Reviews

Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta

makeda_colourlit's review

emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

mellowmoon's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense medium-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

tseren's review against another edition

reflective 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? Yes

2.75

just a tad too monotonous and uninteresting. maybe i’m not in the right target audience for this novel, but i found all the characters to be flat, unchanging, and lackluster. for a coming-of-age story, there was no character development for anyone. kara lets life happen to her and rarely-if ever-has an opinion on something. i wish there was a moment where i felt like i was rooting for her, but it never came. 

papertraildiary's review against another edition

3.0

Twelve short stories put together a novel about a girl named Kara Davis as she grows up caught in between her Canadian nationality and her Jamaican heritage. It takes place in Toronto, actually some parts even near where I live, so that was the first thing to hook me. I could see the story playing out on my street, y’know? We go from Kara telling a lie on the playground about finding a pig’s head in a freezer in Jamaica to being in junior high as she’s the victim of an awful prank by her schoolmates, to being a teenager stuck between her mother and grandmother, or her grandmother and grandfather, as they wage ongoing battles. I wanted a bit more personality from Kara throughout, sometimes she felt a little too quiet for me, but I think that spoke to what she was going through. This novel felt incredibly real and represents a lot of stories for first- and second-generation Canadians, and it was important for me to read something that showed the experience for Black people in the city I live in. I look forward to reading more from Zalika.

lsparrow's review against another edition

4.0

I loved these stories about growing up in Toronto. Many of these stories explore the spaces between - between truth and fiction, between three generations of one family, countries, cultures and neighborhoods.

christinegiroux's review against another edition

4.0

This was an interesting way to do short stories. I loved that this was based in Toronto, I was able to recognize alot and it's a great story of family (daughter, mother and grandmother relationship) I was able to relate quite alot. 
Amazing debut and will definitely be reading from this author again.

ninakeller's review against another edition

3.0

It was enjoyable, and I’m glad to hear stories from the life of a Jamaican Canadian girl and her family. But it was pretty superficial. It didn’t require a lot of deep thinking, and relied on sort of petty interactions within relationships and gossip. Perhaps it was a bit YA in that way, though I’ve read some pretty profound YA at times.

sierralmgray's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

readssome's review against another edition

4.0

Exactly my cup of tea.

The short stories seem to build on each other, almost a novel. Loved getting a window into this specific world of grandmother, mother and daughter. It can be easy to judge them for their flaws, but it was just nice to get to know them.

inklunars's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

5.0