R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed on + 1452 more book reviews
This sweeping and powerful novel follows eight generations of descendents of Esi and Effia, half sisters born in 18th century Ghana. Told in alternating chapters, meet a relative of each through generations continuing into the present. It's an awesome yet put together tale that describes how lives of family members affect those of the future. In an oral telling writing style, the twenty page vignettes describe how slavery affects those left in Ghana and those whose lives take them to America. A family tree helps readers follow the story. So, who were these women?
Effia grew up under the guidance of Baaba, her step mother who resented her. Recognized as the beauty of the village, Baaba sells Effia to the British where she becomes the âwifeâ of an English governor and slave trader, who left his legal wife in England. A black stone polished by fire from which she survived is the sole memory of her previous life.
Esi Asare lived in a nearby village. She is a slave taken during a tribal war and eventually finds herself on a plantation in America. She, too, has a black stone that was given to her by Maame, her mother, Her mother lost her first daughter in a fire. Sisters, her mother says, are always connected by what happens to them.
The women live different lives yet both are enslaved. Effia resides in a castle in luxury as a prominent man's mistress. Esi's life is marked by deprivation, poverty, violence and hard work. Policies of the two countries likewise mold their lives. This is a fascinating history told through generations of a family with flawlessly written pages laden with detail. So many that one needs to read this book for oneself. It's that good.
Effia grew up under the guidance of Baaba, her step mother who resented her. Recognized as the beauty of the village, Baaba sells Effia to the British where she becomes the âwifeâ of an English governor and slave trader, who left his legal wife in England. A black stone polished by fire from which she survived is the sole memory of her previous life.
Esi Asare lived in a nearby village. She is a slave taken during a tribal war and eventually finds herself on a plantation in America. She, too, has a black stone that was given to her by Maame, her mother, Her mother lost her first daughter in a fire. Sisters, her mother says, are always connected by what happens to them.
The women live different lives yet both are enslaved. Effia resides in a castle in luxury as a prominent man's mistress. Esi's life is marked by deprivation, poverty, violence and hard work. Policies of the two countries likewise mold their lives. This is a fascinating history told through generations of a family with flawlessly written pages laden with detail. So many that one needs to read this book for oneself. It's that good.
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