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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
While I loved the setting and was intrigued by the history of Haiti, I had s really hard time following the narrative and liking any of the characters.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
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:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
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
I keep saying I don't usually read historical fiction, and then I add all of these historical fiction titles that I love. Rich characters reflect all the complex repercussions of slavery.
dark
emotional
Beautiful story! It gets political, which is interesting, but I prefer the parts that really get into the characters' lives.
3.5 stars, because I love Tete and Tante Rosa and Violette and Lulu; Allende always has such strong and sympathetic women at the heart of her novels. I learned a great deal about the daily horrors of plantation slavery and social castes in the colonial Caribbean. Well worth reading for that alone, but my goodness, not a light read. Fierce cruelty, greed, and inhumanity codified into an economic and legal system that lasted for centuries, retold through the very personal lens of mothers and their children. Tough to read, but read it all the same.
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Allende deftly told an epic story involving quite a few characters’ intersecting lives while also portraying a slice of history that I knew little about. She doesn’t flinch from the brutality and violence and hypocrisy of certain characters and situations, but the book isn’t nearly as heavy and bleak as I thought it might be. I especially appreciated having Zarité’s first person chapters as they had the effect of centering her voice, her strength, and her fierceness as a mother.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Slavery, War
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
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:
No