Status
Checked out
Genres
Publication
Brooklyn, NY : Restless Books, Inc., 2018.
Description
First published in 1929, Passing is a remarkable exploration of the shifting racial and sexual boundaries in America. Larsen, a premier writer of the Harlem Renaissance, captures the rewards and dangers faced by two negro women who pass for white in a deeply segregated world.
User reviews
LibraryThing member kambrogi
This brilliant novella was written in 1929 by a belle of the Harlem Renaissance who is all but forgotten today. It tells the story of race in America by way of two successful African American women: one who chooses to “pass” as white and the other who doesn’t. The story comes to us by way of
The novella offers psychological depth in the tradition of Virginia Woolf, although its story line is more directed and more accessible. I found it fascinating, both from a historical point of view and a personal one. The insights about race are still relevant today, but even without race as a pivot, the tale of choices made and paid for will resonate with many readers. It certainly did with me.
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the arrogant, then conflicted and finally terrified primary character Irene as she works through her relationship with the beautiful, flamboyant and “having” Clara. Both women are driven by their personal powers, their desires and their insecurities, but their struggles take different routes and are tangled together in unexpected ways. The novella offers psychological depth in the tradition of Virginia Woolf, although its story line is more directed and more accessible. I found it fascinating, both from a historical point of view and a personal one. The insights about race are still relevant today, but even without race as a pivot, the tale of choices made and paid for will resonate with many readers. It certainly did with me.
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LibraryThing member gbill
‘Passing’ is a novella on race relations, written and set during the period of the ‘Harlem Renaissance’ of the 1920’s, with some historical significance. 60 years after emancipation, 40 years before the Civil Rights Act, and 50 more beyond that to the present day, where race is still a
For the most part in this story, there is peaceful coexistence between races. It’s not a horror story with overt violence. There are some people who are deemed ‘black’ because of some fractional African-American heritage who ‘pass’ as white either permanently, or selectively in some situations. There are society events in Harlem attended by whites either out of interest in the culture (in vogue at the time), or their attraction to African-Americans, and these are harmonious. And there are African-Americans who can’t ‘pass’ who likely run into racism in their lives routinely – but this is not their story, and those events are untold.
However, there is one glaring exception – one of the white men who has married a woman who has ‘passed’ (and never told him of her ancestry) is a blatant racist, and at one point he spews his venom in front of her and two others who ‘pass’, without realizing the company he’s in. His tone is not only insulting but murderous. There is therefore an undercurrent of danger in ‘passing’, which ranges from small but humiliating things like being escorted out of a restaurant in front of everyone if detected, to larger things like the annulment of a marriage, or violence. Detection could come from memories of the past, the company one kept, or, if having a child, ‘surprise’ racial characteristics in the baby.
There is also an undercurrent of guilt. To what lengths would one go to escape ‘blackness’ in a world filled with racism, where social progress was measured by economic and cultural advancement? What price would be paid by rejecting a portion of one’s ancestry? How could one rationalize and come to terms with wanting children who were “less dark”?
Without explicitly asking it, the novella also begs the question, what does it mean to be ‘black’? For it’s odd that those who were 1/4 black and who appeared white would even be considered ‘black’. It was as if any percentage of ‘black blood’ tainted someone, and indeed, the Plessy vs. Ferguson case resulting in the ‘separate but equal’ ruling was pursued by Homer Plessy, who was 1/8 black and denied rights and legal privileges as a result. Aside from the obvious wrongs of racism and segregation, the need to categorize ‘mixed-race’ people to begin with, and then to deem them all black regardless of appearance or the majority of their racial make-up, are additional wrongs – though no one (white or black) in the novella questions this, and in fact, they prefer to know and to ‘bin’ people as one or the other. Larsen herself was acutely aware of this, being herself the daughter of a mixed-race father from the Danish West Indies, and a white mother from Denmark. When her father died when she was young and her mother remarried a white man (and had a white daughter by him), Larsen was the lone ‘colored’ member of the family, and in an ambiguous situation with both white and African-American communities.
