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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
The Lonely Londoners was another of the books to read for my Open University module coming up soon. It took me two goes to get into this book but once I got my head around the West Indian dialect (which the whole book is written in) it turned out to be a very easy read.
Lonely Londoners is the story of Moses Aloetta and his friends, newly arrived in London in the 1950’s and how they dealt with this new life, far away from their old homes. In the book, Moses has already been in the city for a number of years and starts as he meets Galahad at Waterloo train station. Moses knows the ins and outs of London life – where to find a place to live, where to find work, where the job centre is, where to meet girls and so on. His is often the name given to immigrants before arrival and he will meet these people at Waterloo. The story also tells stories of his friends among them – Galahad newly arrived and quite the ladies man; Cap’n who will borrow money off everyone, never pay it back but is so charming it never seems to matter; Tolroy who’s family descend on him including his overbearing aunt Tanty and Harris who drops his accent for a more social climbing English one.
It’s quite a topical story comparing ti to todays times. In the 50’s there was mass political outcry of West Indians stealing jobs and flooding the country, now it is Eastern Europeans and various parts of Africa. In the book newspapers are blamed for this negativity, today they still play a big part but it is not helped by the ease of publishing opinions on the internet. As someone who has worked in a job centre it’s interesting to read about the process as it was 60 years ago. I’m not sure it’s actually changed all that much!
The majority of the story is written in a lovely upbeat style echoing the way Caribbean people are often portrayed; there’s no hurry, no worries, everythings grand. Even a small part describing a man beating his wife is written in this style. However in the last quarter the book changes tack. Through out the story most of it is set in winter however for about 4-5 pages the season changes to British summer time and Sevlon switches to a stream of consciousness style of writing with no punctuatio. It’s a very exhausting few pages and starts the change of feelings for Moses. The final few pages see him musing on the idea of returning to his homeland and why he never has. He is suffering from homesickness but in the end decides to stay. The subject of homesickness is raised several times but Moses as the voice of the book often says no matter how much money they may get and how often they say they will use it to return home they never will. It doesn’t really explain why they wouldn’t return home just that as the seasons change again, life moves on butmoves on in England.
All in all a lovely easy going story that despite being about the loneliness of London seems to me to say the loneliness is acceptable if you have good friends.
Lonely Londoners is the story of Moses Aloetta and his friends, newly arrived in London in the 1950’s and how they dealt with this new life, far away from their old homes. In the book, Moses has already been in the city for a number of years and starts as he meets Galahad at Waterloo train station. Moses knows the ins and outs of London life – where to find a place to live, where to find work, where the job centre is, where to meet girls and so on. His is often the name given to immigrants before arrival and he will meet these people at Waterloo. The story also tells stories of his friends among them – Galahad newly arrived and quite the ladies man; Cap’n who will borrow money off everyone, never pay it back but is so charming it never seems to matter; Tolroy who’s family descend on him including his overbearing aunt Tanty and Harris who drops his accent for a more social climbing English one.
It’s quite a topical story comparing ti to todays times. In the 50’s there was mass political outcry of West Indians stealing jobs and flooding the country, now it is Eastern Europeans and various parts of Africa. In the book newspapers are blamed for this negativity, today they still play a big part but it is not helped by the ease of publishing opinions on the internet. As someone who has worked in a job centre it’s interesting to read about the process as it was 60 years ago. I’m not sure it’s actually changed all that much!
The majority of the story is written in a lovely upbeat style echoing the way Caribbean people are often portrayed; there’s no hurry, no worries, everythings grand. Even a small part describing a man beating his wife is written in this style. However in the last quarter the book changes tack. Through out the story most of it is set in winter however for about 4-5 pages the season changes to British summer time and Sevlon switches to a stream of consciousness style of writing with no punctuatio. It’s a very exhausting few pages and starts the change of feelings for Moses. The final few pages see him musing on the idea of returning to his homeland and why he never has. He is suffering from homesickness but in the end decides to stay. The subject of homesickness is raised several times but Moses as the voice of the book often says no matter how much money they may get and how often they say they will use it to return home they never will. It doesn’t really explain why they wouldn’t return home just that as the seasons change again, life moves on butmoves on in England.
All in all a lovely easy going story that despite being about the loneliness of London seems to me to say the loneliness is acceptable if you have good friends.
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
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:
Yes
I initially found this book a bit difficult to understand as it’s written in a West Indian English dialect, but I quickly adjusted and enjoyed the rhythm of the language.
The story starts with Moses grudgingly meeting yet another fellow West Indian off the boat train. The rest of the book recounts stories of various immigrants as they deal with the inclement weather, racism, precarious job situations and attempts to provide for themselves and their families. This sounds potentially bleak but it’s not because the male characters are all imbued with such warmth and humour.
There weren’t very many female characters; most female characters are objects of desire and aren’t respected by the men. I loved Tanty - a woman who knew how to get what she wanted.
Sam Selvon creates a melting pot of characters from different countries who support and tease one another. Really lovely read which made me appreciate the difficulties of being an immigrant in a largely unwelcoming country, whilst simultaneously being within a culturally rich community.
The story starts with Moses grudgingly meeting yet another fellow West Indian off the boat train. The rest of the book recounts stories of various immigrants as they deal with the inclement weather, racism, precarious job situations and attempts to provide for themselves and their families. This sounds potentially bleak but it’s not because the male characters are all imbued with such warmth and humour.
There weren’t very many female characters; most female characters are objects of desire and aren’t respected by the men. I loved Tanty - a woman who knew how to get what she wanted.
Sam Selvon creates a melting pot of characters from different countries who support and tease one another. Really lovely read which made me appreciate the difficulties of being an immigrant in a largely unwelcoming country, whilst simultaneously being within a culturally rich community.
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexism
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
No
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Sam Selvon’s ‘The Lonely Londoners’ is an insight into the experience of migrants from the West Indies in 1950’s London. It is distinct in its tone as it is written in a creole English, which reads almost as if it is written in the present tense. It follows Moses, a man who had migrated 10 years prior to the year the novel is set, as he helps out a new migrant from Trinidad get his footing in London, whilst sharing the stories of previous migrants he’s befriended or helped during his time in London. The book has no real present day plot, only the various inserts of migrant stories that are told, but the characters are each likeable and the story has a charm to it whilst highlighting issues of politics, capitalism and migrant experience in London.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes