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jevansmassive's review against another edition
reflective
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
3.0
Lots of interesting ideas but lacked an interesting central story to tie them all together. I was invested in the fall of the village but things didn't really get resolved one way or the other, the book simply ended
scissor_stockings's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.0
izzieee's review
5.0
The themes were so integrately written into the plot and every detail that it made the book a little difficult to read at times. This is not a light read, despite that, the writing is so beautiful and the plot so well thought-out that I was never bored while reading this. If you like plot-driven stories, I don't think you'll like this. It's very much a character driven story.
kmichelle1's review
3.0
I had to read this book for a class, so while I would have put it down had I been reading it on my own, I ended up pushing through. And I actually kind of liked it. It was slow and dense, but I found myself wanting to know what would happen next and I enjoyed some of the characters. It was certainly nice to experience a novel outside my normal genres and I definitely learned more about the colonialism and culture of Barbados.
chahna's review against another edition
4.0
Took me a long time to read it but it is understandable. It took me some 100 pages to even start getting interested in the story. It broke my heart. I am not a fan of how it is written but I cannot deny that it is beautiful writing. The issues the book deals with (colonization and social change) are issues I am deeply invested in and maybe that is why I felt so much anger towards the sheer injustice to people throughout the book.
Anyway, it was a good read. I am glad I read it.
Anyway, it was a good read. I am glad I read it.
lavandarosemary's review against another edition
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
louissb's review against another edition
4.0
It is hard to believe how young Lamming was when he wrote this assured and complex novel. The style feels theatrical, with long enclosed scenes focused on dialogue (or internal monologue) that is often repetitive and obsessive, in a way that builds intensity and even claustrophobia; the events of a chapter are in some cases only clear towards the end, leaving the reader disorientated - claustrophobia and disorientation are of course key themes.
There is a lot to say about this book that other reviewers have expressed more eloquently than I could so I won't try.
I would recommend to readers with plenty of time to hand - it isn't that long but requires a lot of focus, but I do think it is worth it.
There is a lot to say about this book that other reviewers have expressed more eloquently than I could so I won't try.
I would recommend to readers with plenty of time to hand - it isn't that long but requires a lot of focus, but I do think it is worth it.
litdreamer's review against another edition
3.0
In the Castle of My Skin is a difficult book to review. The style and substance of the novel reveals great talent, but some passages drag, particularly in the first 100 pages of this roughly 300 page work.
The book is a fictionalized account of the author's childhood in Barbados, at a time when the island was transitioning from British colonial rule to independence. Written when the author was 23 and living in England, it shows remarkable control in its narrative structure, and yet in its pacing, it does not always satisfy. Part of this has to do with the variety of narrative devices the author uses: not just first person, but third person omniscient and the villagers' third person perspectives, done to flesh out the historical and cultural backdrop that informs this autobiographical novel. When done well, the plot continues to move forward through these shifting perspectives; when too lengthy, the passages stop the plot like a dam stops water.
For example, there is a conversation in the book between several boys about whether to attack the head teacher after he's given one of the boys a particularly violent thrashing. It goes on for six pages:
First Boy: I never ever see him beat anybody like that. Never ever.
Second Boy: Nor me as far as my memory can remember has I seen him take off his jacket in that sort of fashion to fix up a fellow. I didn't do it but I nearly did dirty myself, when I see him bring that belt down on yuh bambam. (44)
And five pages later:
First Boy: We going do it. It ain't going to cost us nothing, nothing.
Second Boy: Stones is free. They don't cost you nothing. Not a penny.
Fourth Boy: Not a cent. Not a cent to split his skull in two. In two.
'I don't know,' the victim said. 'I don't know. Maybe 'tis a penny an' a cent that cost me what I get. Maybe 'tis. I don't know.' (49)
When Lamming switches to conventional storytelling, such as when Trumper is telling a story to Boy Blue and the first person narrator on the beach, the book becomes more interesting:
''Twus like this,' Trumper said. 'You know Jon who can pitch marbles so clean? He put down four marbles here, he stay there a mile away an' before you say Jack Robinson he scatter them all. Well, 'twus John. For a long time he wus living with Susie who live down the train line, an' Susie had two children for him, Po King an' Puss in Boots, Number one. It seem Jon join the Free for All Brethren an' get save; he says he turn to the Lord an' so on. Brother Bannister take him in an' try to make a hand of him. He wus comin' on good, good, good, an' it seem he start to make much of Brother Bannister daughter, Jen. He was muching up Jen plenty, but nobody say anything, cause they consider in the church that all who break bread is of the same family.' (122)
Also interesting is when important events occur, such as the flood that begins the novel, the strike, the riots, the selling of the land, and the first person narrator's reunion with Trumper after Trumper comes back from America.
The version I read includes an introduction by George Lamming (written in 1983) and a foreword by Sandra Pouchet Paquet. Read the introduction before reading the book, but save the foreword for after, since Paquet refers to specific passages and page numbers. It gives some insight into the structure of the book, but would have given greater benefit had it been written as a book critique, rather than as an academic paper.
The book is a fictionalized account of the author's childhood in Barbados, at a time when the island was transitioning from British colonial rule to independence. Written when the author was 23 and living in England, it shows remarkable control in its narrative structure, and yet in its pacing, it does not always satisfy. Part of this has to do with the variety of narrative devices the author uses: not just first person, but third person omniscient and the villagers' third person perspectives, done to flesh out the historical and cultural backdrop that informs this autobiographical novel. When done well, the plot continues to move forward through these shifting perspectives; when too lengthy, the passages stop the plot like a dam stops water.
For example, there is a conversation in the book between several boys about whether to attack the head teacher after he's given one of the boys a particularly violent thrashing. It goes on for six pages:
First Boy: I never ever see him beat anybody like that. Never ever.
Second Boy: Nor me as far as my memory can remember has I seen him take off his jacket in that sort of fashion to fix up a fellow. I didn't do it but I nearly did dirty myself, when I see him bring that belt down on yuh bambam. (44)
And five pages later:
First Boy: We going do it. It ain't going to cost us nothing, nothing.
Second Boy: Stones is free. They don't cost you nothing. Not a penny.
Fourth Boy: Not a cent. Not a cent to split his skull in two. In two.
'I don't know,' the victim said. 'I don't know. Maybe 'tis a penny an' a cent that cost me what I get. Maybe 'tis. I don't know.' (49)
When Lamming switches to conventional storytelling, such as when Trumper is telling a story to Boy Blue and the first person narrator on the beach, the book becomes more interesting:
''Twus like this,' Trumper said. 'You know Jon who can pitch marbles so clean? He put down four marbles here, he stay there a mile away an' before you say Jack Robinson he scatter them all. Well, 'twus John. For a long time he wus living with Susie who live down the train line, an' Susie had two children for him, Po King an' Puss in Boots, Number one. It seem Jon join the Free for All Brethren an' get save; he says he turn to the Lord an' so on. Brother Bannister take him in an' try to make a hand of him. He wus comin' on good, good, good, an' it seem he start to make much of Brother Bannister daughter, Jen. He was muching up Jen plenty, but nobody say anything, cause they consider in the church that all who break bread is of the same family.' (122)
Also interesting is when important events occur, such as the flood that begins the novel, the strike, the riots, the selling of the land, and the first person narrator's reunion with Trumper after Trumper comes back from America.
The version I read includes an introduction by George Lamming (written in 1983) and a foreword by Sandra Pouchet Paquet. Read the introduction before reading the book, but save the foreword for after, since Paquet refers to specific passages and page numbers. It gives some insight into the structure of the book, but would have given greater benefit had it been written as a book critique, rather than as an academic paper.
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