Anyway, that’s the backdrop and part of what makes it interesting, on top of the questions it raises and the period it represents. However, the writing is only so-so, and the plot line involving infidelity is weak; hence, my somewhat average review score.
Just these quotes, the first, on religion:
“’Have you ever stopped to think, Clare,’ Irene demanded, ‘how much unhappiness and downright cruelty are laid to the loving-kindness of the Lord? And always by His most ardent followers, it seems.’”
And:
“’Well, Hugh does think he’s God, you know.’
‘That,’ Irene declared, getting out of bed, ‘is absolutely not true. He thinks ever so much better of himself than that, as you, who know and have read him, ought to be able to guess. If you remember what a low opinion he has of God, you won’t make such a silly mistake.’”
Lastly, a note on the random connection discovered to the book I read previously, which was McSweeney’s Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales – the characterization early on of Clare Kendry as “Catlike. Certainly that was the word which best described Clare Kendry, if any single word could describe her.” – reminding me of the cats and “Their movements were catlike, or perhaps clockwork”, in the story Catskin, by Kelly Link.
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major problem in America, this represents a time slice in a particular place and cultural segment that Nella Larsen was familiar with first-hand.For the most part in this story, there is peaceful coexistence between races. It’s not a horror story with overt violence. There are some people who are deemed ‘black’ because of some fractional African-American heritage who ‘pass’ as white either permanently, or selectively in some situations. There are society events in Harlem attended by whites either out of interest in the culture (in vogue at the time), or their attraction to African-Americans, and these are harmonious. And there are African-Americans who can’t ‘pass’ who likely run into racism in their lives routinely – but this is not their story, and those events are untold.
However, there is one glaring exception – one of the white men who has married a woman who has ‘passed’ (and never told him of her ancestry) is a blatant racist, and at one point he spews his venom in front of her and two others who ‘pass’, without realizing the company he’s in. His tone is not only insulting but murderous. There is therefore an undercurrent of danger in ‘passing’, which ranges from small but humiliating things like being escorted out of a restaurant in front of everyone if detected, to larger things like the annulment of a marriage, or violence. Detection could come from memories of the past, the company one kept, or, if having a child, ‘surprise’ racial characteristics in the baby.
There is also an undercurrent of guilt. To what lengths would one go to escape ‘blackness’ in a world filled with racism, where social progress was measured by economic and cultural advancement? What price would be paid by rejecting a portion of one’s ancestry? How could one rationalize and come to terms with wanting children who were “less dark”?
Without explicitly asking it, the novella also begs the question, what does it mean to be ‘black’? For it’s odd that those who were 1/4 black and who appeared white would even be considered ‘black’. It was as if any percentage of ‘black blood’ tainted someone, and indeed, the Plessy vs. Ferguson case resulting in the ‘separate but equal’ ruling was pursued by Homer Plessy, who was 1/8 black and denied rights and legal privileges as a result. Aside from the obvious wrongs of racism and segregation, the need to categorize ‘mixed-race’ people to begin with, and then to deem them all black regardless of appearance or the majority of their racial make-up, are additional wrongs – though no one (white or black) in the novella questions this, and in fact, they prefer to know and to ‘bin’ people as one or the other. Larsen herself was acutely aware of this, being herself the daughter of a mixed-race father from the Danish West Indies, and a white mother from Denmark. When her father died when she was young and her mother remarried a white man (and had a white daughter by him), Larsen was the lone ‘colored’ member of the family, and in an ambiguous situation with both white and African-American communities.
Anyway, that’s the backdrop and part of what makes it interesting, on top of the questions it raises and the period it represents. However, the writing is only so-so, and the plot line involving infidelity is weak; hence, my somewhat average review score.
