The Autobiography of My Mother: A Novel (FSG Classics)

I think this is the general consensus from the reviews gathered here, but I will add my voice to the chorus, so to speak. This book is haunting. This is not one of those books that you forget about as soon as you've finished reading the last page. I've personally never been to the Caribbean, and I do not think I will ever be able to personally visit Rousseau for instance, but Kincaid's literary ability to make the descriptions jump off the page is something to be admired. there is a caveat to all of this of course. This book is not for the faint of heart. There are portions of this novel that are quite graphic, and that is putting it lightly. That is not to say that it distracts from the work itself, merely that it is there, and certain sensitive readers may take affront to it. This is a rich text that can withstand multiple readings, because you find something new every time. I came to this novel after reading. In a previous work " A Small Place", and gratefully on my part, the author was redeemed in my esteem. Not that I'm someone of any great import, but I had completely sworn off the author as someone I could never enjoy. this book is really hard to describe beyond the utter basics to someone who has never read it. in order to do so, I would need to commit a great disservice to the book and the author. There are elements of, biography and autobiography as well as magic realism, and what could possibly be construed as a cultural critique of the West. It is not necessary to see each and every one of these threads to enjoy the book, I merely use this as a way to comment that the author certainly has an intellectual project in mind.of course, this review is not an introduction to English. sufficed to say, this book is worth your time.

In rich and poetic prose, Kincaid powerfully describes the life story of Xuela, a woman with an alienated and barren soul, who cannot love and does not want to be loved, yet surprisingly is very sensual. Kincaid points to the role of motherly love, and the bond to the homeland in forming the individual personality and consequently one's flow of life.My quote: "A human being, a person, many people, a people, will say their surroundings, form their consciousness, their very being; they will get up every morning and look at green hills, white cliffs, silver mountains, fields of golden grain, rivers of blue-glinting water, and in the beauty of this- and it is beautiful, they cannot help but find it beautiful - they invisibly, magically, conquer the distance that is between them and the beauty they are beholding, and they feel themselves become one with it, they draw strength from it, they are inspired by it to sing songs, to compose verse ..."A highly recommended read.

Autobiography of My Mother is a powerful, mesmerizing, and other-worldy tale of Xuela, a woman of Dominica, West Indies, who is a worthy subject for Kincaid's musical cadences and rapturous prose. Boy, can this woman write - and she infuses all her prose with the lilting voices of her compatriots. There's no way to read her work aloud without finding yourself lapsing into the patois, sing-songy style of speech that comes thru so clearly in her writing. This book is a painful tale, the recounting of a difficult life without much love shown to the girl as she grows from motherless infant to strong and bitter young woman who aborts her pregnancy and remains defiant the rest of her life. Raised motherless herself, she determines never to mother others. Taken on a metaphorical level, the woman's story could be the story of Dominica, torn by suffering, racism, power, and the unbreakable bonds that bind them together.Powerful writing on so, so many levels.

I read this book which deals with questions of identity, sexuality, heritage, conquered , conqueror, love, life, and death. I found it to be unsettling in its anger and depression, yet somehow, feel it to be a truer version of reality than the one offered to us by Disney.

Losing a mom - never knowing your mom - living your life in anger. Sad. No redemption. It made me sad that some people stay in that state and do not find the only answer which is Jesus Christ. But I know this is true for many who's hearts remain hard who have a big God void in their lives. It was an interesting story....but very hopeless and sad.

Great novel! This is the story of a young girl and her journey through life in neocolonial Dominica and the remnants or a racial hierarchy and the patriarchal system that oppresses darker skinned and native looking Carib women. The protagonist's relationship with her father, a lighter skinned black man, and the women that raised her shows how the endless cycle continues to oppress the people of Dominica, even after the colonies have been gone for decades.

I had to finish it, though I don't know that I really enjoyed it. Written from a unique perspective, and in a unique style, that was perhaps not the purpose of this book. Very insightful in places, a bit tedious in others, but still a worthwile read for the message it contains.

This book got me curious because of the reviews. I now see what a lot of people meant. The story is a very (and I mean very) dark tale. There are some pivotal insights, but my feeling is that it is one long brooding about the way her birth circumstance colored her whole being and relations with the world. Written in a very complex fashion that demands you stay with the story and not get lost in the side thoughts.

Why had I never heard of this writer before? In this book, An Autobiography of My Mother, she describes the life a woman born alone, outside her family, outside her society on an island seen by its owners (the British) as far away and of no consequence. But the character reclaims herself from all this rejection and although she remains internally flawed, she ends up empowered by her insight. I loved the images of the warmth and colour of a Caribbean island contrasted with the dinginess of its squalour. From a woman's perspective, she celebrates her sexuality in a handful of exquisitely erotic moments. Now I just want to read more Jamaica Kincaid.

I love this book and the writing. I was looking for a copy after someone borrowed mine and never gave it back. I didn't expect to find a first edition that was in impeccable condition and arrived in no time. Beautiful book and so happy with it. I would definitely buy from this store again.

brought as agift

Ho apprezzato la tenacia della protagonista nella conquista del suo posto nella società. Però mi ha annoiato.Interessante per ladescrizione degli ambienti.

Nothing to dislike