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My finds this week are inspired by The Pirate's Daughter which I'm reading now. I want to read some more about Jamaica and books by Jamaican authors so rather than put this on a 'one day' plan, and again inspired by Eva's wonderful post on researching today , I went looking.
Here are three from my Jamaica list and all confirmed as available in my library.
From Harvey River: a memoir of my mother and her island by Lorna Goodison.............In her lovingly written, richly imaginative and effortlessly joyful memoir, poet Lorna Goodison weaves the history of her family - 'the fabulous Harvey girls' - with the history of Jamaica. It is a powerful love letter to the people and places that have shaped her. Peopled with a cast of wonderfully drawn characters and written in a lush, vivid prose textured with the cadences of Creole, Lorna Goodison's memoir weaves together memory and island lore to create a vivid and irresistible tapestry.
Winner of the 2004 Orange Prize for Fiction
"is a courageous novel of tender emotion and sparkling wit, of crossings taken and passages lost, of shattering compassion and of reckless optimism in the face of insurmountable barriers---in short, an encapsulation of that most American of experiences: the immigrant's life.
It all begins with the theft of Tessa Walcott's polkadot panties and a river that changes course overnight...When Imelda Richardson leaves the small village of Watersgate, Jamaica, armed only with one small suitcase, she is doing so for the second time. One of the throng of young Jamaicans who left the island after the devastating hurricane of 1974, Imelda's journey has taken her to England, to the home of ganja-growing rebel Purletta Johnson, the arms of fake Northerner Ozzie, and a law degree. But when her mother dies Imelda returns to Watersgate, choosing Jamaica over England. 1983 is still a couple of years shy of the great dancehall explosion in which artistes like Shabba Ranks would sing how he 'loved punany bad', and the village is still dominated by the Evangelical church and the thundering voice of Pastor Braithwaite.
What did you find this week?
Small Island is going to be on Masterpiece Theater in the US later this season, so I assume it was previously a BBC production and may have already aired in NZ? Have you seen it?
ReplyDeleteAlso, the author has another book coming out! It sounds very good :-)
Yay for a booklist! I read started reading Caribbean lit last year and fell in love, but I haven't read any of these three books, so they're on my TBR list now.
ReplyDeleteIf you can get your hands on The Night Women by Marlon James, you should. It's incredible!
Aarti - No, I haven't. As far as I know it hasn't aired here yet.
ReplyDeleteI did put another book on hold The Long Song which was the latest I could see.
Eva - Have to admit I do like making lists. Our libary doesn't have The Night Women so I'll have t seek further for that one - thanks for the recommendation.
I haven't heard of any of those, but they have lovely cover designs!
ReplyDeleteOh and I have an award for you @ my blog!
Those all sound fantastic, especially The Same Earth, and are all new to me! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHere are mine: Not-Really-Southern Vamp Chick
These look like great finds! Mine is at The Crowded Leaf.
ReplyDeleteThey all sound great, so great finds ;)
ReplyDelete