THE WITCHING LANDS: Tales of the West Indies

by Hugh B. Cave ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 10, 1963

A collection of oppressively simple-minded stories focused (as far as there is any focus here) on a group of characters under the roof of the Pension Etoile in the heart of St. Joseph's City. Familiar characters find neat solutions to their implausible problems -- a beleaguered American turns a crowd's mood from anger to sympathy with a few jocular remarks and the aid of a child; a man's heart, hardened against a handicapped child he believed responsible for his son's death, is softened by the sound of children's singing; a man whose wife committed suicide finds his name cleared and the opportunity to marry his true love; a lonely plantation owner adopts a native boy; the threat of a prowler brings an estranged couple together. These are not stories peculiar to the locale and it is unfortunate that the scenery remains a set, flat piece, and the characters are no livelier than the grinning beings on travel posters. Too much sunshine for the production of life.

Pub Date: May 10, 1963

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1963

Categories: FICTION