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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Title: Freedom Cometh With The Night |
Didn’t Like It “interesting yet deeply disturbing novel” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Excellent, excellent, excellent!”
Wista J wrote this review Friday, September 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“There were so many disturbing things about this story (as with most slave stories), but ultimately I lost sleep because I could not put the book down. Work in the morning? What's that? ”
VeryMuch wrote this review Saturday, August 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“You've simply GOTTA read this book. I selected it for my book club, but I thought I would not have enough time to read it. I MADE time to finish it before our discussion tonight! When I put it down to do other things, like WORK, I was thinking about what's going to happen next! The patois is smooth and easy to follow, but if you are put off by the way it is written, then get the AUDIO version. The narrator is excellent! The story is tragic, passionate, and informative.”
ReadingRattler wrote this review Wednesday, July 1 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“interesting yet deeply disturbing novel”
Liz wrote this review Monday, June 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Interesting read, told from the fictional point of view of a house slave who fell in love with her master, and survived a slave revolt and subsequent massacre.”
Jamillah G wrote this review Wednesday, June 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book is most definitely the absolute best book that I have read to date. With me averaging 2-3 books per month, that says a LOT. There are very detailed reviews and so I find it a bit redundant to restate what has already been said. The book made me laugh, cry, and most importantly think. There is no better entertainment than one that garners interest and thought. Although the regional patois took a bit of getting used to, I cannot say that it took away from it's overall appeal. A hallmark of great literature is it's timelessness. Many of the issues brought forth in the book are as relevant today as they were then.
Missy M wrote this review Tuesday, June 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This is one for the private library, to be leather bound, gold leafed and passed down through generations.
”1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Title: Freedom Cometh With The Night
Phyllis wrote this review Tuesday, February 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Marlon James's latest novel, The Book of Night Women, opens with an immediate ominous vibe as a much-too-young 13 year-old child dies giving birth to a green-eyed daughter (Lilith) in a dirty, old shack. Merge this unfortunate beginning with the hard living and harder dying on a late 18th century Jamaican sugar cane plantation populated with slaves named after characters portrayed in Greek tragedies and James delivers an intense novel steeped in history, mystery, with a touch of mysticism.
At its core, this is a historical novel narrated by the slave, Lilith, and an unknown voice (which is revealed at the end) in heavy Jamaican patois and broken English. Orphaned at birth, she is raised by the barren and cruel concubine-of-sorts, Circe, and the insane, but caring, Tantalus. Puberty brings unwanted attention and in a brutal act of self-defense, the pretty Lilith is ostracized and placed in the care of the quadroonish, Homer, at the "big house." Drama and more trouble ensue as Lilith vies for the master's attention and affection foregoing Homer's warnings and advice. Homer and Lilith's dialogue and experiences reveal the inter-/intra-relationships and the complex hierarchical strata and blended culture among slaves (house, field, Johnny-jumper), whites (British, French, Irish, Creole, owners, and overseers), Maroons, and Africans (Ashanti, Igbo, etc.). Homer, understanding the power of superstition, practices myal and inflicts an obeah-inspired method of control and revenge across the plantation.
The Night Women are a group led by Homer, a natural leader and planner, who has been plotting revenge and a multi-plantation rebellion with other like-minded women on neighboring estates. Befriending and adding Lilith to the group causes consternation amongst the other women, including two who share her haunting green-eyes indicating a sisterly bond spawned by the same paternity. The plot thickens and twists as Lilith makes difficult choices (and have some made for her) as she grows into womanhood, negotiates the plantation politics, and evaluates her allegiance to friends, her heart, and her master.
Be warned, the novel is written in native patois which might be a bit hard to follow initially until the reader finds cadence in the pages. The language and imagery at times are a bit vulgar and are painfully and tearfully graphic. Nonetheless, James has penned a novel that is sure to place on my "favorites" list for 2009 releases. This novel offers page-turning intrigue, unpredictable plot turns, and colorful characters with authentic voices to produce an award-worthy novel.
Reviewed by Phyllis
February 24, 2009
APOOO BookClub
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1 of 1 members found this review helpful“When Lilith was born, she was feared by many. This is because when Lilith was born she had skin as black as midnight but eyes like an emerald. It was believed that there lives something evil in Lilith because of her green eyes. There were not many blacks born with green eyes. Lilith grew up knowing only one type of life and that is the slave life. Lilith works on a plantation and has been through many masters.
Cheryl wrote this review Friday, February 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Lilith has gotten close to some of the other slaves and others she can’t get along with. There is one woman in particular called Circe. For some reason Circe does not like Lilith and tries to make trouble for her. Then there is Homer a big, beautiful black woman, who at first Lilith feared but as the years went by, she formed a bond of sorts with.
Lilith’s new master is Robert Quinn. He is different from all the other master’s Lilith has had. He is nicer and seems interested in Lilith. There are a group of women known as the night women, who have been planning for a long time to start a slave revolt and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to do so. Now that Lilith is older, the group decides to recruit Lilith to help them with their revolt.
The Book of Night Women is a story about deceit, jealously, love, freedom and discovering oneself. Lilith is the main character. Though she only knew the slave life, Lilith knew there was another world outside of the plantation. I was proud of the fact that she did not just settle for what she had. As much as I enjoyed this book, there were at times where it was hard to follow only because of the way the characters spoke. Otherwise except for this fact, The Book of the Night Woman brought me back to the past when this was the first type of books I read for the simple reason that I loved this time era. Mr. James did a very good job with this novel. I plan to check out his next book.
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