Black Is White

by George Barr McCutcheon

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412 pages, Hardcover

Published May 20, 2016

About the author

George Barr McCutcheon was an American popular novelist and playwright. His best known works include the series of novels set in Graustark, a fictional East European country, and the novel Brewster's Millions, which was adapted into a play and several films.

Reviews

[Phil Syphe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never know what to expect with a McCutcheon novel. They tend to be hit or miss. This one falls somewhere in between.

Yvonne is a lifelike character and the author has crafted her well, whereas the young couple come across as too melodramatic to be believed. Melodrama is, in fact, quite high in this book.

The plot is pretty good on the whole, but drags a lot in parts. Too many rambling third-person narration slows the pace down. The opening is especially long-winded and should’ve been considerably condensed.

So worth reading, but only once.

[ANGELIA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once upon a time, I used to read a lot of books that were popular in the late 19th/early 20th century (not classics, but popular authors) and I liked them, but now they seem to be too much on the melodramatic side. This one is full of melodrama: jealousy, false accusations, revenge, deception, sacrifice, semi-madness, disguises, two love triangles (of sorts), as well as a touch of the supernatural. It's way over-the-top but still entertaining, but it has a woman plotting revenge on her husband/former brother-in-law, by attempting to get her stepson/nephew to fall for her. Neither he nor his father know her true identity, so you can't accuse the guy of any incestuous feelings, but for the woman to play with his emotions, knowing he's her sister's son was pretty crummy.

Hence, only two stars.

[Estott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than I expected. Plenty of atmosphere (even an Asian dwarf servant) and a woman to woman friendship which just brushes by Lesbianism. McCutcheon was prolific and popular. He's mostly forgotten but might be worth a look.