Customer Reviews

Beka Lamb (Caribbean Writers Series)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
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This is a lovely, lyrical coming-of-age story that I think that most people who like to read would enjoy. It meant a lot to me especially because I was born in Belize, but came to the United States at a very young, and don't really remember this place that my parents and other relatives constantly talked about. BEKA LAMB described that Belize of former days and while not varnishing over the hardship, the poverty and the poor choices that women had there also showed the beauty of life in a close-knit community with its own history and rituals (many of which I know are now lost). I have been reading sections to my mother, a native Belize creole; she recognizes everything from the Sunday walks to the funeral customs and is very delighted with the book. But I don't think the book would only appeal to people from a Belizean background. It is also one of the best-done coming-of-age books I have ever read, which really delves into the minds and souls of two young girls (Beka and her friend Toycie) who are at a crossroads and will make choices that take them in very different directions.

I first read Beka Lamb more than 10 years ago and read it again last month as the first selection of The Belize-Carib Book Club of Los Angeles. This is a delightful book that captured growing up in Belize as a young girl in the fifties. I have shared it with friends and relatives and I highly recommend it. I have read all of Zee Edgell's other books and short stories and found each of them captivating. There is no doubt that Zee Edgell is indeed very talented. I look forward to her future publications.

The first time I read this book, it was a mandatory reading assignment in Catholic school in the Caribbean. I left that country and my copy of the book behind and have searched incessantly for it ever since. The story of "Beka Lamb" is a realistic portrayal of Caribbean life for a young girl. The political climate in the novel is still very much in existence today. The plight of the character Toycie is universal.A poor, uneducated, neglected girl, who falls for the first male who gives her an iota of attention.The overbearing matriachs and the struggle for Beka to assert herself as a woman is realistic. Zee Edgell's use of symbolism in the novel is superb.

This debut novel is a must read for any citizen of The Americas. It's been one of the novels that has lingered with me for years, and the element of Beka's holding a wake for something greater than any living human being seems to me timeless.

The book I ordered was received within a reasonable time and the book was in good condition. I am satisfied with the customer service from Amazon.com

I believe that I know this author,Zee Edgell. Did you graduate from SCA in 1958? I would like to know . I'm sure you would remember me. We were in the same graduating class. marie weir I am a teacher, living in Texas