leosun's review against another edition
emotional
funny
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
bookish_calirican's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
randisworld's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A beautiful story about the women that can come into your life to help you heal. I didn’t enjoy the structure so much but there was so much beauty in the story.
k_fallah's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
rozereads's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
kikireads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
This novel was far more complexly composed than I expected thanks to insufficient readings I was exposed to, readers not up to the task of discerning what they judged to be so "simple". As a recent guest lecturer a student asked me about the importance of the Jamaican arts, and queer artists specifically, to the creation of a national identity. Toni Morrison opined that Black authors ought not to write in isolation but engage substantially with our visual and performing arts in order to explore with true richness our earthly existence. (A paraphrase from memory but that's how I remember it. :D) Alecia McKenzie is one of the few Jamaican novelists in recent times to explore and engage with that dimension of our lives.
With an effortlessly polyvocal structure McKenzie created a transnational, Black Atlantic tapestry through several different characters, of different genders with a two story, roof-leaking house in the hills of Jamaica as the novel's centre. From the Ivory Coast to France, through Haiti and Jamaica to the USA the author delineated those connections from yard ground in a way that emphasized warmth and love of kinship ties rather than adversity and trauma, even as she showed the exploitative practices and bigoted behaviours that still exist.
All are artists whether painter, wood carver, cook, or dressmaker. All carry death, grief, loss, and abandonment to different degrees and rely on their art and community to help them cope, understand, and recover or sustain some hope and joy in their own lives. I could see the art in my head, I wanted to sit and listen to Alton to talk about pre-Independence Jamaica aaaallll day, I wanted to eat Auntie D food and see that group art exhibition!
I do agree with others that the author ended the story a little strangely for me. An incident's impact seemed underplayed in a way that made me wonder if I had misunderstood what actually happened. However, such hiccups pale before all that McKenzie accomplished before. An author long on my radar, I'm glad I finally made it to this book.
With an effortlessly polyvocal structure McKenzie created a transnational, Black Atlantic tapestry through several different characters, of different genders with a two story, roof-leaking house in the hills of Jamaica as the novel's centre. From the Ivory Coast to France, through Haiti and Jamaica to the USA the author delineated those connections from yard ground in a way that emphasized warmth and love of kinship ties rather than adversity and trauma, even as she showed the exploitative practices and bigoted behaviours that still exist.
All are artists whether painter, wood carver, cook, or dressmaker. All carry death, grief, loss, and abandonment to different degrees and rely on their art and community to help them cope, understand, and recover or sustain some hope and joy in their own lives. I could see the art in my head, I wanted to sit and listen to Alton to talk about pre-Independence Jamaica aaaallll day, I wanted to eat Auntie D food and see that group art exhibition!
I do agree with others that the author ended the story a little strangely for me. An incident's impact seemed underplayed in a way that made me wonder if I had misunderstood what actually happened. However, such hiccups pale before all that McKenzie accomplished before. An author long on my radar, I'm glad I finally made it to this book.
ra042312's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0