Loved sitting in my ramblin old chair listening to old Louis Armstrong and reading about these amazing jazz musicians and their struggle and love for their music. Thought this was an amazing book, took me on a journey through a world I was unfamiliar with but am very intrigued by now.

I don't understand all the hype around this book. I found it totally boring and couldn't finish it. I'm so sick of buying books that are rated as #1 bestsellers to find they are really awful. Where can I find honest reviews?

Esi Edugyan's "Half-Blood Blues" is a period story of the jazz culture with colourful scenes of jamming sessions, drinking and bickering among a mixed-race ensemble called the Hot-Time Swingers. The novel interweaves two chronologically distinct storylines one during the turmoil of the 1940's Europe and the other decades later. We see how old friends struggle to reconcile with a past that strongly influenced their future and their contribution to the music world, a recap of their personal side and their creativeness as artists.

At the center is Sidney "Sid" Griffiths, an African American bass player who performed with the Swingers in Berlin with his band mates and childhood friends, Chip C. Jones a rather tasty homophone and Hieronymus "Hiero" Falk, a "mischling" born in Germany with roots stemming from Africa. "Sid" is the narrator who takes us back and forth in time while he recounts his memories of events.

It all starts in 1940 Berlin when the group is forced to flee Germany and is rumoured to have had a vague offer to play with Louis Armstrong. Griffiths and his band mates escape to Paris where they discover a rapidly changing world, one that is gradually succumbing to Nazi power and the racial hatred that follows. Their lives are in constant fear with little hope on the horizon, the trio is broken up when Hiero is arrested and disappears, only to leave a few scattered recordings of their sessions together.…

The second storyline brings us to 1992 as we follow Sid and Chip's journey back to Europe in search of Hiero hoping to rekindle the bond they had and come to peace with their past.

This is an emotional story with rich and well-drawn characters. The plot is powerful and thought-provoking as it deals with sensitive issues over a span of several decades. The beautifully energetic narrative captures the rhythmic patois of the jazz musicians and has created a unique voice for its narrator. At first I found it difficult to follow, not being familiar with the lingo, however, once I overcame my handicap and addressed it as a new challenge I fell right into the beat and enjoyed every remaining page, it added another dimension to a very interesting story.

Congratulations Ms. Edugyan for winning the Scotia Bank Giller prize for 2011.

After all the hype about the author and the book, I expected so much more. There were moments of greatness in the story, but like the expectations created by the hype about the author and book, the expectations from these "great" moments were not met. It took a long time to "get into" the story, and I did find the dialect, while obviously accurate with regard to urban Black America, a hindrance to the story rather than adding verisimilitude since most of the story takes place in war-time Germany and France. Why the emphasis on the American dialect and not the others? The ending of this book is such a let down that it made me angry. All the angst, all the self-deprecation, and all of our disgust at the protagonist is expected to be wiped away because his "victim" leaves the room and comes back in ready to forgive? Sorry, I don't buy it. Far too much has gone on. Attention must be paid to the suffering of the young man. Much more must be done to achieve a resolution and restitution. I really wanted to like this book. Also, Edugyan's short story titled "The Return" in the Globe and Mail was another example of an "unfinished" work. While a reader can expect to pick up subtleties, the subtleties in this story were deeply, deeply, hidden if they were there at all. Too bad. I had such high hopes.

I enjoyed this book, although I have to say it took a while to really get in to it. The story line was very interesting, it really had all my different emotions going....sad, angry, excited.

It is a good story and well deserving of it's award.

This booked was absolutely amazing. I couldn't put it down once I started. It will make out you laugh outloud as well as cry.

Half Blood Blues is a heart wrenching story of survival, betrayal and how the choices we make affect us for the rest of our life.

Half Blood Blues, along with The Sisters Brothers are two books that have received a lot of buzz this award season. Both have received short list nominations for the Giller and Booker prizes. It doesn't get much better than that. In the interest of full disclosure I have to say that I read The Sisters Brothers earlier this year and fully enjoyed it. And as a result I went into Half Blood Blues, unsure if it could match it the quality and creativty. Now I can honestly say I don't know which book I prefer more. They're both so good!

But I'm getting off topic. Half Blood Blues is one of those books that feels so gritty and raw with emotion that you become deeply attached to the characters and to the story. They consume you. It's authentic and dark. There are no "good guys" or "villians" - characters are whole people and Edugyan doesn't shy away from showcasing darker side of human nature.

The most brilliant example of this is Sidney Griffith. In my opinion Sid is one of those great literary characters that only come around every now and again. He's not perfect man. Far from it - I could write a list a mile long of all the things he's done or characteristics he should change. But he's someone you connect with, someone you can relate to. Despite all his flaws, you find yourself pulling for him. It was almost a protective feeling I had for Sid - like I wanted to shield him from the world and tell him it was going to be ok from here on out, but at the same time I also knew he was going to be okay.

Writing and characters aside, however, the most amazing part of this book is the ending. And I don't just mean that it is a well put together ending. When I got near the end of this book I didn't want to know what happened. Without giving too much away, there comes a point where Sid is presented with a particular choice. Both options have their benefits but both also have their consequences. Some many argue strongly for one side or another but really it's a choice that could go either way. I found there was a part of me that didn't want to know what Sid chose. Whatever choice he would end up making would defining who he was as a person and I almost didn't want to know, I wanted it to be ambiguous, because in real life isn't always going to be ambiguous? I still think he chose well and Edugyan ended on a strong note, but there's still that little part of me that wishes I had stopped reading right before reaching the end.

Half Blood Blues blew me away. It is a beautifully written book - Esi Edugyan writes with a strong voice and forms amazing, complex characters. The story broke my heart and by the end of it all it felt like I had lived it right along with them. It's an amazing read, more than worthy of all the attention and recognition it's been receiving.

This and other reviews at Christa's Hooked on Books - http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com