of hope and redemption", but as it stands as a work of fiction, I found it to be horribly depressing and a pretty offensive indictment of the Harlem African-American culture. (If it is based on a true story, I could find no notation of such.) It isn't that Precious is an unsympathetic character, but I'm going to go ahead and doubt that most people have very much in common with her. The story elicited more horror and disgust than anything else from me.
Helpful Score: 5
An excellent and powerful read. Precious is an illiterate sixteen year old who suffers abuse at the hands of her father and mother. Through a teacher, she achieves a improved life away from the abuse and learns to read and write. Explicit language involving the abuse, but a very emotional book.
Helpful Score: 1
This book is difficult to read because of how broken the writing is - but it would not be the same story if it was not written this way. I seen the movie first and went and bought the book right away. Inspiring yet heartwrenching because I know and have seen people in the situation that Precious shows us she overcame.
Helpful Score: 1
Some reviewers wrote that they had difficulty following and/or understanding the writing in the beginning of the book. It was a challenge for me as well, but not impossible to follow. This was a horrendous story and so, so sad. Yet, as the character begins to break out of her circumstances (leaves her parents' abusive home) and begins to learn for the first time in her life, the story grows more and more powerful. Just as the character of Precious Jones grows more and more confident with herself, it illustrates the tremendous improvement in her learning as indicated by the improvement in the writing of the novel itself. A short and incredible read that has so much power. You can't help but cheer her on. Best book I've read in awhile! D.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a pretty good book, with a very sad story, but I didn't think it was all that great. It's basically like the movie. Precious is an uneducated, racist, bigoted, foul-mouthed, and badly abused teenager who gradually tries to piece her life back together for herself and her children. The book is written as though it were written by her as her journal, and so can be hard to read at times. Really, while you have sympathy for her, you also start to want to smack her for the things she says about people. I understand that the point is to show how her hatred and biases work against her without her being able to see it, but I seriously started getting tired of it. So, yes, I felt sorry for what happened to her, but I don't know I'd be reaching out to help anyone who treated me that way. Which, obviously, is the point the author was trying to make. Precious would get a lot more help and do better if she treated others better.
Anyway, an okay book, but not one you really need to bother with if you already saw the movie, since they're virtually alike.
Anyway, an okay book, but not one you really need to bother with if you already saw the movie, since they're virtually alike.
