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beckyt603's review against another edition
5.0
Loved the book but the ending was rather abrupt and unsatisfying. That said- I still gave it 5 stars because it really was great otherwise.
tina_perseveres's review against another edition
3.0
This was a neat discovery I had not heard about until my book club suggested it. The story opens when the main character, Aminata, is eleven. She is taken from her village in Africa and sold into slavery. As a group, my book club agreed Aminata was a great conduit for the explaining the story. As a character, she was not always the most sympathetic toward others. She was not exactly selfish but possibly oblivious to the double standards she maintained. In partiuclar, her religion is of substance in the beginning then she makes excuses for herself in adulthood.
Religion is one example. However, it does not interfere with the history and detail provided. The information and research done for this book are to be applauded.
Religion is one example. However, it does not interfere with the history and detail provided. The information and research done for this book are to be applauded.
spectatrix's review against another edition
4.5
took me quite a while to figure out this review. i couldn’t stop reading this book and loved how dimensional the characters were.
but the author used the n-word A LOT (i know it’s historically accurate but i‘m not the biggest fan of using it in modern literature)
but the author used the n-word A LOT (i know it’s historically accurate but i‘m not the biggest fan of using it in modern literature)
hadidee's review against another edition
3.0
SPOILERS!!!!!
Surprisingly easy read which took only a few days to finish. Aminata - while a great character - stretched my credulity at times and I wondered if it might have been better to have had her 'voice' interspersed with a few others: Solomon Lindo and Sam Fraunces for example were the two characters that I would have liked to know more about
The last section - the move from Nova Scotia to Freetown to searching for her village to England to work with the abolitionists to finding her daughter - was at once rushed and felt forced. As if Lawrence Hill had done the research and wanted to get it into the novel so he had to get Aminta to all the right places in time.
But overall a really enjoyable and interesting read.
Surprisingly easy read which took only a few days to finish. Aminata - while a great character - stretched my credulity at times and I wondered if it might have been better to have had her 'voice' interspersed with a few others: Solomon Lindo and Sam Fraunces for example were the two characters that I would have liked to know more about
The last section - the move from Nova Scotia to Freetown to searching for her village to England to work with the abolitionists to finding her daughter - was at once rushed and felt forced. As if Lawrence Hill had done the research and wanted to get it into the novel so he had to get Aminta to all the right places in time.
But overall a really enjoyable and interesting read.
yverne's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
A bit implausible that Aminata learns to read and write and eventually becomes a public speaker, as so few women of that era would have done, but it is a novel, and it's well written and narrated and keeps you absorbed. Good character description, the twists and turns in the tale are well handled. A moving story, and one to read again (as I've just done).
pdwhite's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent book. Gave a really good perspective on what slaves really had to look forward to with a new life in Canada.
booksxnaps's review against another edition
5.0
I’ll come back for a full review but I know Aminatta Diallo is a name I won’t forget anytime soon.
oidche's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0