Just these quotes, the first, on religion:
“’Have you ever stopped to think, Clare,’ Irene demanded, ‘how much unhappiness and downright cruelty are laid to the loving-kindness of the Lord? And always by His most ardent followers, it seems.’”
And:
“’Well, Hugh does think he’s God, you know.’
‘That,’ Irene declared, getting out of bed, ‘is absolutely not true. He thinks ever so much better of himself than that, as you, who know and have read him, ought to be able to guess. If you remember what a low opinion he has of God, you won’t make such a silly mistake.’”
Lastly, a note on the random connection discovered to the book I read previously, which was McSweeney’s Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales – the characterization early on of Clare Kendry as “Catlike. Certainly that was the word which best described Clare Kendry, if any single word could describe her.” – reminding me of the cats and “Their movements were catlike, or perhaps clockwork”, in the story Catskin, by Kelly Link.
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LibraryThing member bookczuk
2022 pandemic read. Wow. The story of Nella Larsen, herself, is equally fascinating.
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Irene Redfield is doing some shopping while on a trip to Chicago, when she stops for a brief rest and some tea at an elegant hotel’s restaurant. She notices a woman at a nearby table keeps staring at her and she’s immediately concerned. Could the woman have somehow discerned that Irene is not
Larsen was part of the Harlem Renaissance and this book is a marvel of social commentary. In this slim volume Larsen explores issues of black/white identity, of the desire to get ahead and the societal obstacles to that path, of male/female relationships, and female-female rivalries. There is tension, fear, anger, joy, desire and hope. We get a wonderful glimpse of middle-class Black culture in 1920s Harlem. And that ending!
My F2F book club had a stimulating discussion.
A word of caution re the introduction: Definitely read the introduction, which will give you much insight into the book, the author’s background, and the critical thoughts of various experts. BUT … read the book FIRST, as the introduction will contain major spoilers for what happens in the novel.
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white, but a Negro? Larsen was part of the Harlem Renaissance and this book is a marvel of social commentary. In this slim volume Larsen explores issues of black/white identity, of the desire to get ahead and the societal obstacles to that path, of male/female relationships, and female-female rivalries. There is tension, fear, anger, joy, desire and hope. We get a wonderful glimpse of middle-class Black culture in 1920s Harlem. And that ending!
My F2F book club had a stimulating discussion.
A word of caution re the introduction: Definitely read the introduction, which will give you much insight into the book, the author’s background, and the critical thoughts of various experts. BUT … read the book FIRST, as the introduction will contain major spoilers for what happens in the novel.
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LibraryThing member ToriC90
3.5 stars but rounded up. The ending! Really the whole journey... but that ending!!! I read The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett right before this — they were an interesting pair together.
LibraryThing member msf59
“It’s funny about ‘passing.’ We disapprove of it and at the same time condone it. It excites our contempt and yet we rather admire it. We shy away from it with an odd kind of revulsion, but we protect it.”
This slim, beautifully written novel is about two women living in New York City in
This slim, beautifully written novel is about two women living in New York City in
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the 1920s. They were childhood friends together. One, Irene Redfield, is a black woman living an affluent life with her husband and children. The second is Clare Kendry, also a black woman but “passing” as a white woman. To complicate matters, her white husband is a stone-cold racist. This book was written in 1929 but I had never heard of it until recently. I am glad it landed on my radar. A little gem, that speaks volumes. Show Less
LibraryThing member gpangel
Passing by Nella Larson is a 1929 publication.
This short novel really packs a punch and could put any current day psychological author to the test. Set in the Harlem Renaissance, the story is centered around two childhood friends, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendy. Both are light-skinned black women-
When the two women meet again after many years of separation, the consequences of their decisions will alter their lives in ways they never could have imagined.
This novel explores the themes of race and identity- subjects that are still quite relevant today. I thought this was a taut, tightly wound story in many ways. There is always an uneasy feeling humming just beneath the surface. The repercussions of living a lie, the constant fear of exposure, and the burden it places on others who are forced to keep secrets, on top of the building tensions in Irene’s marriage once Clare forcefully inserts herself into Irene’s life again, made for some disquieting and complex situations that had me holding my breath as the suspense builds to its shocking climax.
