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Land of Love and Drowning
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Wondrous Book!!!
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Publisher's Summary
A major debut from an award-winning writer - an epic family saga set against the magic and the rhythms of the Virgin Islands.
In the early 1900s an important ship sinks into the Caribbean Sea, just as the Virgin Islands are transferred from Danish to American rule. Orphaned by the sunk vessel are two sisters and their half-brother, now faced with an uncertain identity and future. Each of them is unusually beautiful, and each is in possession of a particular magic that will either sink or save them.
Chronicling three generations of an island family from 1916 to the 1970s, Land of Love and Drowning is a novel of love and magic, set against the emergence of Saint Thomas into the modern world. Wholly unique, with echoes of Toni Morrison, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and the author's own Caribbean family history, the story is told in a language and rhythm that evokes an entire world and way of life and love. Following the Bradshaw family through 60 years of fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, love affairs, curses, magical gifts, loyalties, births, deaths, and triumphs, Land of Love and Drowning is a gorgeous, vibrant debut by an exciting, prize-winning young writer.
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Overall
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4 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars49
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bahiyyih
- ANCHORAGE, AK
- 06-07-18
Gorgeous
A beautiful story masterfully told & performed. Feels like air blowing off the ocean. Wonderful break from the everyday grind.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Art Fan
- 04-12-15
The Girl Done Good
What made the experience of listening to Land of Love and Drowning the most enjoyable?
I loved listening to this novel with the various voices
Who was your favorite character and why?
Annette, she truly found her soulmate.
What about the narrators’s performance did you like?
Great voice quality and patois
If you could take any character from Land of Love and Drowning out to dinner, who would it be and why?
Eonna to hear more of the family's secrets.
Any additional comments?
Great book. It ignited a fire and family memories in me to further explore my Jamaican roots.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Carrissa
- 04-12-17
TW: incest
This is a beautifully written book, truly lovely language. Trigger warning: this novel is full of many types and layers of incest, which will naturally be very disturbing and/or triggering for some of us.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lea Terhune
- 12-19-17
Magic and myth superb!
Enjoyed from beginning to end. Would *read" again, and again. The reclaiming of the beaches is glorious.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Anonlee
- 09-29-17
back to the drawing board,,,
I think this story was written in order for the author to rant about a couple of issues . 1 American politics as it pertains to the take over of u,s. virgin islands. and
2 . the inferiority complex that many islanders felt after the take over. I am not an American so I do not take offense to her comments. The general theme though out the novel is " loss of control"
. Unfortunately, she uses incest to keep the audience tethered to a light weight story. All the magic and folklore in st. thomas can't save this. The two main woman characters are feeble minded and dim witted. The author sprinkles colloquiallisms from the neighboring island of trinidad and Tobago into the every day dialect of the st. thomian. this aberration creates a false impression of St Thomas . You can't use well known Trinidadian slang and incorporate into another country , people will notice!
The narrators saved the day. the author can write but she needs to develop a better heart to hand connection.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lauren
- 04-28-17
Moving an enthralling story
Lovely performances and beautiful imagery makes this audio book a positively wonderful listen. Highly recommended!
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Carolyn
- 03-11-16
Not my cup of tea
While I did enjoy some parts of the book, I thought the story about the father-daughter relationship was a bit disturbing. This book was selected by my book club because it was on the "25 Books Every Woman Must Read" list - though I'm not sure why given some of the other awesome books on the list. I look forward to discussing the book with my book club, perhaps hearing their perspectives will have me re-evaluate my initial impression.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ayodele higgs
- 02-07-16
Great Listen
I loved the poet style the author used. In addition she shows characters that have suffered great tragedies but have survived and even flourished. Eons and Annette are heroines in different ways.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- allison
- Hempstead, NY, United States
- 08-04-15
great Virgin Islands story
loved this book. great story, great imagination and great characters. need more carribbean stories like this one.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- N.
- Randolph, VT
- 07-16-15
Delicious like stewed cherries
I very much enjoyed this book. I the narration and cadence was very very good. The only improvement would have been to use Virgin Islands accents. I am from St. Croix. My mother from St. Thomas and the narrators were certainly not from those places. Also some of the words were mispronounced, like St. Johnian. But still an excellent book.