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A review by katykelly
Blonde Roots by Bernardine Evaristo
3.0
Nearer 3.5 stars really.
This was a little like the idea behind 'Noughts and Crosses': the subversion of history to make a point and shock.
Slavery happened, but to the white races. Great idea. Gets the attention. The plot involves Doris, stolen from her home in England and taken away to work as a slave for a master. We hear from her master as well as herself, and see the effects of slavery on those forced into it.
And there are good ideas here, I just didn't feel it always worked. The anachronisms just jarred and didn't make sense (why are corsets and britches alongside skateboards and Glamazons?! I didn't see the point). Especially as the epilogue describes what happens to the descendants of the characters in 'the twentieth century'.
Novels about slavery are powerful enough I'd just written well. YA read Chains is excellent, as is The Long Song and others. It felt as though once the shock factor melted away it was 'just' another slave story with nothing else new to add.
That's not to say it's without merit. I did enough listening to the audiobook of it, and think this helped with what other reviewers call annoying slave patois.
This is a good one to try if you're interested in original stories about slavery, but less if you're concerned with historical accuracy :)
This was a little like the idea behind 'Noughts and Crosses': the subversion of history to make a point and shock.
Slavery happened, but to the white races. Great idea. Gets the attention. The plot involves Doris, stolen from her home in England and taken away to work as a slave for a master. We hear from her master as well as herself, and see the effects of slavery on those forced into it.
And there are good ideas here, I just didn't feel it always worked. The anachronisms just jarred and didn't make sense (why are corsets and britches alongside skateboards and Glamazons?! I didn't see the point). Especially as the epilogue describes what happens to the descendants of the characters in 'the twentieth century'.
Novels about slavery are powerful enough I'd just written well. YA read Chains is excellent, as is The Long Song and others. It felt as though once the shock factor melted away it was 'just' another slave story with nothing else new to add.
That's not to say it's without merit. I did enough listening to the audiobook of it, and think this helped with what other reviewers call annoying slave patois.
This is a good one to try if you're interested in original stories about slavery, but less if you're concerned with historical accuracy :)