Cannonball Read 13

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Search This Site

| Log in
  1. Follow us on Facebook
  2. Follow us on Twitter
  3. Follow us on Instagram
  4. Follow us on Goodreads
  5. RSS Feeds

  • Home
  • About
    • About CBR
    • Getting Started
    • Cannon Book Club
    • Diversions
    • Event Calendar
    • Fan Mail
    • Holiday Book Exchange
    • Book Bingo Reading Challenge
    • Participation Badges
    • AlabamaPink
  • Our Team
    • Leaderboard
    • The CBR Team
    • Recent Comments
    • CBR Interviews
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Categories
    • Review Genres
    • Tags
  • Fight Cancer
    • How We Fight Cancer
    • How You Can Donate
    • Book Sale
    • CBR Merchandise
    • Supporters and Friends of CBR
  • FAQ
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Follow Us
> FAQ Home
> Genre: Fiction > Through the Chasm of Time

Through the Chasm of Time

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley

February 12, 2021 by Jake Leave a Comment

This book is really tough to qualify and really easy to appreciate.

It seems like since the aughts, almost 20 years since he published Devil In a Blue Dress that Walter Mosley wanted to write less about whodunnit mysteries and more about the mystery of memory, time, and life. He’s quite good at it. The Socrates Fortlow books, the Leonid McGill books, Debbie Doesn’t Do It Anymore, The Man in My Basement….Mosley really has a habit of making existentialism sound entertaining when wrapped up in a story.

Aside from Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned, this might be my favorite of his particular genre of existential tales. I wish I’d had the time to read it in one sitting, because it lends itself well to that. Told without chapters through the cracked lens view of Ptolemy Grey’s memory, the reader finds that they are trying to piece together the story in the same way Grey does. In the hands of lesser writers, this wouldn’t be that interesting. But Mosley is a pro. And he shines here.

If I had one issue with the book, it’s the relationship dynamic between Ptolemy and Robyn. It was barely believable and grossly problematic, given Robyn’s age. Mosley has never been great with female characters, though he has written some interesting ones. Robyn is often treated as a device and her presence (or lack thereof as she’s usually just a narrative convenience) lessens the tale.

But that shouldn’t stop anyone from reading it. This is a great book and I’m fascinated to see how it will be adapted. It certainly lends itself to a quality cinematic portrayal.

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: dementia, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, walter mosley

Jake's CBR13 Review No:22 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: dementia, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, walter mosley ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

About Jake

CBR13 participantCBR12 participantCBR11 participantCBR10 participant

I love reading! View Jake's reviews»

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.



Recent Comments

  • wicherwill on “I do not wish women to have power over men, but over themselves.”So so so agree with how the HEA in this book is fitting with the whole conceit that Lucie has spent her entire adult life...
  • wicherwill on Dr. House as the Beast? Yeah, that tracks.I feel read to filth as I enjoyed this and also can't disagree with what you're saying! Sometimes such it is.
  • wicherwill on Take that pink ribbon off my eyes, damn itI also like how Pierce has, later in life, reflected on who Kel already was in the book series and confirmed that she is likely...
  • wicherwill on Take that pink ribbon off my eyes, damn itsame same! I re-read all the Alanna books during quarantine, buying cheap paperbacks, because I had this hankering to re-read them but then realized while...
  • wicherwill on Harry Potter is a Herione and Wonder Woman is a HeroI love this! There's a book for a psychology class that an ex of mine in college was reading, and one day I was flipping...
See More Recent Comments »

Want to Help Out?

CBR has a great crew of volunteers, and we're always looking for more people to help out. If you have a specialty or are willing to learn, drop MsWas a line.

  • How You Can Donate
  • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Volunteers
  • Leaderboard
  • AlabamaPink
  • Contact

Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo
  3. Google Pay
© 2021 Cannonball Read | Log in