A thoroughly researched, painstakingly detailed, sharply written tale of a Black Carib chief.
A historical novel retraces the life of a revolutionary Black Carib leader and national hero.
At the close of the 18th century, Joseph Chatoyer, a Carib chief, led his people in revolts against the British colonial government of St. Vincent. The novel opens in 1754 with Joseph and his half brother, Duvalle, as adolescents. They are being received back into their community by their father, Chief Legotte, having spent a year staying with a French family on the Caribbean island’s western half. It was Legotte’s hope that his sons would learn essential knowledge about the French occupiers before they grew up to be leaders. After their return, a dispute arises over land and Duvalle defies the elders’ advice by planning to expel the French. The young Joseph reveals himself to be a natural leader by advocating restraint while allowing the young men of the village to deliver a graphic warning to the French. Joseph and his brother soon become subchiefs and witness the English seize control of French settlements on the island. Whereas relations with the French were mostly cordial (provided the occupiers remained on their side of the island), the English show little will to cooperate. The story charts Joseph’s progress toward becoming an esteemed chief who recognizes that his people must prepare to defend themselves against the new invaders. Sweeney describes in detail the tensions that built toward the First and Second Carib Wars; Joseph’s liaisons with French revolutionary advisers; and the tactical decisions and courage that nearly resulted in a Carib victory.
One of the most captivating aspects of this story is the manner in which Joseph and Duvalle appear to mature naturally as the narrative unfolds. It is intriguing to observe their differences in approach and subtle sibling tensions. This is something that Sweeney communicates elegantly through well-written dialogue: “ ‘Brother, you must promise me something.’ Duvalle, deep in thought, responded, ‘What, Joseph?’ ‘Please contain your temper when we meet these Englishmen. Let us use diplomacy rather than threats.’ ‘I’ll act the gentleman as long as they treat me with respect.’ ” The author not only displays an extensive knowledge of Joseph’s life and character, but also pays close attention to broader cultural details: “Uguchuru kept the hard-packed earthen floor swept clean. She used a small hearth in the middle of the room at night for light. Its smoke helped to keep the mosquitoes at bay. A stewpot sat to one side on glowing coals, exuding tantalizing smells.” Yet despite a desire to capture Carib life, Sweeney is often reluctant to expand the sensory descriptions. For instance, readers are left to guess the exact nature of the “tantalizing smells.” As a result, the audience learns how the Carib live but never has the full sensory experience of being transported to the island. This is a precise and enjoyable story that celebrates a daring national hero and draws attention to a striking and often overlooked moment in history. Those unfamiliar with the Carib chief will find this tale an education. Although it would have benefited from more sensuous depictions, the book proves to be a thought-provoking introduction to an important figure and his cause. A thoroughly researched, painstakingly detailed, sharply written tale of a Black Carib chief.Pub Date: Oct. 23, 2022
ISBN: 9798986479507
Page Count: 383
Publisher: BookBaby
Review Posted Online: Nov. 14, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Still, a respectful and absorbing page-turner.
Hannah’s new novel is an homage to the extraordinary courage and endurance of Frenchwomen during World War II.
In 1995, an elderly unnamed widow is moving into an Oregon nursing home on the urging of her controlling son, Julien, a surgeon. This trajectory is interrupted when she receives an invitation to return to France to attend a ceremony honoring passeurs: people who aided the escape of others during the war. Cut to spring, 1940: Viann has said goodbye to husband Antoine, who's off to hold the Maginot line against invading Germans. She returns to tending her small farm, Le Jardin, in the Loire Valley, teaching at the local school and coping with daughter Sophie’s adolescent rebellion. Soon, that world is upended: The Germans march into Paris and refugees flee south, overrunning Viann’s land. Her long-estranged younger sister, Isabelle, who has been kicked out of multiple convent schools, is sent to Le Jardin by Julien, their father in Paris, a drunken, decidedly unpaternal Great War veteran. As the depredations increase in the occupied zone—food rationing, systematic looting, and the billeting of a German officer, Capt. Beck, at Le Jardin—Isabelle’s outspokenness is a liability. She joins the Resistance, volunteering for dangerous duty: shepherding downed Allied airmen across the Pyrenees to Spain. Code-named the Nightingale, Isabelle will rescue many before she's captured. Meanwhile, Viann’s journey from passive to active resistance is less dramatic but no less wrenching. Hannah vividly demonstrates how the Nazis, through starvation, intimidation and barbarity both casual and calculated, demoralized the French, engineering a community collapse that enabled the deportations and deaths of more than 70,000 Jews. Hannah’s proven storytelling skills are ideally suited to depicting such cataclysmic events, but her tendency to sentimentalize undermines the gravitas of this tale.
Still, a respectful and absorbing page-turner.Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-312-57722-3
Page Count: 448
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Nov. 19, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
BOOK TO SCREEN
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
A tender and moving portrait about the transcendent power of art and friendship.
An artwork’s value grows if you understand the stories of the people who inspired it.
Never in her wildest dreams would foster kid Louisa dream of meeting C. Jat, the famous painter of The One of the Sea, which depicts a group of young teens on a pier on a hot summer’s day. But in Backman’s latest, that’s just what happens—an unexpected (but not unbelievable) set of circumstances causes their paths to collide right before the dying 39-year-old artist’s departure from the world. One of his final acts is to bequeath that painting to Louisa, who has endured a string of violent foster homes since her mother abandoned her as a child. Selling the painting will change her life—but can she do it? Before deciding, she accompanies Ted, one of the artist’s close friends and one of the young teens captured in that celebrated painting, on a train journey to take the artist’s ashes to his hometown. She wants to know all about the painting, which launched Jat’s career at age 14, and the circle of beloved friends who inspired it. The bestselling author of A Man Called Ove (2014) and other novels, Backman gives us a heartwarming story about how these friends, set adrift by the violence and unhappiness of their homes, found each other and created a new definition of family. “You think you’re alone,” one character explains, “but there are others like you, people who stand in front of white walls and blank paper and only see magical things. One day one of them will recognize you and call out: ‘You’re one of us!’” As Ted tells stories about his friends—how Jat doubted his talents but found a champion in fiery Joar, who took on every bully to defend him; how Ali brought an excitement to their circle that was “like a blinding light, like a heart attack”—Louisa recognizes herself as a kindred soul and feels a calling to realize her own artistic gifts. What she decides to do with the painting is part of a caper worthy of the stories that Ted tells her. The novel is humorous, poignant, and always life-affirming, even when describing the bleakness of the teens’ early lives. “Art is a fragile magic, just like love,” as someone tells Louisa, “and that’s humanity’s only defense against death.”
A tender and moving portrait about the transcendent power of art and friendship.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9781982112820
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
