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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I grew up in Mauritius, a small formerly-colonised African island. So much of this book resonated with me, despite the fact that I have never witnessed the poverty that Joseph has live through (although my grandparents and parents certainly did live through those times). It allowed me to understand much of the people of my country's past and the privilege that we have been given.
This is by far the heart warming book I've read in a while. Zobel has a way with words. I read it in French and he transmits his past feelings so well, that it's hard to believe that he remembers all those details. It's hard to believe that this man who misses his grandmother so much, was at one point a slightly arrogant young boy yearning for mischief.
I can only wish that I discovered his books earlier.
This book is a tribute to his grandmother and I only understood that at the end. And it suddenly hit me that, all the pages in his book relate to the love he held for his grandmother and the guilt of not having been able to offer her the life he wanted to so much.
The ending for me, was the greatest summary of the book.
'C'est aux aveugles et à ceux qui se bouchent les oreilles qu'il me faudrait la crier. ' (it is to the blind and to those who cover their ears that I should scream my story to).
There's no better way to describe the book than that.
This is by far the heart warming book I've read in a while. Zobel has a way with words. I read it in French and he transmits his past feelings so well, that it's hard to believe that he remembers all those details. It's hard to believe that this man who misses his grandmother so much, was at one point a slightly arrogant young boy yearning for mischief.
I can only wish that I discovered his books earlier.
This book is a tribute to his grandmother and I only understood that at the end. And it suddenly hit me that, all the pages in his book relate to the love he held for his grandmother and the guilt of not having been able to offer her the life he wanted to so much.
The ending for me, was the greatest summary of the book.
'C'est aux aveugles et à ceux qui se bouchent les oreilles qu'il me faudrait la crier. ' (it is to the blind and to those who cover their ears that I should scream my story to).
There's no better way to describe the book than that.
Eh, what is there to say about this novel?
I read Black Shack Alley for my Literature and History of the Caribbean course, and out of all the novels we read, this was probably the best.
It wasn't originally written in English, so it was a little tough to follow. There were a lot of grammar/spelling errors.
But regardless, it was a decent coming of age story.
I'm happy that I received a used copy, I thought it was awesome to read the other readers comments. All though their comments didn't tend to focus on the same things mine did, it was nice to see another's perspective.
***There may be spoilers***
The novel is split into three parts; the first was about when he was rather young, running around Black Shack Alley with all his friends, the second was about when he went to the local school, and the third was when he went to Fort-de-France to go to school.
I felt like I could really relate to Jose in the third section. In the beginning, he felt extreme homesickness. So much so that he did not do well in his studies the entire first term, but after that he noticed things getting better. And, slowly but surely, he brought his marks up.
He felt underprivileged next to all the other students at his new school, feeling as if he were out of place.
When he went back home, it didn't feel right there anymore.
He didn't feel at home anywhere, not in Fort-de-France NOR in Black Shack Alley.
Slowly, he began to see how terrible the conditions were in Black Shack Alley, and that motivated him to do well in his studies so that he could get his grandmother out of there.
He was able to change his fate through education, and he has his grandmother to thank for that.
I read Black Shack Alley for my Literature and History of the Caribbean course, and out of all the novels we read, this was probably the best.
It wasn't originally written in English, so it was a little tough to follow. There were a lot of grammar/spelling errors.
But regardless, it was a decent coming of age story.
I'm happy that I received a used copy, I thought it was awesome to read the other readers comments. All though their comments didn't tend to focus on the same things mine did, it was nice to see another's perspective.
***There may be spoilers***
The novel is split into three parts; the first was about when he was rather young, running around Black Shack Alley with all his friends, the second was about when he went to the local school, and the third was when he went to Fort-de-France to go to school.
I felt like I could really relate to Jose in the third section. In the beginning, he felt extreme homesickness. So much so that he did not do well in his studies the entire first term, but after that he noticed things getting better. And, slowly but surely, he brought his marks up.
He felt underprivileged next to all the other students at his new school, feeling as if he were out of place.
When he went back home, it didn't feel right there anymore.
He didn't feel at home anywhere, not in Fort-de-France NOR in Black Shack Alley.
Slowly, he began to see how terrible the conditions were in Black Shack Alley, and that motivated him to do well in his studies so that he could get his grandmother out of there.
He was able to change his fate through education, and he has his grandmother to thank for that.
