| Title | : | Moses Ascending |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0435989529 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780435989521 |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 140 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1975 |
Moses Ascending Reviews
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3.5/5🌟
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Assigned reading for a university course on Representing Black Britain in Literature.
Oh boy. Firstly, I really enjoyed the writing style, the subtle Trinidad dialect flowed really nicely and gave the text character an flavour. The satire element was well done, the story fast-paced, to the point were it felt a bit as though the main character was flip-flopping around from one mood to the other, but I attribute that as part of the satire slap-stick style.
However.
The blatant misoginy was just sickening. Women are only referred to as "pussy", "thing" or, occasionally "bitch". Every woman is only a potential sexual conquest, especially the only two (!) female characters that actually have a name. And of course, as soon as these two female characters meet on the page they are catty and jealous and start sabotaging each other. Not to mention, there is literally an attempted rape scene right at the beginning and the main character's response is "I even get up from the table and stand to get a better view of the proceedings."
Another trend is the "the female is being contrary so lets fill her up with alcohol" which usually magically improves her mood.
And none of this is really addressed or discussed in a way that makes it clear the author is aware of this problematic depiction. Brenda, one of the named women who apparently is supposed to be a satire of Black feminists at the time, does get a few lines of "women should not be treated like this!" but more for comedic effect than anything else. Her involvement in the Black Power movement, organising rallies, speeches and a Black run newspaper is all undercut by her sexualisation by the main character and his white handyman, as well as her "helping around the house" because she is a woman and so that's her job.
I could rant on for longer, but I will wait until the class discussion and maybe add some more later. -
When I read this book for class, I thought it was a satire of something that might have happened in 1970s London. I even sort of enjoyed it, though the treatment of Brenda and the racism in the book was jarring at times. Then I read the introduction. While the author was satirizing some things, he apparently was not joking when writing the out of control misogyny in this novel. The best thing about this book is that years later, the author was slapped at an event by a female activist for his horrid portrayal of women in his books.
For a man writing about a character who supposedly had sex with hundreds of white women and managed to get Brenda to sleep with him even after he let his friend try to rape her without interfering, this author seems to have neither respect for nor an understanding of women.
It's not an awful book. I am not so blinding by anger right now that I cannot see the redeeming qualities of the prose. But man. Ugh. -
Sharply witty, incessantly ironic, infectiously fast-moving. A British comedy of sex and race in the 70s, from the point of view of Moses, a black landlord hoping to live large and instead encountering illegal immigrants, Black Power radicals living in his basement, and infidelity scandals involving his servant Bob.
(Read for class- Anglophone Literatures of the Third World) -
Moses Ascending is about Caribbean immigrant Moses and his experiences writing his (so called) memoirs as he enjoys his retirement in Britain as the landlord of delipidated property in Shepherds Bush. After years of toiling and living in danky basements, Moses is finally about to enjoy the high life as the "master" in his West London penthouse with his "servant" Bob and his somewhat problematic tenants. Things get complicated when Moses realises he's got a Black Panther/Power movement operating in his basement and Pakistanis illegally being smuggled into the country via his house! How does Moses handle all of this, well quite badly... I found Moses' pompous, pretentious philosophical attitude and "wisdom" humorous and found myself smiling all the way through. The book is written in a slight Caribbean dialect which I found easy to read and added character although I realise some reader found it hard to understand. Would I say Moses Ascending is a must-read, yes and no - the book is a snapshot into the what life was like for a West Indian black migrant in the 70s was life however the storyline I felt was somewhat melodramatic and unrealistic at times. All in all and nice short fun read - 3.5 stars.
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Brilliantly evocative of the time and superbly written. Within the stylish writing and lyrical prose there's a bitterness that lingers long after the story ends. I'm not sure if it's a bitterness of disillusionment - the ones that will bring you down the most are your own people, the same people who are as prejudiced against peoples of other colours as white man is prejudiced against black - or a bitterness of the author. Either way, in a strange way it doesn't detract from the story: call it what you will, it certainly adds another flavour to the storyline.
It's a story of the rise and fall of Moses, a man not unaware of the struggle of black people against the establishment in the 1970s, but a man who, having worked (slaved?) all his life now wants some peace and quiet. (Though I'm not sure his fall is as much of a fall as some would argue). I really enjoyed the nuanced and, above all, realistic attitudes that prevailed at the time.
