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A well-researched book that wears its scholarship lightly… An immensely readable and well-paced book.” Dowell, Ben. "Hayley Atwell, Lenny Henry and Tamara Lawrance cast in new BBC period drama The Long Song". Radio Times. 13 July 2018.
Long Song: A Novel - Andrea Levy - Google Books The Long Song: A Novel - Andrea Levy - Google Books
Self-appointed as the “Queen of the Blues,” Dinah Washington is known for her incredible musical ability that spanned a variety of genres . . . It was a fine ambition from a noble old woman for whom many of her years were lived in harsh circumstance. This wish demanded respect.What am I missing here? This is a perfectly good novel, and the character of Miss July is well-drawn, the story of Jamaica is interesting, but...great? How? Where? As slavery comes to an end in Jamaica after an inconceivable 300 years, we learn about the life and times of July. House-slave on a sugar plantation with a fat and useless mistress, July overcomes a painful separation from her formidable field-slave mother, Kitty to somehow survive the brutality and injustice. As the tide of slavery turns, we see the white plantation owners struggle to keep their prosperity. We see 'good' Christian men bring their own insidious brand of racism in sheep's clothing.
The Long Song by Andrea Levy | Goodreads
Y por fin puedo decir que me he leído uno de mis eternos pendientes de la vida. Conocí este libro al ver en la televisión su versión en miniserie o película larga hará cosa de unos dos o tres años, y si he tardado tanto en leerlo (aunque lo he tenido en la mano muchas veces para comenzarlo) era precisamente porque quería alejarme un poco de la película, esperando que así el libro pudiera sorprenderme más si se me desdibujaba su argumento aunque fuera un poco . Tengo que deciros que la versión cinematográfica es muy fiel al original (De hecho, creo que es la película que he visto nunca que es más fiel al libro del que bebe) y que merece mucho la pena verla. I have to start by saying Andrea Levy is one of my favourite authors. Her writing is always so beautiful and I wasn't surprised to learn that The Long Song was.a Man Booker finalist in 2010. Ms. Levy's talent shined with regard to her descriptive language. I could picture everything she described and felt as though I was recalling my last visit on the property of Amity, the plantation, where July is born in Jamaica in the earlier 1800's. At first, we are unclear, who is narrating the story or even their name (which the author did very intentionally, although her purpose for doing so, wasn't achieved in full). Perspective in narration shifted frequently, which frankly I felt was not essential to the story being told. Primarily, so the reader could realize that July's experiences had caused trauma on the level of possibly disassociation, where the injured party disconnects with their emotional response because it is either unsafe (physically and/or emotionally) for the victim to process the trauma as it is happening. Levy may have achieved that with some readers, who have experienced dissociation or know someone who has. Her delivery may be to subtle for those unfamiliar or confusing to others. I think this would have been more powerful, had she been directing that information to someone other than whom she has chosen in the story, although her choice was logical.
mp_sf_list_1_description: Based on the award-winning novel by the late Andrea Levy (Small Island), the fictional story is inspired by Levy’s family history. Levy was born in England to Jamaican parents who arrived in Britain in 1948. “I’ve always used my books as a personal journey to understand my Caribbean heritage – and with that sooner or later you have to confront slavery,” Levy said. Caroline is a white mistress at Amity and the plantation owner’s sister. She is responsible for taking July from the cotton fields (‘Look how cute the little one is’, she says before callously removing her from her mother). Caroline teaches July to read and write so she can help her run the business. She is deeply flawed and becomes unknowingly dependent on July. Told through the eyes of July, a slave and spirited survivor, The Long Song is set in the 19 th century and explores the last days of slavery in British-ruled Jamaica. The story is about injustices humans inflict on each other and the unexpected ways in which people’s humanity can overcome harsh circumstances.
The Long Song - Extracts and reviews Andrea Levy - The Long Song - Extracts and reviews
The story is told in retrospect by an older woman and (in very small part) by her son. The woman constantly moans about the son's insistence on using a recalcitrant ink pen and also his verbosity. The novel is certainly peppered with very funny/tragic moments. The scene where July's master dies is particularly funny when it shouldn't be. Includes the papers of "The Music Man" creator Meredith Willson, musical arrangements of Natalie Cole, Rosemary Clooney, Andy Williams and more... mp_sf_list_0_description: Told through the eyes of July, a slave and spirited survivor, The Long Song is set in the 19th century and explores the last days of slavery in British-ruled Jamaica. The story is about injustices humans inflict on each other and the unexpected ways in which people’s humanity can overcome harsh circumstances.I wanted there to be joy in this book; fun, as well. I had to tread a fine line. It was never going to be ‘Carry On Up the Plantation’, but also I didn’t want it to be just so harrowing that nobody could read it. I wanted a book that everyone could read and everyone could enjoy. Slavery is a grim subject indeed, but the wonder of Levy’s writing is that she can confront such things and somehow derive deeply life-affirming entertainment from them. ... Levy’s aim, she says, was to write a book that instilled pride in anyone with slave ancestors and The Long Song, though 'its load may prove to be unsettling', is surely that book.
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