This is my last read for the Women's Prize for Fiction. It is set in Barbados and focuses on several storylines that intertwine, all domestic stories,This is my last read for the Women's Prize for Fiction. It is set in Barbados and focuses on several storylines that intertwine, all domestic stories, all with violence and death. There is some humor (the title comes from some of that) but the majority was the kind of violence that makes me slightly dissociate as a reader. I listened to it at 2x which was slightly too fast....more
I saved this one for Read Caribbean month. Most of the book is comprised of folktales transcribed using traditional anthropology/folklore methodology,I saved this one for Read Caribbean month. Most of the book is comprised of folktales transcribed using traditional anthropology/folklore methodology, printed in Spanish and English. Variants on world folktales like Cinderella are prominent but there are also stories with characters local to Puerto Rico.
The stories are a great capture but the introduction really adds context and academic rigor to the subject, if you are interested in it from that perspective. The project was heavily influenced by Franz Boas and it's nice to see his work continuing into the 21st century....more
Did you know June is also Read Caribbean month? I was looking through my unread Audible library and found this novella by Kwame Dawes, who I usually tDid you know June is also Read Caribbean month? I was looking through my unread Audible library and found this novella by Kwame Dawes, who I usually think of as a poet. In this story, a woman is driving across Jamaica during the early squalls of a hurricane to make sure her boat and art studio are safe, when she encounters a naked and disoriented man on the road. I think Dawes intends this to be a romance in the end, but it is very slow in getting there!...more
First came Practical Magic, a well-loved novel published in the mid-90s about the Owens sisters and their witchy reputation. It was made into a film sFirst came Practical Magic, a well-loved novel published in the mid-90s about the Owens sisters and their witchy reputation. It was made into a film starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. A few years ago, the first prequel The Rules of Magic, covered the story of the sisters as children in a visit to *their* aunt. This novel is the prequel to all of it, starting from 1620 and the first witchy woman in their family.
I actually think you can start here. It's true there are artifacts and rules established in this novel that arise in later books but it's okay if you don't know those threads. Otherwise it's about a girl taken in by a woman in the UK who teaches her traditional methods of healing and magic, and after living in Curaçao and moving to America, she makes her own way through plagues and witch trials and general aggression against women. And then she has a daughter of her own...
Very enjoyable, meant to read this in October, glad I finally did....more
Libertie is being brought up in Brooklyn during Reconstruction by her physician mother to take on her work, but flees to Haiti with a brand new husbanLibertie is being brought up in Brooklyn during Reconstruction by her physician mother to take on her work, but flees to Haiti with a brand new husband to try to follow her own path.
I learned some pieces of history I didn't know about previously like the 1863 draft riots and the attempts to relocate free Black people to Haiti, but I'm not sure the pieces all flowed together. The pacing is also quite slow, but I am not a frequent reader of historical fiction so this may not be my thing.
It is, however, one more from the Tournament of Books ...more
I snuck this book in on the eve of Women in Translation month. Iglesias is a Cuban author and this book is a series of connected stories through diffeI snuck this book in on the eve of Women in Translation month. Iglesias is a Cuban author and this book is a series of connected stories through different perspectives, ending with the bulldog, which was arguably the best one. It is very fragmented and most of the voices are male, which felt like a strange choice. There was one moment that was disturbing content wise (view spoiler)[when the grandfather got an erection imagining his granddaughter's toddler fingers in pudding (hide spoiler)] and that colored the rest of the book for me, honestly. Sometimes fragmented writing can coalesce into a greater whole but this just felt random without a lot of substance. ...more
This (debut!) novel covers multiple generations of a Jamaican family and it starts in the middle, when a dying man decides to admit that he faked his This (debut!) novel covers multiple generations of a Jamaican family and it starts in the middle, when a dying man decides to admit that he faked his death to his adult daughter. This isn't a typical family saga in the sense of a linear story; each chapter features characters related to Abel/Solomon either as offspring or ancestors. It deals with the ghosts of slavery; immigration, and memory. (Some reviews use the word colonialism instead of slavery, which masks the actual content.)
Along the way, I also learned some Jamaican history, some I feel sheepish for not knowing, for instance the connection between Haile Selassie and Rastafarianism (and now that I've read more about it, I feel pretty dumb! I mean I've even been to Jamaica!)
Maisy Card was born in Jamaica but raised in Queens; this is a great selection for ReadCaribbean month!
