Cezanne Pinto

The novel Cezanne Pinto: A Memoir was an emotionally stirring novel by Mary Stolz. The book transports the reader to an unimaginable world of racism and hatred. The novel is written in first person as a young, African American boy living in the late 1800's. Mary Stolz does a wonderful job of taking the reader through a journey of this young man's life. The novel does not run short of descriptive language and is creatively written in first person account. In some places the novel is rather slow for the reader but, is very historically accurate. Mary Stolz does a very wonderful job of creating the characters of Cezanne, Tamar, and the many other characters that come throughout the novel. The characters fit the time period perfectly. Descriptions are so excellent that this would be a perfect novel to be made into a movie. Overall, the novel is a must read for anyone interested in learning more about America's past and is a historically accurate page turning book. I would recommend it to almost anyone, including young children and families. Do the times shape the individual or does the individual shape the times? This was a question I was often faced with while reading. In this case it was somewhat a mixture of both, however the times did seem to shape the main character more. Cezanne was an ordinary black slave, who decides to risk his life and escape to Canada. The character changes so much with the times that he also fights for the Union in the Civil War. The times happening around Cezanne forced him to fight for a change. The times inspired Cezanne to use his God-given gifts and fight for what he believes in.

This book was very good! I enjoyed it a lot. There was very much suspense since he could be beaten or killed if he were caught doing something wrong. I would recommend it for people of all ages. I found only one problem with this book. It lacked action at some parts in the book which made those parts seem kind of boring. Otherwise, it was an excellent book!

This story weaved a story of racism, bravery, adulthood, and coping with loss all together. Stoltz's ending is also a wonderful one, with a reflection on life and ending with a line from Cezannes boyhood years. wonederful book, wonderful message.

Cezanne Pinto is a wonderful story about slavery, about human strength,about perseverance,and about finding who you are to your soul. We read it aloud as a family and both my 8 year old and my 14 year old enjoyed the story. As for myself, the story is compelling, but what really moved me is that Mary Stolz has the most beautiful command of language. Some of the passages were so rich and lovely to read that I would read them aloud again and again just to hear their music. It is described as a children's book, but it can hold its own with most of the finest adult literature out there. I wish she would write more ...