With any short story the issue of character development can be a problem for me, but in this situation the dialogue and Irene’s inner thoughts are all that is required to create plenty of complexity.
The conclusion, though deliberately ambiguous, was stunning nonetheless, and left me feeling a little numb for a while.
The novel is very well-written, thought-provoking, suspenseful and tragic. I highly recommend this incredible, timeless classic!
4.5 stars
This short novel really packs a punch and could put any current day psychological author to the test. Set in the Harlem Renaissance, the story is centered around two childhood friends, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendy. Both are light-skinned black women-
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but Irene lives in Harlem with her husband and two children, while Clare passes for white, enjoying the benefits of a society wife. Irene is proud of her heritage, while Clare felt ‘passing’ would provide with her a more comfortable life. When the two women meet again after many years of separation, the consequences of their decisions will alter their lives in ways they never could have imagined.
This novel explores the themes of race and identity- subjects that are still quite relevant today. I thought this was a taut, tightly wound story in many ways. There is always an uneasy feeling humming just beneath the surface. The repercussions of living a lie, the constant fear of exposure, and the burden it places on others who are forced to keep secrets, on top of the building tensions in Irene’s marriage once Clare forcefully inserts herself into Irene’s life again, made for some disquieting and complex situations that had me holding my breath as the suspense builds to its shocking climax.
With any short story the issue of character development can be a problem for me, but in this situation the dialogue and Irene’s inner thoughts are all that is required to create plenty of complexity.
The conclusion, though deliberately ambiguous, was stunning nonetheless, and left me feeling a little numb for a while.
The novel is very well-written, thought-provoking, suspenseful and tragic. I highly recommend this incredible, timeless classic!
4.5 stars
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LibraryThing member Citizenjoyce
Once again Nella Larsen manages to combine a great deal in a few pages. The title of this novella is Passing, and there's more than one person doing it. Clara, the beautiful blond mixed race daughter of a janitor, is the main person passing; but Irene the security hungry wife and Brian her
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supercilious husband do their share. Larsen was such an astute observer of humanity, I want to credit some of that to her background as a nurse. Literature would have benefited if she had written more. Show Less
LibraryThing member poetontheone
Nella Larson's Passing is one of the key novels of the Harlem Renaissance, written in a restless and apprehensive prose that is more than a little gothic. A solid example of the psychological novel, the book is of great interests to scholars of Black Criticism for its articulations of race, and
I think all of the possible theoretical queries that the novel invites us to pursue our worth considering, but the plot's penchant for mystery and the necessity of reader inference into details make all but the most obvious questions challenging.
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also to feminist theory for its questions about gender roles and motherhood. I read this book for an LGBT Literature class, and the application of queer theory here poses the question, "Is Passing passing as a novel about passing?" Is there a subtext of same sex attraction here that is taken out of focus by the novel's strong emphasis on race?I think all of the possible theoretical queries that the novel invites us to pursue our worth considering, but the plot's penchant for mystery and the necessity of reader inference into details make all but the most obvious questions challenging.
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LibraryThing member rosalita
This classic of African-American literature is set in the 1920s and explores the practical and emotional ramifications when a pair of black women meet by chance after many years and one discovers that the other has been passing as white ever since she disappeared from the neighborhood where they
For Irene, who narrates the story, her childhood friend Clare's choice to pretend to be white raises complicated feelings within her. On the one hand, she herself has been known to occasionally present as white in situations where she would not be welcome as a black woman — certain restaurants or businesses, for example. On the other hand, she is proud to be black, and having married a black doctor and living a comfortable life in the Harlem Renaissance community in New York City, spends much of her time working to raise money to help disadvantaged fellow black Americans. She can't help viewing Clare's passing as a repudiation of the pride 'Rene feels about being black.
