The Street

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read
Review: About a year ago, I was given this novel as a gift. My busy work and life schedules prohibited me from reading it until a few days ago. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. What a wonderfully written story. This novel is a must read. I am still devastated and heart broken over the ending but a story doesn't have to have a happy ending in order to be good. Ms. Petry writes such vivid and colorful descriptions. The picture she paints educates the reader to the reality of life in the 1940's for black people. This one will touch your heart and soul. You will cry and ask yourself repeatedly if Lutie and Bub will ever be able to leave 'The Street'. I strongly recommend giving this one as a gift to someone you know. I know I am.

Rating:
Summary: Depressing, but good
Review: I thought that this book was really well written. The great description that the author goes into made me feel like I knew the characters personally and wasn't just reading about them. By the end of the book, I knew the characters so well that I felt could accurately predict how they would react to the given situations they faced in the book. Whether it was Lutie or Mr. Jones, I almost knew what their actions were going to be before I read them. That understanding of the characters helped me get into the book and keep me interested in every page. The book is quite depressing at times but that is necessary to express the ideas of the story. What Lutie faced everyday in the story is what a lot of people face in real life. It was the truth and reality of the book that appealed to me and is also why I would highly recommend this book to all of you.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Powerful Book
Review: One of the most moving novels I have ever read. Petry's novel displays naturalism at its finest. More than that, it is an enjoyable, easy read! I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: The Street
Review: Overall my reaction to Ann Petry's novel, "The Street" was a positive one. I thought she did a good job of portraying life and the struggles one faced during the 1940's as not only a black person, but a woman as well. I found the storyline a bit hard to follow because she used a lot of detail in explaining everything, but at times the detail also added a great deal to what she was trying to protray to the reader. I thought the novel started off a bit meandering, but I was still pulleed into the storyline, wondering how Lutie would deal with the crisis that came along and what choices she would make for herself and her son. As I read the novel, I felt as though I could really relate to the hardships and struggles Lutie faced, the fear she felt, and the uncertainty of every decision she had to make. If you can follow along with the details and flashbacks that at times makes the storyline seem wandering, then I would recommend reading this novel.

Rating:
Summary: A book well worth your time
Review: The Street by Ann Petry is a book that is well worth your time to read. The insight you gain about Harlem in the 1940s broadens your horizons and makes you think about what it was like to struggle to make ends meet. I felt like I knew these characters by the end of the book through Petry's descriptions, and I could share in their pain and sorrow as a few windows of opportunity where opened and then slammed in their faces. At the end of the book I could understand Lutie's choice and empathize with her. The Street is a book that will open your eyes and make you take another look not only at yourself but at the world you live in.

Rating:
Summary: old classic
Review: The street is about a young woman trying way out, for her and her son. All Lutie Johnson want is a good life for her and young son.The two end up living in a bad apartment, after they move out from living with her father, an his bad new girlfriend. The super at their new apartment had eyes for Lutie to her horror. The story takes place in the 40's.Though I didn't like the choice Lutie made at the end regarding her son, Don't miss this old classic about a woman just trying to survive.

Rating:
Summary: Survivial
Review: This book was lent to me by a friend who described it as "a little jewel." She was right. Ann Petry has captured the essence of a tragic life - a mother's heart filled with hopes and dreams for her young son - beaten down by the street she is forced to call home . Memorable characters - memorable ending. A very moving and insightful story. Written in 1946, this story is timeless, and well-worth the read. I couldn't put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Killing Us Softly
Review: This is one of the best books that I have ever read. In a very simple, straight forward way, Ann Petrie takes us step by painful step through the life of an African American woman trying desperately to raise a healthy male child and to establish a better life for herself. What we see is that despite heroic determination, the system is structured to wear down and push against her very best efforts. Without preaching, the book takes us on a journey that helps us experience the dynamics of poverty and understand the thought processes of people trapped in it. This is a 'must read' book for anyone seeking to better understand the lives of those who can't seem to pull themselves out of poverty and it is a 'must read' book for policy makers, social workers and anyone working with people caught in the nexus of race and poverty. In addition, Ann Petrie is an excellent writer. She paints word pictures and maintains a breath-taking momentum from beginning to end.

Rating:
Summary: Realism at its best!
Review: This work gripped me from the get go in a way that only a few other novels, such as "crime and punishment," have. Each time I picked it up I was astounded by the clarity and energy of Petry's writing, and found myself wondering why I had not discovered her work before. That other reviewers have found it difficult to follow the plot reflects in no way on Petry's prose. There are a few lengthy flashbacks which are integral to the books insights into urban culture. I did not find that these detracted from the story, as they were as key to the development of the plot line.

"The Street" is a great piece of fiction, that should be much more widely read. Petry makes a number of sociological observations that reach beyond the time of "the street," and remain disappointingly relevant today.

Rating:
Summary: A Review of The Street
Review: To me, this book was both good and bad. A good, thoughtful story and a lot of detail, but often too much detail and the story crept along very slowly in some parts. In other parts, I felt I had to read quickly so I could find out what was going to happen. There were many flashbacks and side stories that help one see exactly what is going on in each character's mind, but sometimes the extra detail distracted too much from the main story. I often asked myself, "Where's this going, and what's happening to the other people now?" Some flashbacks would slow the story down quite a bit, and when they were over, it felt like I was jolted back into the main plot. Some stories would end suddenly or not go anywhere and it felt like Petry was rushed in writing this. The flashbacks were not all bad, however. They were very helpful in understanding what each character was feeling, thinking, and in some cases why they felt that way. The details in these good flashbacks were well thought out and very clear. They really helped the story move along and made for worthwhile reading. After completing this book, I felt that there was a lot more to be explained, like the story wasn't supposed to end where it did. Sometimes endings like that make a story better though. This wasn't the best book I've read, but it was still a good one and worth checking out if you've got time.