dinahrachel's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Lovely paced book balancing author's experience with fascinating carnival and Haitian histy
liralen's review against another edition
3.0
Edwidge Danticat takes us back to Haiti, to Jacmel, for Carnival. But it's a new experience not just for the reader (well, this reader, anyway) but also for Danticat -- as a child in Haiti, she was kept away; Carnival has ever loomed in her imagination as tantalising, dangerous, forbidden. Now, as an adult, she's back to celebrate Carnival herself.
First, though, Danticat takes us through Jacmel. It's an eccentric tour of sorts; she relays a fair amount of history but consistently returns to the things that hold particular interest for her -- graveyards and trees and the relationship of Carnival to life and death.
Though both a recurring theme and the climax of the book, Carnival is not really the focus -- but it does represent a triumph for Danticat, and a new perspective.
First, though, Danticat takes us through Jacmel. It's an eccentric tour of sorts; she relays a fair amount of history but consistently returns to the things that hold particular interest for her -- graveyards and trees and the relationship of Carnival to life and death.
Though both a recurring theme and the climax of the book, Carnival is not really the focus -- but it does represent a triumph for Danticat, and a new perspective.
octavia_cade's review
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
3.5
I often think of travel books as something written by a person who is visiting another country than their own, but that's not the case here. Danticat, who never got to experience the Jacmel carnival as a child (her uncle would take his family away on religious retreat every year to avoid it) goes home to see exactly what she was missing out on all for all those years. Quite a lot, as it turns out!
There's a lot of background detail here concerning the different types of floats, and the selection of the carnival queens, and all the other organisational details that are missed if you just turn up on the day. It's genuinely interesting stuff, though it does feel as if this organisational and historical context takes up 95% of the book. I would have liked for there to have been a longer account of Danticat's actual experiences during the carnival, because I've never been to one either! More time there, even if only by proxy, would have rounded this out a little more, I think.
There's a lot of background detail here concerning the different types of floats, and the selection of the carnival queens, and all the other organisational details that are missed if you just turn up on the day. It's genuinely interesting stuff, though it does feel as if this organisational and historical context takes up 95% of the book. I would have liked for there to have been a longer account of Danticat's actual experiences during the carnival, because I've never been to one either! More time there, even if only by proxy, would have rounded this out a little more, I think.
margaret_j_c's review against another edition
Really liked this a lot and now I really want to visit Jacmel.
whatadutchgirlreads's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
nick_lehotsky's review against another edition
5.0
Danticat's book has it all---the conversational tone, the evocative imagery, the interwoven narrative---that makes for a compelling memoir/travelogue/celebration of Jacmel, Haiti. All-too brief, but I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.
andreablythe's review
4.0
Edwidge Danticat takes us to the streets of Jacmel and through the wild, brightly colored, irreverent ceremony of carnival. Mixed folk lore, history, and historical analysis with personal memoir, Danticat's journey through Jacmel, before and after carnival, is delightful, and makes me long for a trip to Haiti.
qqjj's review
3.0
I really appreciated Danticat's perspective as a tourist in her native country Haiti (although she has lived in the U.S. for many years). She was exploring a region (Jacmel) and event (Carnival) that she had never experienced, but she was not a complete outsider and could write about how her memories and cultural understanding impacted her travels. This was a pleasant and quick read, and simply written, but still managed to evoke the humid, colorful atmosphere. I've loved a few of Danticat's novels/novellas, so I am excited to continue reading all of her works.
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