Despite Irene's disapproval of Clare's life (and the fact that Clare's husband is an unrepentant racist who has no idea his wife is not white) she can't help feeling a begrudging admiration and liking for Clare. There are hints that there may even be some sexual tension between them, although this 1929 book does not explore the topic beyond slight hints and suggestions that may be my 21st century brain imposing current cultural norms on the past.
This is an exceedingly short book — really more of a novella than a novel — and that was a source of some frustration to me. It felt that we never got to the real heart of how and why Clare chose to live her life the way she did. That feeling was compounded by the ambiguous and somewhat abrupt-seeming ending, which I am still unsure of even now. None of that should deter a reader who is interested in exploring the realities of race in 1920s America, though. Short as it is, [Passing] packs a punch and is well worth spending time with, however brief.
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grew up.For Irene, who narrates the story, her childhood friend Clare's choice to pretend to be white raises complicated feelings within her. On the one hand, she herself has been known to occasionally present as white in situations where she would not be welcome as a black woman — certain restaurants or businesses, for example. On the other hand, she is proud to be black, and having married a black doctor and living a comfortable life in the Harlem Renaissance community in New York City, spends much of her time working to raise money to help disadvantaged fellow black Americans. She can't help viewing Clare's passing as a repudiation of the pride 'Rene feels about being black.
Despite Irene's disapproval of Clare's life (and the fact that Clare's husband is an unrepentant racist who has no idea his wife is not white) she can't help feeling a begrudging admiration and liking for Clare. There are hints that there may even be some sexual tension between them, although this 1929 book does not explore the topic beyond slight hints and suggestions that may be my 21st century brain imposing current cultural norms on the past.
This is an exceedingly short book — really more of a novella than a novel — and that was a source of some frustration to me. It felt that we never got to the real heart of how and why Clare chose to live her life the way she did. That feeling was compounded by the ambiguous and somewhat abrupt-seeming ending, which I am still unsure of even now. None of that should deter a reader who is interested in exploring the realities of race in 1920s America, though. Short as it is, [Passing] packs a punch and is well worth spending time with, however brief.
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LibraryThing member mlyons1
A great look into the world of passing as it existed in the 1920's.
LibraryThing member June_Clark
Page turner! The end leaves you wondering why?
LibraryThing member froxgirl
The second novella from Nella Larsen, lost writer of the Harlem Renaissance. In this book, Irene reconnects with her childhood friend Clare, who is passing for white in a marriage with a typical white racist of the Jazz Era. Irene's physician husband Brian wants to leave the US for Brazil, where he
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is convinced that their sons will be able to avoid a childhood of suffering from extreme racism. Irene, however, is a "race woman" who is very comfortable in her middle class Harlem life and is a control freak to boot, keeping her husband and boys in line. Clare, a "sheba", is a symbol of all that is free and wild and there is an underlying sexual tension between the women that Irene greatly fears. In fact, under her staid life, Irene is the sum of many fears, and Clare ends up suffering for them. I loved this book and thought that Larsen did an amazing job voicing Irene's inner thoughts. Wow, would this make a movie, comparable to "Their Eyes Were Watching God". Show Less
LibraryThing member akblanchard
Passing is an unusual novella about the lives of upper-crust African-American Harlemites in the 1920's.
Light-skinned Irene Redfield and her darker husband Brian, a successful but unhappy doctor, have a very comfortable lifestyle at the top of their social set. But Irene's security and tranquility
My copy of Passing (from Dover Publications) is only 94 pages long, but it took me a week to finish it. The period slang and dense descriptions of emotional states make it slow going at times. Nonetheless, the novel provides interesting insights into female friendship and race relations in the age of the "one drop" rule.
