Reviews

How to Love a Jamaican by Alexia Arthurs

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highdjo's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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

5.0

hollidayreadswithme's review against another edition

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5.0

I LOVED this book. I mean so much that I bought a real copy after listening to it on Libby. As someone with Jamaican heritage, I was able to really get something out of this. It brought me back to my youth and I bought a copy for a friend of mine.

Things I liked:
The writing was phenomenal. Each story had it's own distinct voice and that's not just because I listened to it, but because there was something that made them all different even though they centered around the same theme. I mean it was something to be admired because I found myself emotionally invested in every character, even though I was only introduced to them for a short time.

Things I didn't like:
Nothing...

Overall / Final thoughts:
i feel like this is a true depiction of Jamaican culture. There is something here that can transcend just that but it does a great job of explaining some of the traditions and expectations held by Jamaicans and it did so without making fun. It did so with elegance and grace and made me more proud of my heritage.

2019 POPSUGAR Challenge - A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter

hscoop_'s review

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

The stories were repetitive and slow, with largely spiritless characters. There was very little diversity, and further perpetrated the stereotype that Jamaica (and the islands) is this paradise with the only flaw of overbearing mothers. I do not believe the book has added anything new or creative to the genre. The only noteworthy story was the book’s namesake.

lynecia's review against another edition

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3.0

Arthurs' style is understated and quiet, however that lended a very anti-climactic and lukewarm quality to some of the stories and it seemed like the author struggled with her endings a bit.
There were bright spots - the titular story "How to Love a Jamaican" and the final piece "Shirley from a Small Place". Regardless, I think this collection is definitely worth a read. Arthurs' is one of the most promising new writers to come out of the esteemed Iowa Writers Workshop and I'm interested in what she writes next.

grimamethyst's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

3.0

tishywishy's review against another edition

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4.0

I enjoyed a few of the stories, my stands outs were:

Bad Behaviour
We Eat Our Daughters
Shirley from A Small Place

I will definitely say to stay away from the audiobook. The accents do not do this book justice and they sound stiff and forced.