Scan barcode
ema_b's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Excellent writing, complex characters, a saga of family, trauma, and myth. It was uncomfortable to read about the incestuous relationships (trigger warning) but still the author and the story lured me in. I enjoyed the tale and would read again.
wendy_cathcart's review against another edition
4.0
Land of Love and Drowning tells the story of two sisters, Eeona and Anette, and that of the islands on which they live. The book begins on Transfer Day, the day the islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix are transferred from Danish to American hands and become the US Virgin Islands. It is a significant day, both symbolically and realistically, to the islands inhabitants. They look forward to being American citizens but soon find that racism and Prohibition will take a toll on their dreams of freedom and enterprise.
It is immediately apparent that Eeona and Anette are very different, as the story is told alternately from each sister's distinctly voiced perspective. The daughters of Captain Owen Arthur Bradshaw and Antoinette Bradshaw grow up in a world that is very often hard. Eeona, the oldest by a number of years,
is left to care for her sister when her mother takes off for America to chase her dreams after their father dies when his ship sinks. Antoinette returns to St. Thomas, only to die of tuberculosis which she contracted in New York. This epic story follows Eeona and Anette through their lives, as well as telling some of the history of the Virgin Islands and the United States.
I found Land of Love and Drowning, which is receiving much critical praise, to be very interesting. I learned a lot about the history and culture of the USVI and it's people. Also, about that period of history from a new perspective. I found some aspects of the story to be rather troubling and even though this part was hard to read, it was an important formative piece of Eeona's character and perspective. I would recommend this book with the caveat that it has some difficult themes. It was worthy of a solid 4 stars.
It is immediately apparent that Eeona and Anette are very different, as the story is told alternately from each sister's distinctly voiced perspective. The daughters of Captain Owen Arthur Bradshaw and Antoinette Bradshaw grow up in a world that is very often hard. Eeona, the oldest by a number of years,
is left to care for her sister when her mother takes off for America to chase her dreams after their father dies when his ship sinks. Antoinette returns to St. Thomas, only to die of tuberculosis which she contracted in New York. This epic story follows Eeona and Anette through their lives, as well as telling some of the history of the Virgin Islands and the United States.
I found Land of Love and Drowning, which is receiving much critical praise, to be very interesting. I learned a lot about the history and culture of the USVI and it's people. Also, about that period of history from a new perspective. I found some aspects of the story to be rather troubling and even though this part was hard to read, it was an important formative piece of Eeona's character and perspective. I would recommend this book with the caveat that it has some difficult themes. It was worthy of a solid 4 stars.
samhoward's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful and magical book about the troubles and triumph about learning about your family, set the beautiful Virgin Islands.
nicki1210's review against another edition
4.0
This book isn't the type of book that is going to change your entire mentality on life...and that's okay. This is a good read that transports you to the island of St. Thomas. The author has an eloquent way of developing the story and throughout the book you feel part of the island life and the magic that comes along with it. The story wanders, but as you would on any island, you have to go with the flow. I found the way the author revealed certain information interesting. You would be in one time setting and she would nonchalantly mention that something will be happening in the future (a new baby as an example) before it even happens, just as one might do when they are looking back on their own personal history. I found myself wanting to know the characters more and more, and I was rooting for their success. Each character is unique and has their own complex history, and you never know what they are going to do next. I commend Yanique on her ability to evoke a world filled with magic and love.
grinberit's review against another edition
2.0
Really rough subject matter - tons of incest and inappropriate father daughter relationship that is super uncomfortable.
tonyabeth's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
jem_of_the_brew's review against another edition
4.0
You can also read this review on my blog at: http://oddfeather.co/2017/05/29/review-land-of-love-and-drowning-by-tiphanie-yanique/
I had never heard of Tiphanie Yanique until I heard of her short story collection, How to Escape from a Leper Colony, in a Lenny letter book club. Her story-telling style was compared to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, so I had to find out more. Land of Love and Drowning is a work steeped in factual history, personal and familial history and myths, magic realism, and the tension between a people and place, culture and race.
It follows the lives of two sisters in the Virgin Islands, one born before American assimilation and one born after. They are descended from mythical creatures with strange and uncertain powers, and it is the history and tragedy of their family that haunts and shapes their lives.
What I took from this book is a strong sense of female story telling, of dwelling on family and place and the magic that weaves, binds and separates the two. I was delighted and relieved by the attitudes of the sisters, who alternatively embrace and struggle with their destinies by falling in and out of love as it finds them and leaves them, keeping the wrong secrets at the right time and loving themselves and their home with a strong vulnerability. They seek to make their own fate, but are carried on a current of repeated history that pulls them under and only releases them when they surrender to it completely.
I had never heard of Tiphanie Yanique until I heard of her short story collection, How to Escape from a Leper Colony, in a Lenny letter book club. Her story-telling style was compared to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, so I had to find out more. Land of Love and Drowning is a work steeped in factual history, personal and familial history and myths, magic realism, and the tension between a people and place, culture and race.
It follows the lives of two sisters in the Virgin Islands, one born before American assimilation and one born after. They are descended from mythical creatures with strange and uncertain powers, and it is the history and tragedy of their family that haunts and shapes their lives.
What I took from this book is a strong sense of female story telling, of dwelling on family and place and the magic that weaves, binds and separates the two. I was delighted and relieved by the attitudes of the sisters, who alternatively embrace and struggle with their destinies by falling in and out of love as it finds them and leaves them, keeping the wrong secrets at the right time and loving themselves and their home with a strong vulnerability. They seek to make their own fate, but are carried on a current of repeated history that pulls them under and only releases them when they surrender to it completely.
lauren_shoe's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book, bit I couldn't finish it. Too much romanticizing of incest ☹️
monicaa_d's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
3.5
I liked the blend of historical events with myth and magic. The characters are experiencing the effects of secrets, both known and unknown to them, which at the same time bind them together and keep them apart from one another.
Enjoyability ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Impact ⭐⭐⭐
Enjoyability ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Impact ⭐⭐⭐
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Colonisation