Light-skinned Irene Redfield and her darker husband Brian, a successful but unhappy doctor, have a very comfortable lifestyle at the top of their social set. But Irene's security and tranquility
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(two things that are very important to her) are badly shaken when her beautiful, reckless childhood friend Clare comes into the picture. For years, Clare has passed for white, and has even married and had a child with a virulent racist (Clare's husband calls her "Nig", not exactly as an endearment, but apparently he has no clue about her origins). Yet Clare misses her people, and her insistence on straddling the line between black and white ultimately leads to tragedy. My copy of Passing (from Dover Publications) is only 94 pages long, but it took me a week to finish it. The period slang and dense descriptions of emotional states make it slow going at times. Nonetheless, the novel provides interesting insights into female friendship and race relations in the age of the "one drop" rule.
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LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
Melodramatic and overwrought prose by today's standards, but still revealing of race relations of its time (1920s). A rather shocking ending...was not expecting that at all!
LibraryThing member Lynsey2
A very quick and easy read that must have been quite controversial when it was written. Passing is the story of two black women who are so light skinned they can pass for white. One is married to a black man, the other who is married to a white man who does not know that she has"negro blood."
LibraryThing member Dreesie
A short novel about a woman who crossed the color line in 1920s New York/Chicago. After her parents' deaths, teen Clare was sent to love with her elderly white aunts in New York. And with that, she successfully crossed the color line, marrying a wealthy white businessman.
But that meant she could
But she is playing with fire. Visiting Irene and another friend or two, making new friends, attending events in Harlem. She must know this won't end well--Irene is worried.
But that meant she could
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not go back to Chicago, and had to let those friends go. And her husband teases her for how dark she gets in the sun. They have a daughter, Clare is beautiful, but when she runs into her childhood friend Irene some 20 years later, she admits she misses the culture she grew up in and the people she grew up with, despite wondering why more don't cross just for the convenience.But she is playing with fire. Visiting Irene and another friend or two, making new friends, attending events in Harlem. She must know this won't end well--Irene is worried.
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LibraryThing member Kristelh
Great book, quick read. Passing is the story of two women who are black and grew up as childhood friends in Chicago. It was published in 1929 and is set in Harlem Renaissance period, a period covering from 1918 to 1930 and is a time period of black culture/art. It did not just occur in Harlem New
Passing is not the first book to be written about Passing; not the first book to examine Passing, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man,The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson, The Father of Désirée's Baby, The Garies and Their Friends but this book does offer a inventive approach and fresh ideas to the topic, showing how even though one married black and lived as black she was still creating her own fiction.
The story is great with an interesting conclusion. I guess I didn't see that coming but when it was done, I also was not surprised. And the ending remains ambiguous, IMO. The characters are great. It is highly readable.
Achievement: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006/2008/2010/2012 Edition), Guardian 1000 (State of the nation), 500 Great Books by Women (Choices), David Bowie's Top 100 (1929).
The book is told from Irene's POV and some is her stream of conscious and some her interactions.
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York but that might be the largest setting. This is a story of race and choices. One girl chose to escape her culture and married a white man and did not tell him. The other girl, Irene, married within her race and it is her story as well. There is a third choice but that girl only has a small part in the book. She married white but he knew she was black. That is just one layer of this great book. Passing is not the first book to be written about Passing; not the first book to examine Passing, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man,The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson, The Father of Désirée's Baby, The Garies and Their Friends but this book does offer a inventive approach and fresh ideas to the topic, showing how even though one married black and lived as black she was still creating her own fiction.
The story is great with an interesting conclusion. I guess I didn't see that coming but when it was done, I also was not surprised. And the ending remains ambiguous, IMO. The characters are great. It is highly readable.
Achievement: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006/2008/2010/2012 Edition), Guardian 1000 (State of the nation), 500 Great Books by Women (Choices), David Bowie's Top 100 (1929).
The book is told from Irene's POV and some is her stream of conscious and some her interactions.
