Rating: 
Summary: This book should win prizes.
Review: Out of the Night That Covers Me is a wonderful, magical book. Ms. DeVoto's lyrical style has captured the essence of the time in a way that draws you right into the story and never lets you go. The characters--whom I loved--are so real, I'd know them if I met them on the street. This book should win prizes.
Rating:
Summary: Five Stars for Devoto's Out of the Night
Review: Simply one of the most finely crafted novels I have read in years. Ms. Devoto's style in Out of the Night draws the reader into the 1950s as she unveils the story of a young boy's maturation. John is a character not soon forgotten as we follow him on his journey from a sheltered boyhood to the threshold of maturity. We laugh with him and cry with him, while we long to comfort him.The readers meets many memorable characters, seeing them through John's naive eyes. As we learn more about these characters, we realize that appearances are not reality. This juxtaposition keeps the tension level high, making it impossible to put the novel down until the last page is turned. This novel draws the reader into the twists and turns of the plot until the haunting climax finally brings the loose ends together, an ending not soon forgotten. Ms. Devoto has mastered her craft and I highly recommend this novel to people of all ages.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good :)
Review: The first two chapters were made available for the public to read for free at Books-a-Million. I read them and wentback and bought the book. It is a great story, a book that is hard to put down. Some advice though, be patient with it. It can get slow at times. FOLLOW IT THOUGH TO THE END THOUGH!!! :)~
Rating:
Summary: Troubling, but Beautiful Book
Review: This book is a study of contrasts. It is, at the same time, troubling to read because of the violence and depravity that it so well depicts and lovely because of the human qualities it illustrates. John, raised in a privileged home, finds himself orphaned and in the care of his white trash relatives who are tennant farmers in rural south Alabama. The change in his life is shocking...but the way he adapts is touchingly beautiful. John's friendship with the Judge is another strong theme -- his tie to the life he used to know, and more. His life at "the Bend" with the runaway blacks teaches him lessons about tolerance and teamwork, and his respect for Tuway, the odd and mysterious black man who can cross the line into the white man's world so easily is well described. The author writes convincingly of the region, the people, and the history. She has a beautiful style that is easy to read, and yet impressive for its control and mastery of language. This coming-of-age novel could someday rank beside "To Kill a Mockingbird" as one of Alabama's best offerings to literature. It's a book that's truly hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: Out of the Night that Covers Me
Review: Upon seeing the title, I was not sure what the book would be about. It is the story about John who is sent to the South to live with his aunt's family once his mother passed away. John, always being one with his nose in a book, is thrown out into the sun to grow cotton. Eventually John decides to go to Chicago but never makes it, and lives in the Swamps.
This is a very good story with great descriptions of scenery and plot.
Rating:
Summary: Out of the Night that Covers Me
Review: Upon seeing the title, I was not sure what the book would be about. It is the story about John who is sent to the South to live with his aunt's family once his mother passed away. John, always being one with his nose in a book, is thrown out into the sun to grow cotton. Eventually John decides to go to Chicago but never makes it, and lives in the Swamps.
This is a very good story with great descriptions of scenery and plot.
Rating: 
Summary: Images of the Deep South
Review: While this is a book that evokes images of the deep South during the 1950's, it's message spans time and place. Typical Southern characters are described in detail, giving the reader a sense of actually being inside their surroundings as well as being inside their minds. This is a novel that describes coping with whatever life hands you and using it to become stronger. The main characters overcome their adversities and grow into positive human beings. The reader's empathy is elicited and a warm feeling evoked. By the end of the book, you feel glad that you read it.
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