It took me a long time to get into this book, but it was worth the read. It's very timely historical fiction, since it's set during the Haitian revolution, showing a lot of the forces that have shaped Haiti into the nation it is today. Woven into the same narrative is a glimpse of decadent Creole New Orleans right around the time of the Louisiana Purchase.
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!
This book follows a woman named Zarité, who was born a slave to the owner of a sugar plantation in Saint-Domingue (Haiti, back when it was still a French colony). The story doesnt just focus on her, but on a whole cast of characters whose lives intertwine repeatedly from the time before the revolution, during the first few years of revolution in Haiti, and afterward when they start new lives in New Orleans. Because her own daughter (a product of her owners repeated rapes) was so young and because she loved her owners young son like her own, Zarité chose to go with him to New Orleans rather than joining the revolutionaries. Because of that, it was a long, hard road to freedom for her, though she did make it eventually.
I did like this book a lot, but for some reason it just took FOREVER to read. Maybe because the cast of charcters and storylines were so intricate? It was pretty damn heartbreaking in places and the ending is bittersweet, though I suppose you cant really expect anything else when the story is about slavery and the myriad ways it impacts all kinds of people in ways we dont usually talk about in history class. Definitely well written and worth the time and effort to read.
This book follows a woman named Zarité, who was born a slave to the owner of a sugar plantation in Saint-Domingue (Haiti, back when it was still a French colony). The story doesnt just focus on her, but on a whole cast of characters whose lives intertwine repeatedly from the time before the revolution, during the first few years of revolution in Haiti, and afterward when they start new lives in New Orleans. Because her own daughter (a product of her owners repeated rapes) was so young and because she loved her owners young son like her own, Zarité chose to go with him to New Orleans rather than joining the revolutionaries. Because of that, it was a long, hard road to freedom for her, though she did make it eventually.
I did like this book a lot, but for some reason it just took FOREVER to read. Maybe because the cast of charcters and storylines were so intricate? It was pretty damn heartbreaking in places and the ending is bittersweet, though I suppose you cant really expect anything else when the story is about slavery and the myriad ways it impacts all kinds of people in ways we dont usually talk about in history class. Definitely well written and worth the time and effort to read.
Allende does not disappoint with this incredible and wonderful novel. She is masterful with historical fiction. I could not put it down. The main character just moves into your being and you can't stop reading. I loved it. You will too!
