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#Dominica
review
Andrew65
Wide Sargasso Sea | Jean Rhys
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Mehso-so

Read this for #Dominica for #ReadingTheAmericas2023 but it can also be read for #Jamaica.

This was a very atmospherically written book and ideal for people who wanted to know some of Bertha‘s back story from Jane Eyre. I found it a very sad story, with little hope or lightness in it. The writing style really wasn‘t for me and can‘t say I particularly enjoyed the book, but I‘m sure I‘m not the intended audience. Just not my genre or style.

Andrew65 4th book finished for #NovelNovember
19th book finished for November #Rushathon @DieAReader @Ghabi4Roses
@Librarybelle @BarbaraBB
(edited) 12mo
DieAReader 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻 12mo
Librarybelle This is on my to read list! 12mo
See All 10 Comments
Andrew65 @Librarybelle Don‘t let my review put you off. I‘m not sure I am in the target audience and not sorry I read it. 12mo
Librarybelle No worries! I think #PemberLittens is reading it next year. With its connection to Jane Eyre, it‘s been on my reading radar for quite some time. 12mo
Andrew65 @Librarybelle I was surprised how short it was. I started and finished it today. 12mo
Ruthiella I didn‘t gel with this book either. The writing is evocative, but I didn‘t really have a handle on what was going on. 12mo
Andrew65 @Ruthiella I agree, at points difficult to know who was talking, who was there, where they were, etc. Very hard work as a reader. 12mo
OutsmartYourShelf Hated it. One of the first books I'd use for kindling if it came down to it. 12mo
Andrew65 @OutsmartYourShelf Can well see why. You do wonder how some books become so popular, whilst better written ones get nowhere. 12mo
77 likes10 comments
review
psalva
Wide Sargasso Sea | Jean Ryhs
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Pickpick

The thing that I found so striking as I read this was how subtle the writing is and how much breath flows through its 171 pages. The themes of power/control/hatred/safety are prominent. Much can also be said about the feeling of being in-between (colonial generations, nationalities, race, etc.) A lot to ponder, and definitely something I will want to reread in the future.
#ReadingtheAmericas2023 #Dominica

review
Hooked_on_books
Island Queen | Vanessa Riley
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Pickpick

Born enslaved on #Montserrat, Dorothy works her way to freedom and eventually a business empire stretching across multiple nations. Based on a real person, this novel looks across Dorothy‘s entire life. It‘s long but worth the time. I enjoyed this.

#ReadingAmericas2023 Also works for #Dominica #Greneda #Guyana

Librarybelle On my to read list! 1y
psalva I‘m so behind on Reading the Americas, but I‘m hoping to check off a few more in the coming months. Stacked! 1y
47 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
Tamra
Voyage in the Dark | Jean Rhys
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Pickpick

“I don‘t know how people live when they know exactly what‘s going to happen to them each day. It seems to me it‘s better to be dead than live like that.”

Anna, the MC, is so naive. Her trajectory is now set and she cannot or will not see it. 😣 I can‘t decide whether I feel pity or scorn for her.

I did not “enjoy” this novel; I don‘t think entertainment was the intent. I‘m left pondering over it, which for me is the hallmark of great writing!

Tamra Death is a recurring theme/fantasy/desire for Anna. Rhys certainly has a suffocating way of conveying the fact Anna is living her death. I couldn‘t wait for this novel to end, to get away from Anna, not was still riveted to the end. (edited) 1y
Tamra P.S. Men are awful in this novel. 😖 1y
51 likes2 comments
review
Bookwormjillk
Island Queen | Vanessa Riley
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Pickpick

It took me a while to get into this book, but by the end I was so glad I stuck with it. Sad to say I knew next to nothing about the history of slavery in the Caribbean, and this book brought it to life. Thanks @Texreader for bringing this book to my attention.

