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bgg616's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. Alvarez's recount of traveling to norhteastern Haiti from the Dominican Republic with her husband and several Haitians was very affirming of Haitian resiliance and as well as documenting the lack of infrastructure and poverty of the Haitian countryside. The story doesn't focus on this, but rather it is the context of her story of going to the wedding of her Haitian "son", Piti, a young man she and her husband have been close to for many years. I identified with her bewilderment at many of the transactions through her trip - including "bribes" at the border, wondering if this is the family they will be staying with (and who exactly is everyone), what time things will finally happen, etc. In the second half of the book, she, her husband, Piti, his wife and baby, a young American, and two or three others, return to Haiti to bring Piti's wife home for a stay. This is post-earthquake Haiti. They return home via Port-au-Prince. When Alvarez tells a man in Port-au-Prince they are only there to see, he responds - people need to see Haiti.
adrose18's review
4.0
This book works if you think of it of a series of scenes or a travel journey. If you try to pull more out of it, you'll likely be disappointed. Some very interesting lines and ideas scattered throughout.
melissasarahrobinson's review
2.0
While this was a pleasant enough read, I was disappointed. I've loved some of Julia Alvarez's other works and couldn't wait to pick this one up. Her writing style is wonderful and that helped carry the book. I can't help think that she should have used her experiences to write a novel-- she's so talented at taking life and turning it into meaningful fiction.
julissadantes's review against another edition
3.0
[ESP]
Fue decepcionante pero interesante
Me gustan los libros que exponen de manera tan cruda vivencias ajenas a mi persona, pero aunque este libro en contenido tenia exactamente eso, la narrativa no fue entretenida. Lo que pensé que seria un relato cautivador se convirtió en una historia que no inspiraba a seguir siendo leída.
La autora narra su amistad con Piti, uno de los haitianos que laboraba en el campo, desde su perspectiva, y aunque al principio fue interesante ver su trayecto a Haití, su motivación para ir, y cómo se vio todo para ella y Bill, el esposo, termino siendo más de lo mismo aunque con otra motivación, creí que leer de la reacción al terremoto de Haití desde esta perspectiva seria estimulante, en cambio fue cansón.
[ENG]
It was disappointing but interesting
I like books that so crudely expose experiences alien to me, but although this book had exactly that in content, the narrative was not entertaining. What I thought would be a compelling tale turned into a story that did not inspire further reading.
The author narrates her friendship with Piti, one of the Haitians who worked in the fields, from her perspective, and although at first it was interesting to see her journey to Haiti, her motivation to go, and how everything looked for her and Bill, the husband, I ended up being more of the same although with another motivation, I thought that reading about the reaction to the earthquake in Haiti from this perspective would be stimulating, instead it was tiring.
Fue decepcionante pero interesante
Me gustan los libros que exponen de manera tan cruda vivencias ajenas a mi persona, pero aunque este libro en contenido tenia exactamente eso, la narrativa no fue entretenida. Lo que pensé que seria un relato cautivador se convirtió en una historia que no inspiraba a seguir siendo leída.
La autora narra su amistad con Piti, uno de los haitianos que laboraba en el campo, desde su perspectiva, y aunque al principio fue interesante ver su trayecto a Haití, su motivación para ir, y cómo se vio todo para ella y Bill, el esposo, termino siendo más de lo mismo aunque con otra motivación, creí que leer de la reacción al terremoto de Haití desde esta perspectiva seria estimulante, en cambio fue cansón.
[ENG]
It was disappointing but interesting
I like books that so crudely expose experiences alien to me, but although this book had exactly that in content, the narrative was not entertaining. What I thought would be a compelling tale turned into a story that did not inspire further reading.
The author narrates her friendship with Piti, one of the Haitians who worked in the fields, from her perspective, and although at first it was interesting to see her journey to Haiti, her motivation to go, and how everything looked for her and Bill, the husband, I ended up being more of the same although with another motivation, I thought that reading about the reaction to the earthquake in Haiti from this perspective would be stimulating, instead it was tiring.
johannalm's review against another edition
4.0
A Wedding in Haiti, Julia Alvarez
Alvarez wrote one of my favorite books ever - In the Time of the Butterflies - so reading a memoir by her seemed intriguing, especially when a Dominican-American woman is writing about getting to know the people and culture of her countries's close but maligned neighbor Haiti.
After making a promise to a young Haitian man who works on her coffee plantation in the DR, Alvarez and her husband travel to a remote part of Haiti for his wedding. This first trip, along with a second six months after the earthquake, allows Alvarez to pass on the very sad history of the country while also discussing the real issues of devastating poverty that plague the country today. Alvarez writes in a frank and straightforward way about her fears and anxieties while traveling in a country lacking most basic amenities, along with the warm welcome she gets from the wedding families. She and her husband bicker, many tough situations scare her, and the extreme poverty of the country saddens her.
This is a small book that looks at large issues - prejudice, poverty, community, and also people's natural goodness
Alvarez wrote one of my favorite books ever - In the Time of the Butterflies - so reading a memoir by her seemed intriguing, especially when a Dominican-American woman is writing about getting to know the people and culture of her countries's close but maligned neighbor Haiti.
After making a promise to a young Haitian man who works on her coffee plantation in the DR, Alvarez and her husband travel to a remote part of Haiti for his wedding. This first trip, along with a second six months after the earthquake, allows Alvarez to pass on the very sad history of the country while also discussing the real issues of devastating poverty that plague the country today. Alvarez writes in a frank and straightforward way about her fears and anxieties while traveling in a country lacking most basic amenities, along with the warm welcome she gets from the wedding families. She and her husband bicker, many tough situations scare her, and the extreme poverty of the country saddens her.
This is a small book that looks at large issues - prejudice, poverty, community, and also people's natural goodness
astuenkel's review against another edition
4.0
As someone who has visited Haiti twice and is planning to again, I enjoyed this book. The author visited Haiti before and after the earthquake. I always enjoy learning a little more about Haiti. It has a complex history.
She has some profound things to say and this is my favorite: There’s a Creole saying that God’s pencil has no eraser. Haiti is not erased. “Haiti is what cannot be erased in a human being, not with slavery, not with centuries of exploitation and bad management, invasions, earthquakes, hurricanes, cholera. It embodies those undervalued but increasingly valuable skills we will need to survive on this slowly depleting planet: endurance, how to live with less, how to save by sharing, how to make a pact with hope when you find yourself in hell."
She has some profound things to say and this is my favorite: There’s a Creole saying that God’s pencil has no eraser. Haiti is not erased. “Haiti is what cannot be erased in a human being, not with slavery, not with centuries of exploitation and bad management, invasions, earthquakes, hurricanes, cholera. It embodies those undervalued but increasingly valuable skills we will need to survive on this slowly depleting planet: endurance, how to live with less, how to save by sharing, how to make a pact with hope when you find yourself in hell."
jeanetterenee's review
4.0
3.5 stars
The title's a little misleading. I thought the part about Haiti after the earthquake was more interesting than the events surrounding the wedding.