I received a copy of the book ahead of its publication date from the publisher; I neglected to read it until after its publication date, apologies. Opinions and rating are all my own....more
In 2018's Who Is Vera Kelly? Vera was abandoned by the CIA in Argentina. Now she's lost her job and girlfriend in the same day and decides to work as In 2018's Who Is Vera Kelly? Vera was abandoned by the CIA in Argentina. Now she's lost her job and girlfriend in the same day and decides to work as a private investigator (and you know I love that kind of thing!) She gets wrapped up in cold-war Dominican intrigue with dictators, missing children, and social workers.
This book comes out June 16th; I had it a bit early from the publisher....more
Golden Child is a debut novel by Claire Adam, who grew up in Trinidad where the novel is set. It is about a set of twins, one who seems destined for gGolden Child is a debut novel by Claire Adam, who grew up in Trinidad where the novel is set. It is about a set of twins, one who seems destined for great things while the other suffers from issues occurring during his birth. Most of the novel revolves around when one son goes missing.
Overall the storytelling is a slow burn. There are some side stories that didn't seem to matter as much as I thought they would, and despite the title I found myself surprised by the ending. I would have liked to get to know all of the characters better. The placeness of the writing is the best part.
Thanks to the publisher for providing access through NetGalley. The book came out January 29, 2019....more
This is the last of the Camp TOB books for the Tournament of Books and I thought it was pretty good. It is largely set in Burkina Faso and Martinique,This is the last of the Camp TOB books for the Tournament of Books and I thought it was pretty good. It is largely set in Burkina Faso and Martinique, two countries I have not yet had the chance to read books from, and I always enjoy learning more about places. Despite the alternating time periods and the fact that it is a spy novel, it's a pretty slow burn. I set it aside a few times to read other things but was ultimately glad I came back to it. And I loved the ending.
ETA a few quotations:
"I can't run the risk of caring too deeply about too many people. The result is that I've never had very many close friends, but have always excelled at being an acquaintance."
"He laughed. 'I don't like to say what I've read. That's how you disclose the most about yourself. I never make notes in a book or underline passages either. That's even more revealing.'"
"You don't owe them anything. You give them what you want to give them. But it's easier if they think you're one of them. It's easier to work from the inside. That's what I try to do. I've been a spy in this country for as long as I can remember."
2nd ETA: Thanks to Amy B. for sending me your copy. Watch for a shoutout on the podcast. ;)...more
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan comes out in the USA on September 18, but I received an eARC from the publisher through Netgalley. And since it is on Washington Black by Esi Edugyan comes out in the USA on September 18, but I received an eARC from the publisher through Netgalley. And since it is on the Man Booker Prize longlist, I read it early! I can tell the Booker judges are up for an adventure story this year. This story of a child enslaved in Barbados who ends up traveling the world thanks to a scientist/explorer/adventurer, and discovers his own artistic talents. He travels all over where we can see the plight of former slaves in different areas.
It was interesting to see the reality, quote unquote, of some countries ending slavery before others, while the economy was still dependent on the work of unpaid enslaved people. Long-standing racism, long-standing grudges. Still... it has this layer of unreality to the prose that made me less engaged than I wanted to be....more
When Lauren W. came on the Reading Envy Podcast as a guest for Episode 097, she brought this book to talk about. It wasn't long before I had to try itWhen Lauren W. came on the Reading Envy Podcast as a guest for Episode 097, she brought this book to talk about. It wasn't long before I had to try it, and I'm so glad I did.
How did this book pass me by? It is a novel about three women, all related, trying to make their way in a small community in Jamaica. Delores is the mother and matriarch, working hard to make what money she can, completely dependent on the waves of tourists coming through. Margot, her older daughter, appears to work in the service industry for one of the top hotels, but as the story unveils the truth, you learn that she has been selling herself for money, and has been doing so within the context of her employment. She is saving her money for her younger sister, so Thandi can go to school, become a doctor, and escape this very hard life. But Thandi is more focused on a skin-lightening regimen and working on her art. Because she goes to private Catholic school with students who are above her neighborhood's income level, she walks a confusing line between poverty and privilege.
There are other things going on. The sex worker industry seems to be part of the hidden world of the most successful hotels and resorts, and Margot may not be able to work her way out of that the way she thinks. Not only that, a new resort is poised to move in on the land where her entire community lives, and she may play a role in displacing them. Margot is also in love, and with a woman who has already been shunned by the community, since being gay in Jamaica is still very much against the law and a punishable offense. Her neighbors call her a witch and children are afraid of her. The character of Delores ends up having more secrets than anyone, and I was so impressed by how that story was told, and also how she is pretty much unapologetic for what she has done. What choices do the women in this story have?