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I grew up in Mauritius, a small formerly-colonised African island. So much of this book resonated with me, despite the fact that I have never witnessed the poverty that Joseph has live through (although my grandparents and parents certainly did live through those times). It allowed me to understand much of the people of my country's past and the privilege that we have been given.
This is by far the heart warming book I've read in a while. Zobel has a way with words. I read it in French and he transmits his past feelings so well, that it's hard to believe that he remembers all those details. It's hard to believe that this man who misses his grandmother so much, was at one point a slightly arrogant young boy yearning for mischief.
I can only wish that I discovered his books earlier.
This book is a tribute to his grandmother and I only understood that at the end. And it suddenly hit me that, all the pages in his book relate to the love he held for his grandmother and the guilt of not having been able to offer her the life he wanted to so much.
The ending for me, was the greatest summary of the book.
'C'est aux aveugles et à ceux qui se bouchent les oreilles qu'il me faudrait la crier. ' (it is to the blind and to those who cover their ears that I should scream my story to).
There's no better way to describe the book than that.
This is by far the heart warming book I've read in a while. Zobel has a way with words. I read it in French and he transmits his past feelings so well, that it's hard to believe that he remembers all those details. It's hard to believe that this man who misses his grandmother so much, was at one point a slightly arrogant young boy yearning for mischief.
I can only wish that I discovered his books earlier.
This book is a tribute to his grandmother and I only understood that at the end. And it suddenly hit me that, all the pages in his book relate to the love he held for his grandmother and the guilt of not having been able to offer her the life he wanted to so much.
The ending for me, was the greatest summary of the book.
'C'est aux aveugles et à ceux qui se bouchent les oreilles qu'il me faudrait la crier. ' (it is to the blind and to those who cover their ears that I should scream my story to).
There's no better way to describe the book than that.
Penguin Classics recently reissued Black Shack Alley, a semi-autobiographical novel originally published in 1950 by Joseph Zobel, an author from Martinique with an insightful new foreword by Patrick Chamoiseau.
José lives with his grandmother, M’man Tine, a laborer on a sugar cane plantation, while his mother, Delia, works in Fort-de-France. With her work schedule and the expense of travel, Delia rarely returns to see her mother and son. Growing up, M’man Tine becomes José’s primary maternal figure, and she is determined that he have opportunities beyond the plantation so sacrifices to ensure he can attend school.
The book follows José from his childhood to late teens. As a boy, he is content with life on Black Shack Alley, a collection of deteriorating wooden huts on the sugar plantation for the laborers. Between the low wages and the inflated prices at the small store run by the manager’s wife, poverty was endemic. José’s and his friends wore tattered clothing, some so worn they hardly covered their bodies. With education and growth, José begins to question the attitudes and the social structures that created the inequalities between races on the island.
M’man Tine, strong, determined, and unforgiving, is a masterful character, and through José’s eyes, as he ages, we feel the pain of unfairness and exclusion, the unrelenting erosion to the soul from poverty and racism—as well as the reprieve that love and friendship provide.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Penguin Classics for providing an electronic copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
José lives with his grandmother, M’man Tine, a laborer on a sugar cane plantation, while his mother, Delia, works in Fort-de-France. With her work schedule and the expense of travel, Delia rarely returns to see her mother and son. Growing up, M’man Tine becomes José’s primary maternal figure, and she is determined that he have opportunities beyond the plantation so sacrifices to ensure he can attend school.
The book follows José from his childhood to late teens. As a boy, he is content with life on Black Shack Alley, a collection of deteriorating wooden huts on the sugar plantation for the laborers. Between the low wages and the inflated prices at the small store run by the manager’s wife, poverty was endemic. José’s and his friends wore tattered clothing, some so worn they hardly covered their bodies. With education and growth, José begins to question the attitudes and the social structures that created the inequalities between races on the island.
M’man Tine, strong, determined, and unforgiving, is a masterful character, and through José’s eyes, as he ages, we feel the pain of unfairness and exclusion, the unrelenting erosion to the soul from poverty and racism—as well as the reprieve that love and friendship provide.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Penguin Classics for providing an electronic copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed Zobel's narrative style. Black Shack Alley is in the style of a bildungsroman without being particularly didactic. What sets this narrative apart from other bildungsroman is that the voice of the main character, Jose, matures as the character does. In the beginning, Jose's sentences are simple and short with an elementary vocabulary. As Jose grows so does the complexity of his syntax and thought processes. This story does not feel like it was written by an adult Jose looking back on his life, rather, it feels like we are a silent friend, witnessing Jose's life along side him.