Customer Reviews

The Knees Of Gullah Island

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Twenty five years have passed since Gillam Hale and his family lost their freedom to thieving slavers. They were shanghaied and sold to plantations across the south. He escaped his captors, exhausted his search for his family to no avail, eventually settled with a woman, Rena, and fathered a son. In the first of many coincidences, Gillam's long lost son Joseph, on a thirteen year search for his father, literally stumbles into his backyard. Reunited with Joseph, Gillam leaves Rena with reckless abandon and returns to the Low Country to reclaim his remaining children and the love of his life, his wife, the beautiful mulatto, Queen Esther. Unbeknownst to Gillam, Queen Esther, while "property" of her former master, bore two children for her owner. Thus upon his arrival, the long awaited family reunion is a bit awkward to say the least. Queen Esther is not so sure that Gillam is the man for her after experiencing some levels of independence with her very successful restaurant business. The former slave owner is quite possessive over the still beautiful Queen Esther and is not happy with Gillam's arrival. His children are happy but unsure of what it means to have a father in their midst again; while her "other" children grapple with mixed emotions regarding this man from their mother's past. However, with the assistance of a supporting cast of eccentric characters, prayer, and some Gullah root working, it appears that the Hale Family may be on the road to recovery.

If you enjoyed the debut, The Legend of Quito Road, there is little doubt you will enjoy The Knees of Gullah Island with equal measure because the latter references many of the same characters, is written in the same storytelling manner, and uses the same writing style, same cadence, and voice. Unfortunately, these very points caused consternation while reading the debut and haunted me again in the sequel. My hope for improvement and growth was not realized in this offering. A few things really stood out: one being there were so many interrelated characters introduced so frequently. There was a near constant need to consult the three family tree diagrams just to keep the characters aligned in my head; doing so became a recurring necessity rather than an optional reference. Another was the overlapping plotlines were a bit convoluted and filled with entirely too many coincidences. A major plus was I truly enjoyed the local anecdotes and lessons the author infused into the story. Disappointingly, much of his style relies on "telling" rather than showing which results in choppy delivery (almost to the point of interrupting the story) or uneven pacing when he pauses to explain some aspect of history, culture, politics of the day, etc. which was often used to justify character motivation, an outcome or prelude to some event, or simply to set the scene for action. Finally, I was left with a few unanswered questions, but perhaps another book is under development to address them and other loose ends.

Overall, while I thought the execution could use some work, the premise of the novel was good. This saga revisited the Hale Clan and illustrated the devastating effect that chattel slavery had on them. The family separation, long-suffering loss/anxiety, rapes, and other unimaginable hardships were addressed along with the complex social, racial, political, and economic ties that accompanied the trade and evolved during Reconstruction. The book did not focus exclusively on the Sea Islands as the title suggests; however it provided a brief but accurate introduction to the Gullah people; their origins, unique dialect/language, culture, and pervasive influence on the Low Country and surrounding areas. This insertion proved to be an interesting and educational bonus to the story.

Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub
Nubian Circle Book Club
April 8, 2008

Dwight Fryer has created a made-for-television mini-series bringing the Gullah-Geechie, African-American culture up from the Carolina low country marshes and into their respectful place in American history. At last, THE KNEES OF GULLAH ISLAND reveals all that was concealed by the illegal whiskey-making Hale family. This prequel to Fryer's book, "The Legend of Quito Road," takes place in Charleston, South Carolina where the former slave, Gillam Hale, caused his family to be sold and scattered as chattel slaves. This was due to his moral decision to end the Hale legacy of selling "moonshine" liquor which angered many white customers. The story unfolds decades later, when Gillam must suddenly choose between revisiting his shameful past of distilling illegal liquor or holding on to his new life remorsefully. When his son from his past life suddenly shows up, Gillam is ready to jump ship. However, if he abandons his second family for the first, will he end up totally alone? Can he survive facing the white men he took money from? Will Gillam return to distilling liquor to survive economically? The answers lie in his journey deep into the marshes. A journey that reveals characters using good and evil to uplift the Gullah Island with pride. The consequence of the two forces sparked a family reunion, but not without a series of confessions including just what made Gillam Hale's moonshine whiskey so tasty!

