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foofers1622's review against another edition
4.0
A very different story that I just couldn't put down. It makes me want to visit the Virgin Islands A.S.A.P.
beepuke's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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? Yes
5.0
A unique tale. Truly wonderful. I learned so much about everything.
ekb523's review against another edition
2.0
I kept hoping that the plot was going somewhere and then felt totally unsatisfied when the book was over. There were some very strange elements woven throughout the book (i.e., incest) that never seemed to come through with a true purpose. I did learn some new things about the history of the US Virgin Islands but overall, I wasn't a huge fan of this one.
sassysoles82's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Colonisation, Infidelity, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Sexual content, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Racism, and Child death
Minor: Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, and Death
degger74's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The writer does a wonderful job of changing her voice depending on which character she’s speaking through. It’s almost as if her style changes completely.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest and Child abuse
ja3m3's review against another edition
I picked up this book initially because I needed a book to read for my Around-the World Group for the Virgin Islands. It started off interesting and the writing is lyrical and beautiful, but by page 35 I knew I would not like this book or finish it. The reason I didn't like it is I know I probably should have finished it and the entire book isn't about that subject, but right now I think I need a book with a happy ending. Are there any out there?
Spoiler
I just can't bring myself to read another book about child molestation in the early 1900s.erincampbell87's review against another edition
3.0
The book was teased as magical realism, and it certainly is. But there was less of the mystical element than I'd hoped. I was left wanting much more background about the characters who were touched by magic - the book really only touches on and hints at how they became that way, and the connection between the magical touches they each display seems loose and kind of thrown together. The story follows the muddled lives of two sisters, born as their homeland is becoming a United States territory. Gradually, this transfer sets the stage for other questions of loss, belonging and lack of ownership that mark their lives as the narrative follows them into adulthood and tracks the historical context surrounding them and the land they call home as the cultural, political and socio-economic landscape around them changes.
Anette, the youngest daughter whose birth was unplanned and unwanted, has the most vibrant voice and, it becomes clear, the most honest. She becomes the only trustworthy narrator. Her chapters are written in dialect and she seems the most clearly connected to the Virgin Islands themselves, both informed and independent of the land and the culture that made her.
The old wives' predictions and interjections of wisdom are also beautiful parts of the narrative. Some of the best parts of the book describe the Transfer Day and other cultural and historical aspects of the Virgin Island's history.
Rebekah, the girls' father's mistress who has left hints of her mystical powers in the girls' bloodline, is a shadow of a character who is built up to seem like she'll have a lot more influence on the narrative. But her influence and plot line drop from significance toward the middle and hurriedly reintroduced at the end in a way that was disappointingly lacking imagination and depth. I wish the mystical elements were handled less casually and wound through the narrative with a greater sense of purpose. The fables and folktales the girls tell each other growing up, that Eeona tells her nieces, hint at larger, more important plot points, but they always feel rushed and kind of clumsily handled in the midst of so many other moving parts within the novel. The folktales told the history of their mother's mysterious homeland, Anegada, but it was never made clear how Rebekah fit into this place or was connected to the magic from that land. I wish the book had done more to tie the magical Anegada to Rebekah's mystical black magic, or explain how the connection between Rebekah and the girls' mother only started with their shared man and extended to their mystical origins.
I'm still interested in reading Yanique's short stories because she does such a wonderful job of crafting rich settings and places that much of this whole book read like short scene studies within a larger narrative. I think her writing style would translate well over shorter stories, but became somewhat convoluted in longer form.
Anette, the youngest daughter whose birth was unplanned and unwanted, has the most vibrant voice and, it becomes clear, the most honest. She becomes the only trustworthy narrator. Her chapters are written in dialect and she seems the most clearly connected to the Virgin Islands themselves, both informed and independent of the land and the culture that made her.
The old wives' predictions and interjections of wisdom are also beautiful parts of the narrative. Some of the best parts of the book describe the Transfer Day and other cultural and historical aspects of the Virgin Island's history.
Rebekah, the girls' father's mistress who has left hints of her mystical powers in the girls' bloodline, is a shadow of a character who is built up to seem like she'll have a lot more influence on the narrative. But her influence and plot line drop from significance toward the middle and hurriedly reintroduced at the end in a way that was disappointingly lacking imagination and depth. I wish the mystical elements were handled less casually and wound through the narrative with a greater sense of purpose. The fables and folktales the girls tell each other growing up, that Eeona tells her nieces, hint at larger, more important plot points, but they always feel rushed and kind of clumsily handled in the midst of so many other moving parts within the novel. The folktales told the history of their mother's mysterious homeland, Anegada, but it was never made clear how Rebekah fit into this place or was connected to the magic from that land. I wish the book had done more to tie the magical Anegada to Rebekah's mystical black magic, or explain how the connection between Rebekah and the girls' mother only started with their shared man and extended to their mystical origins.
I'm still interested in reading Yanique's short stories because she does such a wonderful job of crafting rich settings and places that much of this whole book read like short scene studies within a larger narrative. I think her writing style would translate well over shorter stories, but became somewhat convoluted in longer form.
mikkelsonch's review against another edition
4.0
The style was very lyrical and magical while also educational. I loved the dialogue . If you can get past a few disturbing parts, the story was very engrossing. I don't think you always need to agree with everything a character does to enjoy a book.
lizaroo71's review against another edition
3.0
The central story here is about two sisters: Eeona and Annette. The two are quite different in all they do. The two sisters grow up on the US Virgin Islands (Annette just after the transition from Dutch power) and their lives are molded by the forces that have created the land.
The way the story is told is, at times, fragmented, and other times, quite lucid. I liked the use of different POVs particularly when it is the collective "we" of the old wives.
The characters here are painfully flawed and can't seem to rise above their short-comings. There were times when I wanted a character to be more fully realized and a scene to be drawn out.
The rich history of the Caribbean is present throughout and Yanique has good notes in the back for the references she makes in the book.
The way the story is told is, at times, fragmented, and other times, quite lucid. I liked the use of different POVs particularly when it is the collective "we" of the old wives.
The characters here are painfully flawed and can't seem to rise above their short-comings. There were times when I wanted a character to be more fully realized and a scene to be drawn out.
The rich history of the Caribbean is present throughout and Yanique has good notes in the back for the references she makes in the book.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful, evocative writing. Almost plotless (it has a plot but there's no big reveal), more a history of the Bradshaw women, their fates, mythology, and how it fits into 20th century history.
(Thanks Goodreads first-reads for the ARC which I passed on to a friend once a hardcover arrived in the mail via Riot Read)
Full review:http://balletbookworm.blogspot.com/2015/02/land-of-love-and-drowning-by-tiphanie.html
(Thanks Goodreads first-reads for the ARC which I passed on to a friend once a hardcover arrived in the mail via Riot Read)
Full review:http://balletbookworm.blogspot.com/2015/02/land-of-love-and-drowning-by-tiphanie.html