Rating: 
Summary: The Review
Review: Captivating.I enjoyed this book as I identified strongly with the protagonist who is coming into her own. Although the protagonist is black she is fair to the point that she can pass for white and although that is not my dilemma (smile) I identified with her as for me she wanted people to see her for who she is and its not about denying who you are but also forging an identity for yourself. The plot twists in this book, especially one, takes you through, but is a ride worth taking. I commend the author, Danzy Senna, on her writing style as I was right there in the trenches and felt that I was reading about me and not about a character out of a book.
Rating:
Summary: Glad I got the chance to read it...
Review: I almost didn't read Symtomatic but because I liked Caucasia (from 4 years ago)I went to the library and there it was. I like Senna's writing style, it's different from most of the author's writing I'm use to reading. Very dark and gothic-like. I liked the winter in New York setting, the creepiness and learning about the mysterious Vera Cross. I thought that the ending was interesting but I wonder if Senna put that in at the last minute when she was completing the novel. Maybe there should be a sequel to this or have the main character written into future novels. The only thing is that she didn't have a name. This book was good enough to make me wanna read her next novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Thriller....Single Black Female
Review: I loved this book, and I knew that Senna could write the excellent "Caucasia", then I would not be disappointed with "Symptomatic". I read the book in one day. It's good to see a new perspective on biracial identity. Plus it was exciting to read a thriller that didn't involve drugs or guns. I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Great Sophmore Effort!
Review: I really enjoyed this novel. I felt as I read that I was experiencing a dream. The story reminded me of "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" which was also about a person of mixed heritage and how they fit, or don't fit into society. I like Danzy Senna's style of writing, which for the most part keeps the story rather plain yet revealing of subtle everyday changes. While I think her first novel was brilliant, I can't say this novel fell short at all. Work after something particularly well crafted always seems lesser than the previous work. But this story right from the beginning captivated me and made me want to know where it was going. I must say the ending wasn't that surprising but pleasing all the same because you felt like you took a journey and it led you to a place of interest. I say ignore the negative reviews and give this book a chance because it might move you more than you think.
Rating:
Summary: Great Sophmore Effort!
Review: I really enjoyed this novel. I felt as I read that I was experiencing a dream. The story reminded me of "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" which was also about a person of mixed heritage and how they fit, or don't fit into society. I like Danzy Senna's style of writing, which for the most part keeps the story rather plain yet revealing of subtle everyday changes. While I think her first novel was brilliant, I can't say this novel fell short at all. Work after something particularly well crafted always seems lesser than the previous work. But this story right from the beginning captivated me and made me want to know where it was going. I must say the ending wasn't that surprising but pleasing all the same because you felt like you took a journey and it led you to a place of interest. I say ignore the negative reviews and give this book a chance because it might move you more than you think.
Rating: 
Summary: It was Okay
Review: I thought this book was very bland. The story doesn't pick up until you get close to the end. The main character lacked depth and a name. It just seemed like the entire book was merely about the day to day issues with the main character. Based upon the descriptions of the surroundings, the book painted a very boring portrayal of the city of New York.
Rating:
Summary: Another look at the struggles of being biracial
Review: In Danzy Senna's second novel, she has again focused on the struggles faced by a biracial protagonaist. This time, the narrator, a young female fresh out of college who is working in NYC, finds herself suddenly in need of a new place to live when a romantic relationship turns sour. When a casual acquaintance from work, Greta, offers a subletting opportunity, the narrator's gratitude leads to an unlikely friendship. Greta, also biracial, feels a kinship to this young woman whose skintone is so similar to her own, but Greta's affections are one-sided. Rather, the narrator finds herself becoming increasingly obsessed with Vera, the woman from whom she is subletting. The awkwardness and tension builds as this odd triangle leads to a quite unexpected conclusion. I enjoyed this novel, which I read in a single day. At times, I could actually feel the protagonist's discomfort, and I squirmed right along with her. The surprise ending took me completely off-guard, but it provided a satisfying finish to what was a quick read. More of a character study than a social commentary, I found this to be an engaging, thoughtful book.
Rating:
Summary: Not Perfect But Still Good
Review: No, Danzy Senna's Symptomatic didn't live up to her amazing debut, Caucasia. However, I still found it to be an interesting character study and an enlightening look at what biracial people experience in this country. I was particularly impressed with Ms. Senna's portrayal of her narrator's sense of isolation and loneliness. I would have liked for the book to have been a bit longer and to have explored the character of Greta Hicks in more detail. I almost didn't read the book based on the poor reviews. I'm glad I didn't pay attention to them because I found Symptomatic to be a compelling read and I enjoy Senna's writing style.
Rating: 
Summary: Deja Vu All Over Again
Review: Symptomatic is a new novel about being biracial in America. It is the second novel on that same theme by author Danzy Senna. That previous work, Caucasia was heavily praised by critics. Unfortunately, Symptomatic does not break new ground in the biracial theme. If anything, it reads like a rewrite of Caucasia.
As such, Symptomatic is a frustrating book for those who believed that Senna would be a major new voice on America's literary landscape.
Rating:
Summary: Identity noir
Review: This is what I hoped Senna would do after Caucasia. Not that I predicted anything about Symptomatic, least of all the play with genre fiction, but I was waiting to see if she'd go freakier and starker, and she does. Yes, there's a pulpish, film noir sheen, but deeper than that, I think this novel is a racial gothic: it bothered me for days after reading it, and bothers me still, worries me with its grinding paranoia, not least because it's the fog of inter-race itself that Senna dextrously and lightly allegorizes. Vera Cross is a 21st century haint, an allusive illusion. (Larsen's, James Weldon Johnson's and Ellison's characters are the novel's silently spectral chorus.) The feel is like those peripheral-visual hallucinations of motion you get when it's 4AM and you haven't slept yet. Perhaps this is why the narrator, facing a racist moment for the nth time, literally falls asleep in the face of it: it's Senna herself, I venture, exhausted by the burdon of representation (partly derived from Caucasia's success), but also a hint at the hope of escape from the ongoing deprivation that is race.
| 
