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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
As a walking tour of a particular era in the Atlantic slave trade this is a very good book. The degree of awfulness on the part of participants in the slave industry is unfathomable, and the degree of incomprehension, hypocrisy, and wilful ignorance on the part of "civilized" beneficiaries of the slave industry is uncomfortably close to home in a world where Chinese labour toiling under conditions that are not at times very far from slavery dominates the world's productive capacity.
The book is very descriptive. This was probably a wise choice on the part of the author: really inhabiting the lived sensations of the narrator would have made almost impossible reading, but I still wish some of the scenes were more visceral in their impact. I felt like I was seeing into the past, but not inhabiting it in the way some historical fiction manages to achieve (read the opening chapter of Patricia Finney's "The Firedrake's Eye" and you'll know how it feels to come awake lying in an Elizabethan gutter, for example.)
Events are at times too clearly a result of the need to move the characters across the landscape and through time in a particular way, which makes them predictable, which also reduces the emotional impact of their eventual resolution.
But still: a solid, well-researched, and readable historical novel that covers the trans-Atlantic slave industry extremely well.
The book is very descriptive. This was probably a wise choice on the part of the author: really inhabiting the lived sensations of the narrator would have made almost impossible reading, but I still wish some of the scenes were more visceral in their impact. I felt like I was seeing into the past, but not inhabiting it in the way some historical fiction manages to achieve (read the opening chapter of Patricia Finney's "The Firedrake's Eye" and you'll know how it feels to come awake lying in an Elizabethan gutter, for example.)
Events are at times too clearly a result of the need to move the characters across the landscape and through time in a particular way, which makes them predictable, which also reduces the emotional impact of their eventual resolution.
But still: a solid, well-researched, and readable historical novel that covers the trans-Atlantic slave industry extremely well.
Such an amazing story! The journey of the protagonist was one of danger, struggle, heartache and pain yet she never gave up and always found the strength to hold on to the smallest amount of hope. I have fallen in love with words all over again listening to this book. I still can't believe it is fiction. the author was so generous in describing every situation and environment of Aminata's life story I began to embrace her as a friend and will miss spending time with her each day. The unimaginable atrocities of slave trade and life described here will stay with me forever, but so will the lessons of strength, courage and resilience.
This book had me hooked from the first page. A very riveting story, well done, and well researched.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-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
I read this book for a book club. I would never have even picked it up for myself. I read to escape the horrors of reality and have no desire to read about them in explicit detail. I hated this book. That being said, it was a wonderfully written and well researched book. It kept me engaged from page one all the way through to the end. Aminata is a character I will never forget. My heart broke along side hers as horrible things continued to happen to her. If historical fiction is your thing, I highly recommend it. If you read to bring joy to your life, avoid it at all costs.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Colonisation
Moderate: Child death
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-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
This is an amazing epic. No notes. Wow wow wow.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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:
No
Incredible, but sad story of the victims of the slave trade in the 18th century told by one woman kidnapped from her African home when she was 11. Well-written, this book is not only an interesting historical novel, but also presents the true horrors and injustice of the slave trade and slavery from the point of view of the slaves themselves.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced