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  • Washington Black

  • Written by: Esi Edugyan
  • Narrated by: Dion Graham
  • Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (883 ratings)

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Washington Black

Written by: Esi Edugyan
Narrated by: Dion Graham
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Publisher's Summary

A dazzling, original novel of slavery and freedom, from the author of the international best seller Half-Blood Blues

Longlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize

When two English brothers arrive at a Barbados sugar plantation, they bring with them a darkness beyond what the slaves have already known. Washington Black - an 11-year-old field slave - is horrified to find himself chosen to live in the quarters of one of these men. But the man is not as Washington expects him to be. His new master is the eccentric Christopher Wilde - naturalist, explorer, inventor and abolitionist - whose obsession to perfect a winged flying machine disturbs all who know him. Washington is initiated into a world of wonder: a world where the night sea is set alight with fields of jellyfish, where a simple cloth canopy can propel a man across the sky, where even a boy born in chains may embrace a life of dignity and meaning - and where two people, separated by an impossible divide, can begin to see each other as human.

But when a man is killed one fateful night, Washington is left to the mercy of his new masters. Christopher Wilde must choose between family ties and young Washington's life. What follows is a flight along the eastern coast of America, as the men attempt to elude the bounty that has been placed on Washington's head. Their journey opens them up to the extraordinary: to a dark encounter with a necropsicist, a scholar of the flesh; to a voyage aboard a vessel captained by a hunter of a different kind; to a glimpse through an unexpected portal into the Underground Railroad. This is a novel of fraught bonds and betrayal. What brings Wilde and Washington together ultimately tears them apart, leaving Washington to seek his true self in a world that denies his very existence.

From the blistering cane fields of Barbados to the icy plains of the Canadian Arctic, from the mud-drowned streets of London to the eerie deserts of Morocco, Washington Black teems with all the strangeness of life. This inventive, electrifying novel asks, What is freedom? And can a life salvaged from the ashes ever be made whole?

©2018 Ides of March, Inc. (P)2018 Penguin Random House

Hear the Author Read an Excerpt

At Between the Pages: An Evening with the Scotiabank Giller Prize in Toronto on November 4, 2018, author Esi Edugyan read an excerpt from her novel Washington Black.
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Featured Article: Must-Listen Audiobooks by Outstanding Black Authors

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What listeners say about Washington Black

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome!

The characters and story are alive , compelling and sweeping. An amazing experience. A tad of love, science and depravation as the world is struggling to mature. Timeless.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A stretch

I know this is a celebrated book and I wanted to love it. The adventures of a slave from boy to man is appealing. I will say I found the plot meandering and I didn’t understood the ending and I feel that there was a whole lot of cobbling bits together for it to make sense. Worst of all the accents of the performer are poorly done—the Scottish accent being virtually unrecognizable and at such a critical moment in the story! I wish audiobook producers would hire better directors. The performers and the listeners would benefit.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Read!

Didn't put it down. Highly recommend. If you like historical drama you'll love this novel.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant storytelling and narration

Esi Edugyan is an amazing writer. I loved “Half-blood Blues” and hew new novel - “Washington Black “ - is just as well-written. She creates characters that are complex and believable. And the story is engrossing, so much so that I had difficulty putting the book down (rather to stop listening!).
The narration was excellent! Dion Graham does a wonderful job of distinguishing characters and capturing the mood and energy of the story. My one critique is that sometimes the narration was too low in volume.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Lots left Unsaid,

Beginning Captivating, Middle fragmented, No real connection of the dots I found myself wondering the purpose of why we are still here. The Ending ....??

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Perfect book for someone who spends a lot of time on the road

A beautifully written love story between a teacher and his pupil. Love of the highest and purest nature.
A long journey that takes the listener to many corners of the world - from blazing heat to blistering cold. On the journey the listener gets to know and better understand the dysfunctional characters

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Favourite Book in a Decade

The author, Esi, created an in-depth plot and characters. This book is engaging and a must read! I highly recommend Washington Black.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

The ending ...

left too many unanswered questions. And was very unsatisfying to me. It was so well written and narrates for the end to be so disappointing.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting cultural exploration

As his slave identity struggles adjusting to freedom we witness the adventurous life of Wash, the book’s main protagonist. The childlike exploration of nature and descriptive writing are lovely but the inner struggle of the hero becomes predictable and boring as he is consumed with inevitable doubts, fears and resentments. The story takes him so far and then just drops him in a mid-life-like identity crisis which I wanted him to break through to a deeper appreciation of life. The ending was thoroughly unsatisfactory for me being absent of any resolution or revelation. Hence three stars instead of four.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible book

This narrative absolutely sucked me in. Phenomenal, complex characters. Brilliant narration. Captivating story. 10/10

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