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la_karina1818's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
An enhancing novel introducing us to Suriname in the 18th century, a society led by the Dutch, owners of plantations following the years of unrest among the Dutch higher society as well as the slave population revolting against them. There were various perspectives shown from the lives of the upper class through Elza and Sarith, the natives in slavery, the upper class plantation owners as well as the soldiers fighting against the Maroons (the escaped slaves from the plantations which created their own community). The plot mainly served to describe the society, politics and economy of Suriname in the 18th century, which could have been better shown if it was a non fiction book about Surinamese society at the time rather than a novel version. There were faults in the characters, mainly that some were quite two dimensional, like Sarith being the villain of the story, a spoilt young woman, sleeping with whoever she wants to, especially hurting her stepsister in the process, just for the sake of it. Later on, she indeed gets vengeance for her actions but at the end of it she is forgiven once again. Her stepsister Elza is again, the good girl, the good sister who lives her life as society tells her, being a good wife and mother. I liked that there were various characters who did question the slave system and challenged it in various ways, like giving their servants freedom and treating them as more than a slave but part of their family. In the novel there were also parallel views and conflicting points between two sides, such as how the white Christian population begins to persecute the Jewish population, the conflicting position of being a mixed race servant or being a free person yet still being in a conflicting position in society due to their race. Towards the end, it all goes downhill for all characters, as the yellow fever wipes out many of the family members as well as their children in the process. The following events towards the end were the build up of the retribution and reflection of the main characters towards what type of world they live in and how they should act towards one another. Overall, it was an alright book, but the story's faults were something that annoyed me but the main setting and historical narrative was something that kept me interested to continue.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Slavery
Minor: Sexual violence
caveignoscas's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Sexual violence
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