Pulsating, vivid, gripping and brilliantly written
Amanda Smyth did a phenomenal job in writing LOOK AT YOU , it is a novel told in stories that wil Pulsating, vivid, gripping and brilliantly written
Amanda Smyth did a phenomenal job in writing LOOK AT YOU , it is a novel told in stories that will leave you feeling breathless. The book is set in Trinidad and Tobago, England and sometimes in Ireland. The book follows a young girl from childhood to adulthood, her first time in Trinidad and Tobago with her family and how her heritage shaped her life. The book is narrated by different people and that pushes the plot along, and we find out more about the main character- what she is currently doing and how these different relationships continue to impact her.
The story is about the main character trying to find her way in the world, what it means to be a Trini leading in England, growing up in an in-between space and how that impacts her identity. I loved how we see her growing up, and the different challenges she faces and how it impacts her self-confidence.
In true Amanda Smyth style, the writing is the tight, engaging, brilliant and unforgettable. While it is a short story, it does leave a huge impact on you. I recommend going in blind with this one. ...more
The brilliant spotlight on Caribbean Craft Makers, everything was executed beautifully!
In Crafted Kinship by Malene Barnett we meet more sixty voi The brilliant spotlight on Caribbean Craft Makers, everything was executed beautifully!
In Crafted Kinship by Malene Barnett we meet more sixty voices from across the Caribbean and how they explore practices of making their hands and how they form kinship. Barnett said, "the core of this book is the understanding that the Caribbean is a small splace that significantly impacts the world."
I love this collection so much, you really see the brilliance of Caribbean people shining through with each interview. We hear about their work and how it promotes themes of Black womanhood, colonial histories, community, collaboration, climate, sustainability, spirituality and being in the disapora. I love reading about their art and what moves them. I think I particularly enjoyed how they had to reinvent themselves and why.
This is truly a great spotlight on Caribbean Craftmakers. ...more
This is a brilliant collection of short interconnected stories, one where each gets story gets bett Stories that gets under your skin and stays there
This is a brilliant collection of short interconnected stories, one where each gets story gets better and better. We are taken to Ghana where each character is battling something that they bring to life on the pages. I loved everything about this collection. Every story felt unique but also familiar.
If you loved Ghostroots, you will love this one. ...more
It is 1957 in the South and Alice Young took a bus, when she got off at all-Black town of New Jessup, Alabama she is shocked that there are no signs dIt is 1957 in the South and Alice Young took a bus, when she got off at all-Black town of New Jessup, Alabama she is shocked that there are no signs directing her on where to go and which door to go through. She doesn’t have any money and is directed to the home a pastor and his wife, where she settles herself. A few days later she lands a job as a seamstress and decides to make New Jessup her home. She meets and falls in love with Raymond Campbell. His family where some of the founding fathers of the community and he is involved with a secret organization looking to balance the power between New Jessup and the white people on the other side of the woods. Alicie is just happy to be in a town she can call home, where she’s able to raise her family, but Raymond wants her to fight for equality, how will they navigate this?
This was my first time reading about an all Black town and what it was like for people growing up there and how they navigated the changes happening externally. I loved how the author wrote the love story of Alice and Raymond. The historical look, I absolutely appreciated. ...more
Honeysuckle and Bone opens with Carina Marshall landing in Jamaica to work as a nanny for a very wealth for the summer. Carina was told they it was Honeysuckle and Bone opens with Carina Marshall landing in Jamaica to work as a nanny for a very wealth for the summer. Carina was told they it was a prestigious family but she wasn’t prepared for how wealthy the Halls are. She took this job for the summer because she needed a getaway from her life in the USA and the secret that continues to haunt her. This new country and new job is a her fresh start.
While she is making friends with the young staff at the Halls, she makes sure to keep tight lipped about herself for fear of her past repeating itself. One night after going out with the team she reaches home to a message on her mirror that says “RUN!”. How did they find out about her past? What should she do next?
This is a young adult, thriller that is set mostly in Jamaica. While I did enjoy seeing Carina experiencing Jamaica for the first time, making friends and trying her best to reinvent herself- I felt the book really dragged. I loved her relationship with the gardener, it felt genuine. Overall I was a little underwhelmed at the ending. It was a little unbelievable and tied up very fast. ...more
Marchelle Farrell takes us on a unique journey through her garden and in the writing of the Uprooting . We a Deeply moving, personal, and sensory….
Marchelle Farrell takes us on a unique journey through her garden and in the writing of the Uprooting . We are taken to the English countryside where she and her family are settling down. Marcelle is a Black woman who grew up in Trinidad and Tobago, so moving to this all white countryside is an “uprooting” in many ways and Marcelle showcases that through the use of personal stories and her gardening. We find out about her process of gardening and how the different cycles impacts her, and her family.
I hear Marcelle read from her book and talk about it at BOCAS Lit Festival and I was intrigued about how she used gardening to frame her stories about her life. As someone who can’t keep a plant alive, needless to say, I have no interest in a gardening but Marcelle did an exceptional job of tying in the beauty of it.
I enjoyed how meandering the book is, how the author threw in different stories about her life in Trinidad and Tobago, how it shaped her. We read about the island, colonialism, her being a Black woman and navigating life in London.
This is a beautiful book that deserves more eyes.
P.S. If you love gardening, you’ll enjoy this one. ...more
Another Man in The Street opens in the early sixties with Victory Johnson leaving St. Kitts and Nevis behind with his family for London. He dreams o Another Man in The Street opens in the early sixties with Victory Johnson leaving St. Kitts and Nevis behind with his family for London. He dreams of becoming a reporter and writer in London, one thing he plans on never doing is returning to his island home of St. Kitts and Nevis. Upon arriving in London, Victory becomes a rent collector, collecting rent from Caribbean nationals like himself. Victory finds that making a life in London is not as easy as he thought it would be. So many challenges keep coming up, and he wonders will be make his dream.
This book explores themes of identity, immigration, regret, belonging and how it can be for the Windrush generation. I did enjoy this story, I felt it meandered a little too much. ...more