Some parts jar, some characterisations don't succeed totally, but all in all a thoroughly enjoyable read. -
A tragi-comic story of one man’s physical and figurative ascent in Shepherd’s Bush in 70s London. There are some well-observed and nicely written passages, but it’s an uncomfortable, and rather dated read.
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The biggest thing I can say about this is that it could have been written yesterday, with its issues of racial tensions, anti-Islamic comments and refugees. I'm not entirely sure what the *point* of the novel was, as Moses is a very strange narrator, but it was okay.
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Another classic in the Selvon catalogue, not as good as Lonely Londoners but then what is?
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Read for a Black British Literature class and prefer to save my rage for the massive paper to be written on this.
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Having studied 'The Lonely Londoners' for one of my Uni modules, (which was a BRILLIANT book!), I eagerly downloaded 'Moses Ascending' onto my Kindle to find out what happens to the hero - narrator, Moses Aloetta, next. Moses is one of a community of black immigrants from the West Indies (The 'Windrush' generation) who emigrated to England after WW2 to help re-build the war ravaged cities. As his name suggests, Moses takes on the leadership of this community within their strange 'Promised Land' of London. 'Moses Ascending' picks up several years after the final scene of 'The Lonely Londoners' - Moses now being a man of property enjoying relatively high social status. But, he gets himself into a few comical scrapes, which leave him in very different circumstances and a 'changed man'.
Love the inter-textual links with DeFoe's 'Robinson Crusoe' in this trilogy (the final one being 'Moses Migrating'), and the comedy really does make you laugh out loud whilst, at the same time, cringe at the stigma and stereotypes that are prevalent towards the racial 'other' in society.
May 2015: Have just re-read this novel in preparation for a Uni essay. Love it even more the second time around, so it goes from three to five stars! -
I thought this book was really interesting. Funny at times, relatively fast paced whilst addressing what life may have been like for the Windrush gen. Once you adapt to the context of the novel, and realise that Britain was far less of a "politically correct" nation, it makes for easy reading. Of course people interpret Moses as "sexist" and quite "racist" at points, but I think that shows the age of the novel. Back then it may have been socially acceptable to act the way he did. I like to think we've moved on from that behaviour.
Anyway, I particularly liked moments such as the goat situation in the back garden, perhaps because mum says that was what it used to be back "at home" in the 70s. A pretty good read. -
This book was mediocre at best. It was an assigned reading for class and I definitely will not be choosing to read this author again. The lack of chapters is irritating and language is difficult to read. The events that take place are interesting but it is difficult to tell what might be historically accurate. Lastly, the sexism in this book is disgusting, although moderately amusing if you choose not to be offended. All in all a waste of time and the only reason I finished it was because of my class.
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What happens when Crusoe is the slave and Friday is the master? This novel takes you through a subversive reality where the black man is the slave and the white man is the master. With long-running irony, a form of English language which is not only misused but actually abused, it makes for a brilliant work.
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3.5 stars
A strange but interesting book. Moses is a West Indian landlord who "ascends" into the penthouse of his new building and along the way mimics what he thinks high British living is. Partially a satire of British novels of class ascent, it also parodies various tropes found within in the immigrant community of 1970s London. -
I don't remember reading this book at all, but it was for class, so I'm not surprised I don't remember it. But I did read all of it as I marked it up (I often don't finish school books because I get behind easily).
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One of the funniest West Indian novels I have read. It takes a few pages to get going but once it starts, it's lol, lol, lol and more lol.
When you get over the lols, you may realize that the message of the book (and the author's views)are pretty depressing. -
I read this a long time ago and I vaguely remember the story, I do know that Sam Selvon was a great Trinidadian writer though.
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Grumpy old Moses in the midst of the Black Power movement in London.
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I don't have too much to say about this novel (which might be a really bad sign since I have to write an essay on it for class). I really liked the character of Moses. Well actually I kind of hated him but that is sort of the point of his character. The race stuff in this story is very interesting and the satire is a lot of fun. I'm not sure if I would recommend this story to anybody, but I enjoyed it fine enough.
