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fizreads 's review for:
The Lonely Londoners
by Sam Selvon
Find this review on my blog:https://fizwrites.wixsite.com/website/post/what-windrush-means-to-me
I find myself properly reviewing this novel as we commemorate Windrush day. I initially gave this 3.5 stars on Goodreads, but after re-reading and analysing this to write about it for a uni assignment I felt I truly appreciated it. I compared this novel to Othello, analysing race, culture, and gender/gender roles and I felt before I didn’t really know what Windrush was or meant but I had a gist of what it is until I actually researched, read articles, archives, interviews that I truly found out not only what it meant but the impact and effect it still has to this day.
Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners is an insight into 1950s London where the post-war saw immigrants making that arduous journey across the ocean to come to Britain in hope of a better future. The plot is continuously moving from character to character, and we get an insight into how these migrants settled in London and what their life is like. The Windrush generation was allowed to come to England visa-free to help out because of the effects of the war so they saw an opportunity whether that be financial or because they are fleeing from war-torn countries. They saw England as a beacon of hope, of prosperity and this sense of hope, never wavers in these characters we follow. Their illusion of Britain is this sense of place where dreams come true is quickly shattered when they realise the harsh reality of actually living there.
When I was re-reading this novel, I found the portrayal of London so vivid and the characters Selvon portrayed almost Dickensian in nature. It was hard to read but heart-breaking to read about the daily racism they faced. They were discriminated against by their race, class, and gender, and it is such a deep account of exactly how they were treated. Reading this again became vivid because of the current immigration issues I read the other day an article on how people are still being discriminated against and are judged by their accent and dialect and racism is very much still alive because the study suggests that those who didn’t speak English fluently are being treated differently to those who do. The citizens in the novel were being treated as second-class citizens and there are people today who still feel the same. The novel is timely. It has heavy themes of identity, belonging, memory and migration but for me, the best thing about this novel is the sense of hope. In this big city where the characters face alienation and isolation and loneliness there is hope, hope for a better future, hope for change, and hope that their children and families or friends will have a better future than them and that is what makes this novel so special. They endure hardship and struggle, discrimination, there are cultural clashes and regardless of their background, they are all generalised as the Caribbean amongst all this what remains is hope. The dialect when you are reading comes alive. It is such an insightful read that should be made a compulsory read, educates you and gives such a vivid portrayal it is a must-read. Everyone needs to pick up this novel.
I find myself properly reviewing this novel as we commemorate Windrush day. I initially gave this 3.5 stars on Goodreads, but after re-reading and analysing this to write about it for a uni assignment I felt I truly appreciated it. I compared this novel to Othello, analysing race, culture, and gender/gender roles and I felt before I didn’t really know what Windrush was or meant but I had a gist of what it is until I actually researched, read articles, archives, interviews that I truly found out not only what it meant but the impact and effect it still has to this day.
Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners is an insight into 1950s London where the post-war saw immigrants making that arduous journey across the ocean to come to Britain in hope of a better future. The plot is continuously moving from character to character, and we get an insight into how these migrants settled in London and what their life is like. The Windrush generation was allowed to come to England visa-free to help out because of the effects of the war so they saw an opportunity whether that be financial or because they are fleeing from war-torn countries. They saw England as a beacon of hope, of prosperity and this sense of hope, never wavers in these characters we follow. Their illusion of Britain is this sense of place where dreams come true is quickly shattered when they realise the harsh reality of actually living there.
When I was re-reading this novel, I found the portrayal of London so vivid and the characters Selvon portrayed almost Dickensian in nature. It was hard to read but heart-breaking to read about the daily racism they faced. They were discriminated against by their race, class, and gender, and it is such a deep account of exactly how they were treated. Reading this again became vivid because of the current immigration issues I read the other day an article on how people are still being discriminated against and are judged by their accent and dialect and racism is very much still alive because the study suggests that those who didn’t speak English fluently are being treated differently to those who do. The citizens in the novel were being treated as second-class citizens and there are people today who still feel the same. The novel is timely. It has heavy themes of identity, belonging, memory and migration but for me, the best thing about this novel is the sense of hope. In this big city where the characters face alienation and isolation and loneliness there is hope, hope for a better future, hope for change, and hope that their children and families or friends will have a better future than them and that is what makes this novel so special. They endure hardship and struggle, discrimination, there are cultural clashes and regardless of their background, they are all generalised as the Caribbean amongst all this what remains is hope. The dialect when you are reading comes alive. It is such an insightful read that should be made a compulsory read, educates you and gives such a vivid portrayal it is a must-read. Everyone needs to pick up this novel.