It is a very well written story, and asks the reader to confront their own role in these issues. I have visited some of these places mentioned in the book, and feel like I have met a Delores and not bought any of her goods. It raises the need for conscious travel, understanding whether your hotel pays local workers ethically, and whether they turn a blind eye to (or profit from) the trafficking of women and sex.
I listened to the audio based on Lauren's recommendation and was quite pleased at the nuance and performance of the narrator, Bahni Turpin. I will be looking for more of her performances for sure....more
I selected this book from the Tournament of Books longlist as a potential dark horse. I really liked it and would love to see it make the shortlist. II selected this book from the Tournament of Books longlist as a potential dark horse. I really liked it and would love to see it make the shortlist. I like the way it plays with storytelling and assumptions the reader might be making.
Halfway through, I was confronted with this: "Look, this isn't magic realism. This is not another story about superstitious island people and their primitive beliefs. No. You don't get off that easy. This is a story about people as real as you are, and as real as I once was before I became a bodiless thing floating up here in the sky. You may as well stop to consider a more urgent question; not whether you believe in this story or not, but whether this story is about the kinds of people you have never taken the time to believe in."
The novel starts with a woman in a specific area known as Augustown, which may be based on the real life area of Jamaica referred to as August Town, now known as Ma Taffy, somewhat of a matriarch for her nieces and nephews and greatnieces and greatnephews. She is blind but knows something has gone wrong, because she can smell something, which she can't at that moment identify. Kaia returns home from school and she discovers his dreadlocks have been chopped off by his teacher.
From there, Ma Taffy starts telling a story about a flying preacherman who showed up in Augustown when she was younger. This connects to the autoclaps (ie: apocalypse) events that are about to occur. The novel ends up roughly divided into before and after, and it all spirals around Kaia's day at school.
There is a lot here about modern, non-tourist Jamaica. ...more
This is a backlist title from my Book of the Month stash. This is about when a man named Tony drowns in Jamaica after saving his son. Tony and Decca aThis is a backlist title from my Book of the Month stash. This is about when a man named Tony drowns in Jamaica after saving his son. Tony and Decca aren't the most likeable characters, but the capture of grief had me nodding my head a lot, particularly navigating the behaviors of other people surrounding the bereaved. 3.5 stars....more
A new translation from Akashic Books left the translator with the challenge of finding more words for body parts! I enjoyed this completely bizarre noA new translation from Akashic Books left the translator with the challenge of finding more words for body parts! I enjoyed this completely bizarre novel set in Haiti with a corpse grandmother, sex-addict butterflies, and the central zombie bride. Voodoo and island traditions saturate the novel and the author communicates the story in three different styles. At first I was completely lost and had no idea what was going on, but just went with it and let it swirl around me.
Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy through Edelweiss....more
I read this because it is one of the nominees for the Dylan Thomas Prize, a list that continues to provide me with poets I've never heard of. Safiya SI read this because it is one of the nominees for the Dylan Thomas Prize, a list that continues to provide me with poets I've never heard of. Safiya Sinclair is a Jamaican-American, turning her focus to place and identity and the body, while also layering on some imagery and characters from Shakespeare. (I'm not sure I picked up on everything on that layer.) There is also a connection to the etymology of the word "cannibal," with its ties to the Caribe people (after a few connections.) This idea of consuming the body, in a variety of ways, threads throughout these poems and is a smart name for the collection....more
"Havana is not a city for people who are squeamish about sweat. Sweat is one of the many defining smells in redolent Havana and is a leitmotif in almo"Havana is not a city for people who are squeamish about sweat. Sweat is one of the many defining smells in redolent Havana and is a leitmotif in almost all Havana literature."
If you are familiar with Kurlansky's other non-fiction, for instance Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World or Salt: A World History, imagine the same thorough look at a singular subject applied to the city of Havana. Mark Kurlansky has visited Cuba for decades, and has a great love for the city of Havana.
He examines history, architecture, politics, trade (especially ports!), food, music, and literature. Throughout the book he references characters or stories from Cuban literature, which I liked. At the end is an extensive bibliography of more reading, both fiction and non-fiction.
Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley....more
Jenny (Reading Envy)
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