Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

"Wind is in the cane. Come along
Cane leaves swaying, rusty with talk,
Scratching choruses above the guinea’s squawk
Wind is in the cane. Come along."

Jean Toomer, an early figure in the Harlem Renaissance, combines poetry and vignettes written in a stream of consciousness style to capture snapshots of African American life in both the 1920’s urban north and the Jim Crow south.

Jean Toomer (1894-1967) was an important figure in African-American literature and the Harlem Renaissance, a poet, playwright and novelist. His most well-known work is Cane, published in 1923, a collection of short stories, vignettes and poems, portraying black lives in both the north and south of the United States. I found it a mixed bag overall. Some of the pieces are certainly lyrical and evocative of the time and place, whilst others are little more than a few sentences and those didn’t work for me. The final third of the book is written in the form of a play, and this too I found problematic. The book is described as a novel, but I simply can’t see why, as its fragmented nature allows for no sustained narrative. I didn’t find it an easy or straightforward read as a whole, although I enjoyed some of the sketches, and the writing is good. Poverty, religion, racism, life in rural Georgia and in Washington DC, and the boundaries between black and white are indeed all compelling themes, but for me this was an interesting discovery rather than a good read, and although I can see why it is a seminal piece of black writing I found it hard to relate to.

What is the shape of a novel that has withstood the test of time? First written in 1923, Jean Toomer's <b>Cane</b> is an innovative work that rewrites the definition of "novel". Divided in three parts, each part is distinctive not only for its setting but also for its prose. The first is in part vignettes that exude a sexual allure. Seemingly unconnected descriptions of hued women and a landscape bound to the history of slavery are interwoven with bits of poetry and odes that resound like Old Negro spirituals. The middle passages carry the reader up North during the Great Migration. In this part the syncopated rhythms of jazz dominate the prose. Lastly, the reader returns home to the South in this short story/drama piece that recalls the fear of racial violence and questions the impact of Christianity on the black community through vernacular dialogue. Longing is a theme that runs throughout the work. Longing to be seen beyond the physical. Longing to be recognized and valued. Longing to be loved. Most of all, a longing to return to our true selves, emotionally and spiritually.

Originally published in 1923, Cane by Jean Toomer is one of the major contributions to the Great Harlem Renaissance. Thank you, Dreamscape Media, for bringing back around this excellent contribution to black history in America and the contributions of Jean Toomer to preserving those arts.

Cane is a condensation of the heritage of the black south, a combination of the haunting vocals of gospel music, internal fortitude, Robert Johnson blues and the heart and souls of southern families who kept their worlds together through thick and thin. We travel north, and then back south, and end with an heart rending play that caps the depth and fantasy of Jean Toomer's wonderfully evocative prose and poetry.

I read this back in the 1990's, but loaned out my copy and never got it back. I am grateful for the opportunity to return to the mind pictures of Jean Toomer. I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, for sharing your hard work with me. This is a work I will keep close at hand, this time around.