In this novel Opal Palmer Adisa brings to life a whole community and writes with understanding and compassion about the frailties of its inhabitants. Drawing onJamaican folklore, she shows what is at the heart of village life, and how that life can be sustained.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Kirkus Reviews
A debut novel offers a vibrant slice of Jamaican life shaped by old legends and timeless passions. Paralleling the tales of the men and women who live in Kristoff village is a folkloric account of life in an eternal version of the same village. There, She-Devil and Devil quarrel, make up, are visited by their family, and with help from God and the Angels prepare a wedding for their son. Altogether, their lives are not very different from those in Kristoff village: Husbands exasperate, wives are jealous, and children don't visit as much as they should. Down in real-time Kristoff, meanwhile, the spirits are as close at hand as the lush vegetation and bright sunshine and, through medicine women like Miss Cotton, often warn of trouble to come. And trouble is certainly on the way as Monica, who'd run away from the village when she was 14 because her parents were too strict, has decided to retire from prostitution and come back home. Still beautiful and sexy, though, she's not ready to settle down, and her flirtations with other women's husbands, not to mention her affair with the married Desmond, have horrific repercussions. Three angry wives devise a brutal punishment for her, for which they in turn are painfully punished. Villagers like Miss Cotton and Beryl welcome Rupert's African-American bride Angela, who, adopted by whites, also has a story to tell; they help Arnelle give birth and reconcile with Valrie, whose husband Godfree is the father of her child; and they mourn the dead. While the Devil family celebrates, Kristoff's women, led by Miss Cotton in a traditional ceremony, immerse themselves in the river and find peace as they confess their fears, hopes, and secrets. The men, who've spent the day together in the country, also renew boyhood friendships. ``All things,'' Miss Cotton observes, are now ``made right.'' A sometimes obtrusively schematic plot, but more than compensated for by rich textures and an exuberant vitality. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
This latest addition to the 'Caribbean Writers Series' provides a strong novel telling of one Monica, who returns to her village to make a new start, only to find herself at the heart of controversies between men and women. A community's struggles are charted in this fine literary exploration of ethnic identity. -- Midwest Book Review
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Take an awesome journey through Jamaican village life!,
By quanmac@aol.com Quandra (Pittsburg, California) - See all my reviews
This review is from: It Begins with Tears (Caribbean Writers) (Paperback)
Adisa has the amazing ability to escort you through the village of Kristoff, Jamiaca and make you "feel" everything that happens. You become a silent member of the village who sees everything that's natural and spritual. The sense of kinship and spirituality felt among the villagers and folklore characters is unbelievably rich. This is a book you'll want to read again and again!!!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mi miss mi yaad,
By ingr0005@tc.umn.edu (A Jamaican gyal in Minneapolis) - See all my reviews
This review is from: It Begins with Tears (Caribbean Writers) (Paperback)
I read this book twice and still could not get enough of it. Palmer creates a magical yet very real picture of her characters. I felt like I knew Monica, Beryl, Marva etc. As a young Jamaican woman I am always on the look out for good Caribbean writers. Ms. Palmer mi waiting fi anudder book nuh, mon!
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Magical Tale,
By Geoffrey Philp (Miami, Florida) - See all my reviews
This review is from: It Begins with Tears (Caribbean Writers) (Paperback)
Opal Palmer Adisa's It Begins With Tears is a magical tale about the inhabitants of Kristoff Village, Jamaica. In this, her first novel, Adisa has created a seamless world that connects the eternal and the ephemeral, where words bridge the gap between these seemingly disparate dimensions.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
