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girlglitch's review against another edition
3.0
Mixing memoir with historical biography, Windward Family charts the course of St Vincentian diaspora over the years through the lives of a few individuals. It's about place, identity and belonging, families both biological and found. It's a labour of love, and every word is heartfelt.
There are pockets of brilliance, but looking at the book as a whole, I struggled a little with the structure. The essays flit back and forth in time, sometimes covering the same themes and imagery; I wanted a stronger linear narrative to tie it all together. And while I loved the inclusion of the biographies, I found the fictive style they were written in jarring. It's a great premise, I just felt it needed a little more constructive editing to really tie it all together.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
There are pockets of brilliance, but looking at the book as a whole, I struggled a little with the structure. The essays flit back and forth in time, sometimes covering the same themes and imagery; I wanted a stronger linear narrative to tie it all together. And while I loved the inclusion of the biographies, I found the fictive style they were written in jarring. It's a great premise, I just felt it needed a little more constructive editing to really tie it all together.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
bookofcinz's review against another edition
3.0
A brilliant memoir that highlights Alexis’s life and the life of some Vincentians who left the island willingly and unwillingly to go to the UK. A great read for anyone who loves history and memoirs
Alexis Keir goes deep in his exploration of where home is and what we are rooted to. He tells us the story of his family, how they left St. Vincent and the Grenadines for a better life. So did a lot of Vincentians who ended up in the UK. He explored how and why they left and under what circumstances they decided to stay. The book is set in St. Vincent, USA, UK and New Zealand, as the author tries to find his place in the world.
I think what I enjoyed a lot about this book is how personal it was but also very much intertwined with history. I generally don’t read a lot of memoirs from St. Vincent and I loved how much I learned. This is a great read for anyone who loves memoirs and history.
Alexis Keir goes deep in his exploration of where home is and what we are rooted to. He tells us the story of his family, how they left St. Vincent and the Grenadines for a better life. So did a lot of Vincentians who ended up in the UK. He explored how and why they left and under what circumstances they decided to stay. The book is set in St. Vincent, USA, UK and New Zealand, as the author tries to find his place in the world.
I think what I enjoyed a lot about this book is how personal it was but also very much intertwined with history. I generally don’t read a lot of memoirs from St. Vincent and I loved how much I learned. This is a great read for anyone who loves memoirs and history.
thatsoneforthebooks's review against another edition
3.0
✨ Review ✨ Windward Family: An atlas of love, loss and belonging by Alexis Keir
First - I think this was a powerful memoir of the impact of diaspora over generations -- in family, love, pain, racial trauma, and so much more. I learned a lot and was fascinated by the stories Keir told here.
With that said, I think this was a super bold memoir that took some big risks in style and organization. I didn't dislike these choices but it made it much much harder to figure out in an audio format:
-it mixes nonfiction memoir with fictional anecdotes about real (I think?) people. It wasn't clear to me until the end that these were fictional and it was hard to keep track of all of these people and storylines that might have appeared only early in the book and at the end. I'm still so confused about all of this.
-it is very nonlinear, jumping in time and place. this might work better in print format where you can refer back but made it hard to sort out while listening.
-as a very place-based story and written in places I'm not very familiar with (Saint Vincent, New Zealand, and even rural UK), it was really challenging to follow where he was at in audio without a map (again, especially with the non-linear narrative.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.25 stars)
Genre: memoir
Location: UK, New Zealand, Saint Vincent.
Pub Date: out now
Read this if you like:
⭕️ memoir about places that might be unfamiliar
⭕️ weaving together generational stories
⭕️ non-linear memoir
⭕️ BEAUTIFUL covers
Thanks to Thread and #netgalley for an advanced audio copy of this book!
First - I think this was a powerful memoir of the impact of diaspora over generations -- in family, love, pain, racial trauma, and so much more. I learned a lot and was fascinated by the stories Keir told here.
With that said, I think this was a super bold memoir that took some big risks in style and organization. I didn't dislike these choices but it made it much much harder to figure out in an audio format:
-it mixes nonfiction memoir with fictional anecdotes about real (I think?) people. It wasn't clear to me until the end that these were fictional and it was hard to keep track of all of these people and storylines that might have appeared only early in the book and at the end. I'm still so confused about all of this.
-it is very nonlinear, jumping in time and place. this might work better in print format where you can refer back but made it hard to sort out while listening.
-as a very place-based story and written in places I'm not very familiar with (Saint Vincent, New Zealand, and even rural UK), it was really challenging to follow where he was at in audio without a map (again, especially with the non-linear narrative.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.25 stars)
Genre: memoir
Location: UK, New Zealand, Saint Vincent.
