Moving.

The narrator is exquisite. The story is touching, heartbreaking and informative. It is a shameful part of American history that is told in a way that moves and encourages understanding.
Highly recommend.

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pretty good

The author was a bit long winded for my taste... lots of unnecessary background information I thought. it's a hard read with all the cruelty but very eye opening at the same time. overall pretty good if you like stories from the slave days.

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Disturbing and very informative

Racism is a horrible thing. A must listen.
I was so ignorant to history until this book. So thankful I am a Canadian.

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The Underground Railroad

This book made me realize just how extensive the Underground Railroad was.. I had always thought it was a system of paths and trails through the brush and swamps. There were freed slaves and abolushionists who arranged and led slaves to freedom following those routes. What a lot of work the unknown builders did in order to create those railroads and to have to fill in ones that were discovered was another huge job.

The cruelty of the slave owners and the slave hunters was terrible. I thought most were caring and kind but this book portrays the opposite. I enjoyed listening to Cora’s flight to freedom and her relationships as she moved further away from her slave owner. Did she stay in St Louis or go on to California?

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The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Rating: 6.48/10

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Rating: 6.48/10

The Underground Railroad is a novel that tries to do too much and ends up lacking the depth and emotional resonance it promises. While the premise is undeniably intriguing—reimagining the Underground Railroad as an actual underground train system—this concept quickly feels like a gimmick that detracts from the very real horrors of slavery.

Whitehead’s writing is undeniably skillful, but often overly detached and clinical. The emotional core of the story, which should be the horrific suffering of the enslaved, is too often undercut by his decision to lean into magical realism. The underground train is a symbol, yes, but it also feels like an unnecessary distraction from the grueling and real journey that Cora and others face. It weakens the intensity of the lived experiences of enslavement, reducing them to something less grounded and less immediately painful.

Cora, the protagonist, feels more like a vehicle for the novel’s larger themes than a fully realized character. We are told she is strong, resourceful, and determined, but the novel doesn’t show us her growth. There is little depth or complexity to her character—her inner struggles are never explored beyond the surface level. She exists as a mere survivor, moving through a series of scenes rather than evolving as a person. The supporting cast, like Caesar, Ridgeway, and others, lack development, and come across more like ciphers for certain ideas—symbols of resistance, oppression, and obsession—rather than fully realized individuals. This lack of depth makes it difficult to care about their fates.

The pacing also works against the novel. Long stretches drag, with Whitehead opting for reflection over action in places where the story should be driving forward. The episodic nature of the story can make it feel disjointed, and instead of building to a satisfying climax, it meanders. When moments of intense action or conflict do arise, they often lack the weight they should carry, largely because we’ve been kept at such a distance from the characters’ emotional arcs.

Moreover, while the novel’s thematic exploration of systemic racism is important, it often feels like an intellectual exercise rather than an emotional one. Whitehead seems more interested in the big ideas than in creating a raw, deeply emotional experience for the reader. The occasional flashes of brilliance—moments where the brutality of slavery and the human spirit’s will to survive shine through—are undermined by the heavy-handedness of the book’s larger messages.

While The Underground Railroad has its moments, it ultimately feels like a novel of missed opportunities. It doesn’t fully succeed in capturing the emotional gravity of its subject matter, nor does it offer the profound insight it seems to promise. The magical realism aspect takes the novel further from the lived experience of slavery, rather than adding to it, and the pacing and character development leave much to be desired.

In the end, The Underground Railroad doesn’t live up to its potential. It is thought-provoking, but it’s more an intellectual exercise than an emotionally resonant journey. This results in a 6.48 solid, but not the masterpiece it was built up to be.

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Great book

Loved it. Had no problems finishing this book. Tough accounts of the life that African Americans lived. We should never forget what our ancestors endured.

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Well read and interesting

Worth the time. Sad but hopeful at the same time. You are constantly interested in what happens next.

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