All in all, Fryer uses literary growth and development to quilt a story of romance that stood the test of time, loyalty from a remote community, faith of a devoted son Gillam never knew, and forgiveness of former slave owners with a touch of Gullah cuisine. THE KNEES OF GULLAH ISLAND shows how distinct the island inhabitants really were! The story is remarkable with actual lingual cadency making it possible for readers to follow the story and understand how the Gullah-Geechie natives used wit and humor to buck the slave system. It is full of action and conspiracies! You will walk away from this story in amazement and with a renewed sense of pride and family values.

Reviewed by Swaggie Coleman
for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Have enjoyed following the Hale family in Mr. Fryer's books.
Both books have been real eye-openers as far as the people,
the places, and the events of that day.
Am looking forward to learning more about this family, and what
life was like... This is information we all need to know.
I hope there's a third book soon.
Mr. Fryer, Thank you!

In The Knees of Gullah Island, after the Civil War and during Reconstruction, Gillam Hale was born to free parents, and his life was untouched by slavery. Then he travels with his father to Virginia to minister to slaves, where he meets a beautiful, mulatto slave, Queen Esther. He wants desperately to purchase her. He finds that he can only financially afford to do this by distilling illicit whiskey, which is risky, illegal and against his family's wishes. Gillam's jealous white neighbors decide to something about the competition. They kidnap Gillam's family and scatter them to different plantations throughout the South. Gillam must escape from his new owners and find his lost loved ones. After many years of searching for his family, Gillam Hale realizes his many mistakes in life and that...life goes on and he now lives with his common-law wife, Rena, and their son. He refuses to marry Rena, because he is still in love with Queen Esther. A quietly strong woman, Queen Esther, finds herself in difficult circumstances--in slavery--a second time. Joseph, the youngest son of Gillam and Queen Esther, had to physically travel the south searching for his father. It has been a long, 13-year search of a family separated, and a son who longs to find his father and his past.

In 1883, all of that changes when a tramp stumbles by Gillam Hale's house. The tramp turns out to be Joseph, his son by Queen Esther. He desperately wants to take his father back with him to Charleston, South Carolina to see his mother. Joseph has consumption and is sick--delaying the trip. This extra time allows Joseph and Gillam a chance to really get to know each other. But this is only part of the journey. The real journey begins when Gillam finds Queen Esther and her new life and new family. In this historical fiction series, Dwight weaves another wonderful story of one family's journey to freedom!

Dwight creates a delightful group of down-to-earth, colorful and likeable characters, with whom the reader quickly grows an emotional attachment. His use of the Gullah language, along with the Gullah word translation at the beginning of the book, made for a vividly interesting story. I love the theme for this book, "Bent knees straighten crooked deeds."

"The Knees of Gullah Island was a little bit of fiction, a little bit of truth and a lot of enjoyment!"

Dwight Fryer has create a saga of mystery, misfortune and the solid boundaries of the family bonds. You can feel the grit and the fragrant scent of the southern life as you delve into the Gullah tradition and the life of Gilliam and Queen Esther Hale. This is a compelling read, I could not put it down. I'm ready for the next part of the saga but I will savor the Knees of Gullah Island until Mr. Fryer's next book comes out. He is a master story teller.

This book was very vivid. The characters were very real and believable. I would clasify this book as excellent historical fiction. The are no dull moments in the book. The book was aiso well written.

Dwight Fryer takes you hook line and sinker to the Low country & life's complexities post slavery in Charleston. You visit events you read about in school intertwined with a family you come to know care about and share values and experiences. A great read to be shared. AME members will get an additional kick out of this and can use this as a tool for Black history projects. Although it's about a black family, it's an american tale.

The second installment of the Hale family history is as gripping and interesting as the first. The characters remain as complex as in Legend of Quito Road, but the setting has changed to a different part of the country. This allows novelist Dwight Fryer to provide interesting background about that part of the country, and that "transportation to another place" aspect of this novel is very enjoyable.

This series continues to be a fascinating, realistic look into a time when the interactions of men and women, and of African-Americans and Whites, were governed by different rules than they are today. One of the most interesting aspects of Fryer's writing is his unwillingness to paint individual characters as "all evil" or "all good". He truly allows you to understand motivations and actions from the character's point of view, not from his (or yours) in 2008. I will eagerly await the next installment in this family's history.

This book was an excellent read. I loved the book. I hope that the story continues.

Dwight has effectively provided a window in history. Even though the characters are fictional, their lives express the realism of those times.