Passing

By: Nella Larsen

Narrated by: Tessa Thompson

Length: 3 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Light-skinned Black woman Irene Redfield encounters an old childhood friend - Clare - who is now "passing" as a White woman. Clare is married to a racist White man, who doesn't know she has African American blood. In spite of the danger of being found out by her husband and society at large, she finds herself helplessly drawn to Irene's world....

Passing is a fascinating listening experience on many simultaneous levels.

©1929 Nella Larsen (P)2020 Audible, Inc.

Pass on Passing (Don’t)

This book was nothing I thought it would be and very well written. I’m glad I brought the book & listened to it at the same time. Fantastic story. Hated the ending.

The choices we make

There was so much tension in the book, marvelous and tight. The kind that makes each character simultaneously sympathetic and unsympathetic. There is much to unpack here. Highly recommend.

Racist Literature 😒

I liked this book it was hard to follow because one was reading for both characters But, Claire and her husband got on my nerves. So much, His attitude towards black women made me want to DNF this book, I felt like both women lost themselves in order to please a man.

The reality of color coding in American society

The narration was excellent! The Author’s descriptions of people and places sparked vivid and good imagination.
The story is a real description of what took place in America in generations past and is still relevant today. It’s about those who have black genealogy but “look” white and classify themselves as such, living with the pretence of it, and bearing their own inner pain and identity confusion.
Beyond the book to today, the irony shows up if the ‘white’ ones dare to attend family reunions organized by broad-minded or diverse relatives, where all colors may be present, like a rainbow!
An excellent book!

Excellent Book

I’ve read a few authors from the Harlem Renaissance period and I have to admit that I never really heard of Nella Larsen. An excellent book. I wish she had more content. This is indeed a subject in the Black community that still comes up to this day. I grew up in the south and a lot of my older relatives were very color conscience.

Unexpected ending

Great writing. I was drawn into the characters and storyline. Narrator was easy to listen to and has a rich warm voice. Highly recommend

Enjoyable story line caught and kept my interest

Well written and performed perfectly. I was transported back in time and could vividly see each character. Loved this book. Thank you Audible.

Passing

This is my second listening of this book in less than two months. I failed to enjoy it as I had hoped the first time. As the screen production of the book was released after my first listen, I thought I'd try the book again. I'm really glad I did.

The story, lush and complex, is titled for one of the character's act of passing, or pretending to be white when in reality she is Black. Clare obtains some status and class for her subterfuge but must always be wary of being discovered.

Clare's misleading act is a worry of her friend Irene but it is Clare's bold insertion of herself into Irene's life that is also distressing. Irene feels endangered by Clare's intrusions in more than one way.

The narrator of this book, Tessa Thompson, plays Irene in the screen version of the story.

*****

October 2021 Listen: This is a classic about a controversial racial topic so it should have been a winner for me. I really struggled through it, though. I did like the narrative performance for the most part.

Peculiar book

This was a disappointing book. I expected a story with a purpose. This was more about angst.

says headline is optional but won't allow postin

listed under mysteries. Not a mystery. but shows lives of black people passing themselves as white and the emotional issues they face,.