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LibraryThing member lostinalibrary
Written in 1929 during the Harlem Renaissance, Passing by Nella Larsen tells the story of two biracial and light-skinned black women who can pass as white. One, Clare, has married a racist white man who is completely unaware of her past and her identity. Irene, the other, has married a black
Passing is a very short book that packs a huge wallop. It is an intriguing, surprisingly suspenseful, and very insightful book about racial identity and attitudes that still resonates today. There is also an exploration of the tensions that develop between women, between the sexes, and between classes. Irene acts as narrator albeit an untrustworthy one adding a layer of ambiguity to the story and this ambiguity is nowhere more evident than at the end, one that was completely unexpected at least by me. This is not an easy or even a comfortable read but it is an important one and I recommend it highly.
Thanks to Edelweiss+ and Restless Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
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physician and has no real wish to pass. However when she is tired after a shopping trip, she stops for tea at a whites only tea room where the two women encounter each other. They had grown up in the same neighbourhood but haven’t seen each other since childhood until this meeting. The encounter will lead to unexpected and eventually tragic consequences for both women.Passing is a very short book that packs a huge wallop. It is an intriguing, surprisingly suspenseful, and very insightful book about racial identity and attitudes that still resonates today. There is also an exploration of the tensions that develop between women, between the sexes, and between classes. Irene acts as narrator albeit an untrustworthy one adding a layer of ambiguity to the story and this ambiguity is nowhere more evident than at the end, one that was completely unexpected at least by me. This is not an easy or even a comfortable read but it is an important one and I recommend it highly.
Thanks to Edelweiss+ and Restless Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
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LibraryThing member encephalical
Got totally caught up in the central conflict, was not expecting the resolution.
The intro in the Penguin Classics edition was so bad, full of spoilers and academese, that I put it down for six years before restarting it.
The intro in the Penguin Classics edition was so bad, full of spoilers and academese, that I put it down for six years before restarting it.
LibraryThing member MelissaLenhardt
I've gotten to the point in my reading life where I can frequently predict what's going to happen in a book. Whether it's a result of reading so voraciously for so many years or from my knowledge of story structure, themes or being able to interpret subtext and recognize foreshadowing, I'm not
Larsen pulls off a neat trick by making the reader believe this book is about blacks passing as whites and the pull black culture retains over those who "pass." It is a thematic red herring. What this book is really about is one woman's determination to preserve her way of life, social standing and family. Irene is a wonderfully complex character who was alternately sympathetic and a little scary in her single-minded pursuit of her own will.
Great book. Recommended.
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sure. Of course, I'm not always right, but my batting average is pretty darn good. That's why books that surprise me in some what always end up as favorites. The ending of Passing surprised me, though it probably shouldn't have.Larsen pulls off a neat trick by making the reader believe this book is about blacks passing as whites and the pull black culture retains over those who "pass." It is a thematic red herring. What this book is really about is one woman's determination to preserve her way of life, social standing and family. Irene is a wonderfully complex character who was alternately sympathetic and a little scary in her single-minded pursuit of her own will.
Great book. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member Bibliofemmes
The number of commas renders some of the sentences stilted, so the writing is a bit off-putting. The characters of Irene and Clare, two mixed-race women who pass for different reasons and once childhood acquaintances, meet as adults. One selfish and self-centered, heedless of the harm she causes,
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the other self-sacrificing and jealous and only too aware of "doing the right thing." An unreliable narrator and the question of passing drives the story, but the personalities of the two women, so different but the same creates the tension and the ambiguous end. Show Less
LibraryThing member Backus2
This classic novel invites the reader to learn about the 1920's golden days of the african american community, with many similarities to The Great Gatsby. Clare, and Irene, both are light-skinned African Americans, who can "pass" for being white. Clare hides her past, and chooses a worlds far from
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her true identity. She marries a white man who is racist toward black people. Irene chose to stay with her true heritage marrying a man of her own race, however when in the city, "passes" as white when convenient for her. They can't hide who they are for much longer, which ends terribly. This book about identity, and racism, is a great novel for the early grades in high school. Show Less
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
One of the great things about reading from the 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die List is that I have been introduced to many writers that I had not experienced before. Such is the case with Passing by Nella Larsen. This is the story of two American women in the 1920s with a similar background who
Both women are very light skinned black women and while Irene is a respected member of the Black community, married to a black doctor and allowing herself to “pass” for white only occasionally, Clare actually lives the life of a white woman, completely denying her black heritage and even hiding her race from her rich, white and bigoted husband. But Clare seemingly desires some contact with the black community and latches onto Irene in order to attend various black social functions. Irene has mixed feelings about Clare, she doesn’t approve of her life choices yet she does her best to protect her secret. Her feelings become even more challenged when she realizes that her husband and Clare are having an affair.