#TitlesandTunes #IslandVibe

#ReadingTheAmericas2023 #Dominica #Grenada #Barbados #Jamaica

Cinfhen Agree! This book was an investment of time but it was worthwhile and it checked off a few countries too!! 1y
BarbaraBB Great review. And perfectly timed! #islandvibes 1y
Librarybelle I‘m looking forward to reading this! 1y
65 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
squirrelbrain
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Pickpick

Ann and her husband give up their busy lives in Toronto in the mid 90s to sail the Caribbean. This is just my kind of travel book; I love it when it‘s mainly about the wonderful people the travellers meet along the way. The book also contains many recipes too. (Their boat is called Receta)

The blurb says they visit 16 countries, but I don‘t think I spotted them all. Below is my list, some of which I‘m using and some I‘ve already read.

squirrelbrain I know there were others but some of the visits were *very* fleeting. 2y
Bookwormjillk Thanks for the review. I was just eyeing this one. 2y
See All 8 Comments
squirrelbrain @Bookwormjillk - go for it! It‘s a lovely read. 🏝️ 2y
BarbaraBB I had this one stacked already. I think I‘ll like it too! 2y
squirrelbrain I‘m sure you will! @BarbaraBB 2y
Librarybelle I also have this stacked already - it sounds like a fun read! 2y
Aimeesue I have friends who are actually doing this now. Their FB posts are amazing! 2y
71 likes1 stack add8 comments
blurb
shawnmooney
Voyage in the Dark | Jean Rhys
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https://youtu.be/UyUh0aLlC1o

#litwithindianlit
#carolshieldsprize
#PeopleApril
#TransGirlApril
#AussieApril

Intro

Weekly highlights

We Should Not Be Afraid of the Sky by Emma Hooper

A Pros and Cons List for Strong Feelings by Will Betke-Brunswick

Rhapsody and Other Stories by Dorothy Edwards

Yann Andréa Steiner by Marguerite Duras, Mark Polizzotti (Translator)

shawnmooney Friends & Dark Shapes by Kavita Bedford

Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen

Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) by Hazel Jane Plante

Voyage in the Dark by Jean Rhys

Do Let's Have Another Drink!: The Dry Wit and Fizzy Life of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother by Gareth Russell

Cobalt Blue by Sachin Kundalkar, Jerry Pinto (Translator)

Paula by Sandra Hoffmann, Katy Derbyshire (Translator)

2y
34 likes1 comment
review
Texreader
Island Queen | Vanessa Riley
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Pickpick

Based on the true life of Dorothy (Doll) Kirwan Thomas, born a slave in #Montserrat, she worked countless years to buy her (& her family‘s) freedom to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in the Caribbean. Repeatedly raped by her white brother, surviving multiple rebellions, saving a sister from auction, her beginnings were so harsh. She is written as a very real person, with her past very much shaping how she approached life. ⬇️

Texreader I would have liked a bit less about the many men in her life, although they were all clearly very important in her life. I would have liked much more of her business building, which was made all the more difficult for a freed black woman. The coverage of that aspect of her business life developed more at the end, especially when she had to buy slaves herself (she owned the most where she lived). The most impactful part of the book is her ⬇️ 2y
Texreader view of slavery from a tender age of five when she hadn‘t quite grasped that she was “owned.” As she grew up and through her life her views on slavery also grew up. It was eye-opening and poignant. #Dominica
#Grenada
#Guayana
#readingtheAmericas. Also can work for #Barbados and #Jamaica. The author is from #Trinidad, so that works too.

@Librarybelle @BarbaraBB
(edited) 2y
Bookwormjillk This audiobook was $51! Felt like an efficient use of a Libro.fm credit! Thanks for the recommendation. 2y
Librarybelle I just picked this up as a Kindle deal! 2y
Daisey I hope to get this one sometime this year! 2y
53 likes5 comments
quote
Texreader
Island Queen | Vanessa Riley
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From the author‘s notes.

I also just learned the author is from #Trinidad, so this book can work for that country. There are also smaller parts of the book that work for #Barbados and #Jamaica

#Dominica
#Grenada
#Guayana
#Montserrat
#readingtheAmericas

@Librarybelle @BarbaraBB @Catsandbooks

blurb
Texreader
Island Queen | Vanessa Riley
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This week‘s business trip with evenings in the hotel with nothing to do when I finish working has been good for my reading—I finished both these books! Reviews to come. #foodandlit #Syria

#Dominica
#Grenada
#Guayana
#Montserrat
#readingtheAmericas

@Librarybelle @BarbaraBB @Catsandbooks