Customer Reviews

Boy from Willow Bend

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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What a wonderful read! Joanne C. Hillhouse has used her skills in economy to create this ninety-five page gem. It is quite relatable if you have Caribbean roots. But issues such as love, struggles, poverty, abuse and redemption are universal--hence "The Boy from Willow Bend" also has an international appeal. Ms Hillhouse's work is a significant contribution to the literary arts in the Caribbean and it also helps in the preservation of West Indian history and folk lore. You will shed a tear or a few and you will have lots to laugh and think about.

This was an enjoyable read, following the main character from childhood to adolesence. The author warmly and realistically portrays many aspects of true Caribbean life. We root for the main character as he navigates his way through the twists and turns that his life takes, each event shaping his reaction to the next. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Hillhouse.

I found the story of the boy in the novel, The Boy from Willow Bend, by Joanne Hillhouse, to be a universal one. The story, set in Antigua, is about an adolescent child who blooms despite impossible situations and conditions. The road to adulthood is filled with joy and pain. It is a story that plays out in every culture. This child, who grew up in a road which, symbolically and physically, leads to a dead end, learns after many disappointments, that it does bend after all and he is given a chance to escape violence and poverty. He learns valuable lessons from adversity. These lessons, he learns, will later become the most instructive in creating a future path. - by Althea Romeo-Mark

In The Boy from Willow Bend, Joanne C. Hillhouse creates a well-written, engaging, quick read, with a fleshy, well-rounded main character. The story fosters colloquial terms, as a lonely young boy grows into wholesome adolescence, during the Disco era. Young and older adults can identify with the stages and emotions Vere experiences.