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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
I love Allende's writing style and the beautiful descriptions in all her novels. This book explores the lead up to the revolution that gave birth of Haiti as a nation, and the incredible hardship of those who were slaves first in Haiti and then later in America's deep south as sugar began to take over the world.
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, Classism
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I struggled with reading this book, but when I switched to the audiobook, it got so much better! A lot of it was because of the narrator, S. Epatha Merkerson, who really made the characters feel alive. It was also difficult to read due to the subject matter and what happened to Zarité and her family. I´m a bit conflicted about the ending, it was sad but it also gave me a bit of an icky feeling
Ugh. Finally finished this one. I thought the author tried to do too much with this book. Too many main characters, too many sub-plots, too much movement, which resulted in me not really caring about any of them. I kept giving it time and then by the time I realized it was not going to redeem itself, I was too invested to quit.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book has been in my TBR the longest, more than six years. Idk why I keep holding off from reading it but thankfully I decided to start (cos sometimes you just need to start first) and what a correct decision it was.
I read Allende before but decades ago. I remember being enthralled with her storytelling and her characters. It happened again with this book. Mind you it has quite a few content warnings in it (including rampant racism and sexual violence, yet I could not stop reading it and had to force myself to sleep at 3 AM for several days. I definitely blame this book for my panda eyes! The historical background of Haitian independece was very well knitted to the character stories. It made me want to read more on the subject so if you know a good nonfiction book about it, let me know.
I do think there are some storylines that were not well wrapped up but overall I really enjoyed my journey.
I read Allende before but decades ago. I remember being enthralled with her storytelling and her characters. It happened again with this book. Mind you it has quite a few content warnings in it (including rampant racism and sexual violence, yet I could not stop reading it and had to force myself to sleep at 3 AM for several days. I definitely blame this book for my panda eyes! The historical background of Haitian independece was very well knitted to the character stories. It made me want to read more on the subject so if you know a good nonfiction book about it, let me know.
I do think there are some storylines that were not well wrapped up but overall I really enjoyed my journey.
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fascinating and haunting. I will never look at my sugar bowl the same again. Eye opener on race relations of the era.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have tried reading this book three separate times over the course of multiple years.....but I officially give up. It's just not good? I don't care about any of the characters, no one has a strong identity and everything moves at a snail's pace. Usu lly , I at least feel a sense of obligation to finish something I've started whether or not I actually like it, but in this case I feel nothing. For a moment, I wondered if the joy of reading had left me, but no, it was just this book that sucked the life out of me. I have now tasted sweet freedom and I will not apologize.
A really interesting and beautiful book about the fantastical powers and gods that drove slaves to rise up in the first, biggest, and most powerful slave rebellion in the world. Set between Haiti and New Orleans, this also talks about a part of the world that doesn’t get enough attention, and it’s really fascinating history.
Another lush Allende epic following Zarité, a biracial slave, though the late 18th /early 19th century in what is now present day Haiti to Cuba and eventually in New Orleans just before the Louisiana Purchase.
Poignant, beautifully written and well researched, the story of the violent Haitian Revolution is told through the experience of Zarité, her enslaved mother's rape on the ship after her abduction in Africa, her life as house and sex slave on a plantation and romance with a revolutionary. It's not an easy read, Allende doesn't hold back on the horrific, barbarous exploitation of Africans.
Juxtaposed within this is Toulouse Valmorin, a self proclaimed Humanist, but complicit in slavery. He rationalizes that it's okay to dehumanize an individual for the sake of Mother France, and believes himself to be of higher morals because he feels he is less cruel to his slaves. At the same time he turns his back on the cruelty of his overseer and rapes a 12 year old girl. In Louisiana he becomes obsessed with creating a slavery utopia, congratulating himself because he feeds them better than other slavers.
I wavered between 4 and 5 stars. You can get bogged down in all the of the military details with many secondary characters. I skimmed over those parts, it just wasn't very compelling and I just didn't care about investing in those characters who only made a brief appearance but got several pages of dialogue and description. Sometimes the narration felt detached, I didn't feel the depth of the character's emotions. Also, Allende really lost me in the end with the whole Flower and the Attic storyline. It was just gross and I had no compassion for her daughter's storyline.
All the way through, I loved Zarité, she's complex, indomitable and strong. A survivor.
Poignant, beautifully written and well researched, the story of the violent Haitian Revolution is told through the experience of Zarité, her enslaved mother's rape on the ship after her abduction in Africa, her life as house and sex slave on a plantation and romance with a revolutionary. It's not an easy read, Allende doesn't hold back on the horrific, barbarous exploitation of Africans.
Juxtaposed within this is Toulouse Valmorin, a self proclaimed Humanist, but complicit in slavery. He rationalizes that it's okay to dehumanize an individual for the sake of Mother France, and believes himself to be of higher morals because he feels he is less cruel to his slaves. At the same time he turns his back on the cruelty of his overseer and rapes a 12 year old girl. In Louisiana he becomes obsessed with creating a slavery utopia, congratulating himself because he feeds them better than other slavers.
I wavered between 4 and 5 stars. You can get bogged down in all the of the military details with many secondary characters. I skimmed over those parts, it just wasn't very compelling and I just didn't care about investing in those characters who only made a brief appearance but got several pages of dialogue and description. Sometimes the narration felt detached, I didn't feel the depth of the character's emotions. Also, Allende really lost me in the end with the whole Flower and the Attic storyline. It was just gross and I had no compassion for her daughter's storyline.
All the way through, I loved Zarité, she's complex, indomitable and strong. A survivor.