Pub Date: out now
Read this if you like:
⭕️ memoir about places that might be unfamiliar
⭕️ weaving together generational stories
⭕️ non-linear memoir
⭕️ BEAUTIFUL covers
Thanks to Thread and #netgalley for an advanced audio copy of this book!
mcc1246's review against another edition
3.0
3/5
From the vibrant cover to the amazing places mentioned in the description I was ready to embark on a colorful journey! This book lagged at times with all the information provided but this is an amazing memoir on finding home.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #WindwardFamily
From the vibrant cover to the amazing places mentioned in the description I was ready to embark on a colorful journey! This book lagged at times with all the information provided but this is an amazing memoir on finding home.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #WindwardFamily
the_sassy_bookworm's review against another edition
3.0
⭐⭐⭐ -- Decent cover on this book
Windward Family: An atlas of love, loss and belonging by Alexis Keir tells the story of a Black British family that is separated by thousands of miles but united by love, loss and belonging. The book takes readers on a journey from the Caribbean to England, North America, New Zealand and back again across generations of travellers spanning the 19th century to the present.
While there were some outstanding parts in this book, I found it to be an alright read overall. The jumping around time-wise between memoir and fiction made it difficult to stay invested in the story, and I also found that the entire book felt really choppy and disjointed. However, I appreciate the author's effort to uncover lost memories and rediscover old connections while shedding light on tales of exploitation, endeavor, and bravery from those who had to find a home far from where they were born.
Overall, if you're interested in exploring themes of love, loss, and history within the generations of a family, then Windward Family might be worth checking out.
**ARC Via NetGalley**
Windward Family: An atlas of love, loss and belonging by Alexis Keir tells the story of a Black British family that is separated by thousands of miles but united by love, loss and belonging. The book takes readers on a journey from the Caribbean to England, North America, New Zealand and back again across generations of travellers spanning the 19th century to the present.
While there were some outstanding parts in this book, I found it to be an alright read overall. The jumping around time-wise between memoir and fiction made it difficult to stay invested in the story, and I also found that the entire book felt really choppy and disjointed. However, I appreciate the author's effort to uncover lost memories and rediscover old connections while shedding light on tales of exploitation, endeavor, and bravery from those who had to find a home far from where they were born.
Overall, if you're interested in exploring themes of love, loss, and history within the generations of a family, then Windward Family might be worth checking out.
**ARC Via NetGalley**
nelli_lakatos's review against another edition
4.0
'It took two decades for me to go in search of the parts of myself I had left behind in the Caribbean. What ghosts were waiting for me there? There was a thick, black journal in my flat, stuffed with letters, postcards, handwritten notes, and diary entries. For the first time in years, I opened it.'
This was a really beautifully written unique memoir.
Upon returning to the island of St. Vincent, Alexis finds himself exploring the stories of others who have left the Caribbean island and what became of them in the larger world. Exploring out the fates of others who have left the island makes this an interesting, enthralling read.
Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This was a really beautifully written unique memoir.
Upon returning to the island of St. Vincent, Alexis finds himself exploring the stories of others who have left the Caribbean island and what became of them in the larger world. Exploring out the fates of others who have left the island makes this an interesting, enthralling read.
Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
thearieslibrary's review against another edition
5.0
20 years after living there as a child, Alexis Keir returns to Saint Vincent. He describes his own experiences and others who have left Saint Vincent where Alexis discovers tales of exploitation, endeavour and bravery of those who try to find a home away from home.
I have never devoured a memoir as fast as I read this one. This memoir is completely different to the others that I have read as it felt like it mixed fiction and non-fiction together where you hear about the author’s life as well as others that he feels connected to through them leaving Saint Vincent. I absolutely loved the writing, with how all of the POVs for together and found all of the stories so interesting but also at times, so emotional and heartbreaking.
⚠️ CWs: slavery, racist slur, racism, derogatory language, colonisation; mentions animal death, alcohol use, cancer, death and physical assault ⚠️
jessiah19's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
2.75
lexreadsalot's review against another edition
4.0
'It took two decades for me to go in search of the parts of myself I had left behind in the Caribbean. What ghosts were waiting for me there? There was a thick, black journal in my flat, stuffed with letters, postcards, handwritten notes, and diary entries. For the first time in years, I opened it.'
This was an interesting and refreshing way to write a memoir. It was heartbreaking in parts and achingly beautiful at the same time. I really appreciated learning about others lives that so different from my own. A very interesting read!