novelesque_life's review against another edition
2.0
2 STARS
"When Mary-Mathilda, one of the most respected women of the island of Bimshire (also known as Barbados) calls the police to confess to a crime, the result is a shattering all-night vigil that brings together elements of the island's African past and the tragic legacy of colonialism in one epic sweep.
Set in the West Indies in the period following World War II, The Polished Hoe -- an Essence bestseller and a Washington Post Book World Most Worthy Book of 2003 -- unravels over the course of twenty-four hours but spans the collective experience of a society characterized by slavery." (From Amazon)
While the storyline was interesting I found it really hard to get through. The descriptions and dialogue were long and not engaging. I did finish the novel though.
"When Mary-Mathilda, one of the most respected women of the island of Bimshire (also known as Barbados) calls the police to confess to a crime, the result is a shattering all-night vigil that brings together elements of the island's African past and the tragic legacy of colonialism in one epic sweep.
Set in the West Indies in the period following World War II, The Polished Hoe -- an Essence bestseller and a Washington Post Book World Most Worthy Book of 2003 -- unravels over the course of twenty-four hours but spans the collective experience of a society characterized by slavery." (From Amazon)
While the storyline was interesting I found it really hard to get through. The descriptions and dialogue were long and not engaging. I did finish the novel though.
silverthorn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Slavery, Murder, Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, Torture, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism and Racial slurs
Minor: Child death, Incest, Colonisation, Gun violence, and Abortion
megan_prairierose's review against another edition
1.0
Ugh. This book drove me crazy, the writing style, the story line, etc. Too slow, meandering all over the place, not a book to try reading on the train in the morning. My conclusion, I found it hard to connect with any of the characters, and I found myself skimming through pages because I couldn't be bothered to actually read an entire page through. How did this novel win a prize??
passionyoungwrites's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Now, if you’re into a long history lesson and tales of a plantation, this may be enjoyable. Though, I must say it didn’t get interesting until Part Three. The book is in parts, and not chapters.
I did enjoy Tilda’s recollection of events starting with her first meeting with the plantation owner, Bellfeels, and their “relationship” that led to her having his children. And how her position changed from field hand to working closer to the Main House.
She confided in the Sargent about many things that went on within the island and on the Plantation. Much he knew nothing about, even as the police.
⚡️
This story is a tale of inherited hatred due to circumstances that are merely out of your control - in a sense. Learning to deal with what life gives you, but also seeing the advantages that come with certain positions. Though, the struggles were still present. Tilda saw and held secrets, until she couldn’t bare anymore. Hence the crime she committed.
⚡️
The best part of this story was to know that her son, Wilberforce, went to school to be a doctor and traveled a lot. Bringing back knowledge that Tilda would never cross in her everyday life on the plantation.
This was a sure reminder than whether a person is working inside or outside on a plantation - the trauma still finds deep.
km33's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
pharmdad2007's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't hate The Polished Hoe. It just really bored me. Apart from the interesting vocab and syntax, just meh.
booksbecreads's review against another edition
2.0
The dialect was difficult at times and the story too slow for me, I think if you picked the timing of reading this it would have been a better read for me
randomreader41's review against another edition
1.0
If I could give it negative five stars, I would. I kept waiting for the plot to improve, but...Also this type of dialect really drives me crazy. I’m so mad someone recommended this to me.
black_girl_reading's review against another edition
5.0
Holy hell, Austin Clarke’s The Polished Hoe. The story of a woman who has committed a crime against a man who represents many things in her life, not least of all, the key holder to her gilded cage. She recounts the story of her crime over one long night to a police constable who she has known from childhood, and who shares some of her secrets, many of her desires, and a reasonable amount of fear for the woman she has become. Through this meandering telling, the reader experiences the multilayered reach of class and race on the post-WWII Caribbean island of Bimshire, which many of us know as Barbados. This book is a slow burn, it is long and it is complicated, and you earn it as you labour through it. There are many stories in this one night where so many secrets are spilled and feelings are revealed and histories are recounted, but for me, this book was mostly about how they can try put a positive spin on the “gifts” that come with the people and systems that oppress us, surely the most false justification of colonialism, but that we hear true freedom beckon us from beyond the sparkling trinkets of our oppression, and that we will find our way back to ourselves no matter what we have to sacrifice, or how hard we have to fight to get there. Our time will come, and our truth will tell.