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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
I loved this book. Jamaican immigrants were treat so awful by white British back in the day it opens your eyes to how it used to be. The characters I loved and didn’t want this book to end.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Well written and such vivid descriptions of the characters and each scene playing out that I was hooked from the start. Also such an important part of history that I had not properly read about before. Highly recommend.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Levy is extremely good at effortlessly transporting her reader to a time before civil rights. Her portrayal of an inherently, unashamedly, and unquestioningly racist society is stirring and chastening without ever being didactic. Ditto for her portrayal of the aspirations and disappointments of colonialism. Her understanding of the 'immigrant dream' is profoundly rooted, if not multifaceted.
That said, her characters and narration are borderline 'creative writing 101', and the overall impression of "racism is bad" comes across as slightly reductive. A solid 3 stars.
That said, her characters and narration are borderline 'creative writing 101', and the overall impression of "racism is bad" comes across as slightly reductive. A solid 3 stars.
adventurous
emotional
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:
Complicated
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-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
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
People can do and say awful, awful things, turn us against them in one moment, yet still elicit our sympathy, understanding, even compassion, because humans are complicated. Our lives, the way we interact with the world, it’s all messy, messier than we would like to admit. Levy’s characters felt so real - each of the four had such distinct voices and narratives. Even the way she described their individual mannerisms conjured up such vivid images in my mind. I really enjoyed this insight into a perspective that has been left out of the limelight for far too long; Levy paints such a moving portrait of the struggles of moving from one small island to another, and the treatment of Jamaican immigrants and veterans in Britain following the war. A beautiful recommendation from Katy!