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
Fans of Stockett’s bestselling debut will love this engaging follow-up.
Stockett heads to Mississippi for another historical novel about feisty women.
This time, perhaps recalling criticisms of cultural appropriation in The Help (2009), she sticks to feisty white women, with one exception. The setting is Oxford in 1933. For two miserable years, 11-year-old Meg has lived in “the Orphan,” a county asylum for parentless girls. Chairlady Garnett—a villain so one-note she’d twirl a mustache if she had one—makes it her mission to ostracize the older girls she deems unadoptable, stigmatizing them as offspring of the “feebleminded” mothers who abandoned them. She particularly has it in for smart, sassy Meg, who refuses to believe her mother’s mysterious disappearance was deliberate. Elsewhere in Oxford, Birdie Calhoun comes to visit her sister Frances, who married a wealthy banker, to ask for money on behalf of their mother and grandmother back in Footely. Frances isn’t thrilled by this reminder of her impoverished small-town origins. But she’s trying to climb up in Oxford society by volunteering at the Orphan, the asylum’s books need to be done before the state inspector shows up in a few weeks, and Birdie is a bookkeeper. Having neatly arranged to keep Birdie in town and draw these two storylines together, Stockett goes on to spin a compulsively readable yarn with enough plot for a half-dozen novels. Birdie and Meg become friends, Meg is adopted despite Garnett’s best efforts, Meg’s mother turns up at the Orphan demanding to know where her child is—and that’s less than a quarter of the way through a long, winding narrative that keeps piling on more dramatic developments until all loose ends are neatly, if hastily, wrapped up in the final pages. Stockett might be making a point about Southern women facing facts and standing up for themselves, but mostly this is just a satisfyingly twisty tale that should make a great miniseries.
Fans of Stockett’s bestselling debut will love this engaging follow-up.Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9781954118812
Page Count: 656
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
© Copyright 2026 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.