I found Passing to be a very interesting story. Nella Larsen herself was of mixed heritage, her mother was Danish and her father a black American. Racial segregation laws were in force until the 1960s and some light-skinned blacks used “passing” in order to obtain equal opportunities and rights, social standing and acceptance. It is unfortunate that Nella Larsen only wrote one other book, but I will be reading that in the near future.
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chose very different ways to live.Both women are very light skinned black women and while Irene is a respected member of the Black community, married to a black doctor and allowing herself to “pass” for white only occasionally, Clare actually lives the life of a white woman, completely denying her black heritage and even hiding her race from her rich, white and bigoted husband. But Clare seemingly desires some contact with the black community and latches onto Irene in order to attend various black social functions. Irene has mixed feelings about Clare, she doesn’t approve of her life choices yet she does her best to protect her secret. Her feelings become even more challenged when she realizes that her husband and Clare are having an affair.
I found Passing to be a very interesting story. Nella Larsen herself was of mixed heritage, her mother was Danish and her father a black American. Racial segregation laws were in force until the 1960s and some light-skinned blacks used “passing” in order to obtain equal opportunities and rights, social standing and acceptance. It is unfortunate that Nella Larsen only wrote one other book, but I will be reading that in the near future.
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LibraryThing member alanteder
Intriguing Portraits in Passing
Review of the Penguin Vitae hardcover edition (2017) of the 1929 original.
Nella Larsen (1891-1964) was a Harlem Renaissance author who published only two novels, Quicksand (1928) and Passing (1929) before she completely disassociated from writing and spent the rest of
Passing is somewhat of a cat and mouse intrigue between two light-skinned African American women. Clare Kendry is passing for white, even though she is married to a virulently racist White American. Irene Redfield, although she could have passed, has stuck by her African American heritage and community. Kendry now regrets what she has left behind and begins to insinuate herself back into Redfield's life after a chance re-meeting (they had known each other as children) with eventual tragic consequences.
I read Passing as part of my subscription to the inaugural 2020 Shakespeare and Company Lost Treasures curated selection. 4 books of the expected 12 have been delivered as of March 2020.
Review of the Penguin Vitae hardcover edition (2017) of the 1929 original.
Nella Larsen (1891-1964) was a Harlem Renaissance author who published only two novels, Quicksand (1928) and Passing (1929) before she completely disassociated from writing and spent the rest of
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her life working as a nurse. This superb new edition from Penguin Vitae includes a thorough 30 page introduction by Emily Bernard and 8 pages of excellent Explanatory Notes by Thaddeus M. Davis.Passing is somewhat of a cat and mouse intrigue between two light-skinned African American women. Clare Kendry is passing for white, even though she is married to a virulently racist White American. Irene Redfield, although she could have passed, has stuck by her African American heritage and community. Kendry now regrets what she has left behind and begins to insinuate herself back into Redfield's life after a chance re-meeting (they had known each other as children) with eventual tragic consequences.
I read Passing as part of my subscription to the inaugural 2020 Shakespeare and Company Lost Treasures curated selection. 4 books of the expected 12 have been delivered as of March 2020.
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Subjects
Awards
Language
Original publication date
1929
ISBN
9781632062048
Local notes
Fiction