num_pages: 388
description: In one of the most acclaimed novels in recent memory, Edward P. Jones, two-time National Book Award finalist, tells the story of Henry Townsend, a black farmer and former slave who falls under the tutelage of William Robbins, the most powerful man in Manchester County, Virginia. Making certain he never circumvents the law, Townsend runs his affairs with unusual discipline. But when death takes him unexpectedly, his widow, Caldonia, can't uphold the estate's order and chaos ensues. In a daring and ambitious novel, Jones has woven a footnote of history into an epic that takes an unflinching look at slavery in all of its moral complexities.
language: English
title: The Known World
titlecomplete: The Known World
genres: Fiction, Historical, American, Book Club, Literature, Novels, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Race, African American
ratings_count: 40930
places: The United States of America
awards: awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: Pulitzer Prize
category: Fiction, awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: National Book Critics Circle Award
category: Fiction, awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: Hurston/Wright Legacy Award
category: Debut Fiction, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: National Book Award Finalist
category: Fiction, awardedAt: 1104566400000
name: Dublin Literary Award
publisher: Amistad