The Armstrong Trilogy: From the Heat of the Day, One Generation, and Genetha [Paperback]

Roy Heath (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Guyanese novelist Heath's Armstrong family trilogy-- From the Heat of the Day , One Generation and Genetha --are united in one volume.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

From the Heat of the Day ( LJ 12/92), the first novel of this Guyanese family saga, opens in 1922 with the ill-fated marriage of well-heeled Gladys to Sonny, a civil servant in the post office. Colonial class consciousness and the disapproval of her family undermine Gladys's happiness and lead Sonny to alcoholism and philandering. Their son Rohan's story forms the moving center novel, One Generation . A good student with a promising future, Rohan falls in love with the married daughter of an East Indian co-worker and ends up in a tragic romantic entanglement. The final story belongs to the daughter, the eponymous Genetha. It chronicles her unhappy slide from comfortable beginnings to poverty and prostitution. Short chapters filled with punchy dialog move the trilogy along at a spritely pace. This view into the rich cultural and political life of Guyana may finally alter the indelible impression left by Jonestown. Recommended for larger collections.
- Barbara Love, St. Lawrence Coll., Kingston, Ontario
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 552 pages
• Publisher: Persea Books (April 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892551992
• ISBN-13: 978-0892551996
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,760,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars changed my life, February 8, 2000

By 

alan green (Baltimore, Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Armstrong Trilogy: From the Heat of the Day, One Generation, and Genetha (Paperback)

In brief, I picked up the first of these books about ten years ago after reading a review in the Christian Science Monitor. It literally changed my life. Heath's descriptions of life in Guyana delivered to my imagination the details of my Mother's childhood. These three books inspired me to travel to and eventually live in Guyana where I met the love of my life, my wife. During my travels, I was just as knowledgeable and often times more informed about the sociocultural history of this beautiful country and it wonderful people. Recommended for all of all ages.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An unhappy family, October 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Armstrong Trilogy: From the Heat of the Day, One Generation, and Genetha (Paperback)

Sony Armstrong is greedy, dishonest, a philanderer, a social climber, and a generally unpleasant person. His wife Gladys, who is better born, is dim, and more than a little superstitous. Their son Rohan the subject of the second part of the trilogy is self indulgent, and pays for it. The daughter Genetha the subject of the third part of the trilogy takes after her mother, but with everything amplified. All together you would avoid these people if you ever met them. Having said that, the novel does present a picture of British Guiana in the 1920's-1940's with all it's colonial and class related problems, which I found of great interest, and which I believe to be accurate. Having grown up in BG during that period, I was more than a little curious to read how someone else saw life there. I was not disappointed. Roy Heath did a fine job, I'm just sorry he didn't include a character that you could maybe like.

4.0 out of 5 stars An unhappy family, October 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Armstrong Trilogy: From the Heat of the Day, One Generation, and Genetha (Paperback)

Sony Armstrong is greedy, dishonest, a philanderer, a social climber, and a generally unpleasant person. His wife Gladys, who is better born, is dim, and more than a little superstitous. Their son Rohan the subject of the second part of the trilogy is self indulgent, and pays for it. The daughter Genetha the subject of the third part of the trilogy takes after her mother, but with everything amplified. All together you would avoid these people if you ever met them. Having said that, the novel does present a picture of British Guiana in the 1920's-1940's with all it's colonial and class related problems, which I found of great interest, and which I believe to be accurate. Having grown up in BG during that period, I was more than a little curious to read how someone else saw life there. I was not disappointed. Roy Heath did a fine job, I'm just sorry he didn't include a character that you could maybe like.