Madam Fate Pb [Paperback]

Marcia Douglas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1999

Lyrical and evocative novel exploring themes of slavery, madness and migration, set in Jamaica starring Bella, a shape-shifter who lives on through the generations, in one incarnation then another, hiding the burden of her strange nature from others.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lilting Jamaican dialect, bits of poetic singsong and stories from creation mythology permeate the narrative of Douglas's ambitious first novel, which fluidly combines the stories of several Jamaican women. The initial narrator, Bella, a shapeshifter, establishes the tone: "In the beginning there was laughter, but to hear a woman's laughter, one must first hear her sorrow." Successively in the first person, the voices of others emerge: "lopside" (malformed) Ida, born in 1920, who recounts the tortuous life's journey that led to her incarceration in a mental hospital; nine-year-old Gracie, whose family must leave her behind in Jamaica when they finally get visas to "'Merica"; Gracie's "mamsie," Muriel, who scrapes a hard living as a cleaning woman in New York; Claudia, who volunteers at Ida's hospital in order to find her mother, Lucy, who abandoned her as a baby; and Mrs. Cummings, an aged neighbor of Gracie's who sits on the verandah of her house, waiting to die. Douglas skillfully establishes the tenuous connections among these characters (e.g., Gracie waves at Ida through the gates of the asylum), who all share a spiritual connection with the names of flowers (Ida's hospital is the Periwinkle Garden; Madam Fate is the name of the deadly bush that Gracie promising to bring Mrs. Cummings). While she wraps up the small mysteries in satisfying fashion (Who is Claudia's mother? What was Muriel's schoolmate Andrea's previous identity?), Douglas tires the reader in shifting back and forth between so many unidentified voices. There are compelling and poignant moments of storytelling?most notably, Muriel's angry, well-defined monologue addressed to Gracie?that are lost amid the profusion of characters relating the circumstances of their lives.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Douglas has written a dandy, atmospheric novel of women's connections to the spirit world and to one another. Set in Jamaica, the story is steeped in a rich amalgam of Ashanti, Afro-Cuban, voodoo, and other folk traditions and the incantations, charms, and symbols associated with them. The women narrators, all of whom are connected by "the laughter like beads on a string," call forth reserves of strength and fearlessness despite the odds against them. They're also intimately connected by their hypersensitivity to elements of the natural world. As each narrator evokes the voice of a previous narrator while adding to the tale, all of the stories intertwine: Bella narrates Jamaica's creation story; Ida resides in an asylum called the Garden; and Claudia visits the asylum in search of the mother who abandoned her as an infant. Some readers may stumble over the book's vernacular and phrasing, but it is well worth the effort to try to grasp both. A story that tickles the senses and delights the imagination.?Lisa S. Nussbaum, Euclid P.L., OH
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Women's P. (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0704346281
• ISBN-13: 978-0704346284
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #706,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As close to perfection as I've seen in a while, March 11, 2002

By 

Bliss "blissseeker" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Madam Fate (Hardcover)

From the narrative perspective to the superb story-telling style (a lost art), to the imagery, to the beautifully rich characters, this book was absolutely incredible. I have never before seen such an original novel that forced you to pay attention (rather, made you want to read closely) but didn't come across like the writer is showing off. There seems to be a trend toward "cleverness," or writing as confusing a novel as possible thinking that makes it brilliance. Marcia Douglas reminds us that brilliance isn't forced. Madam Fate makes you question and think, and is amazingly and beautifully written.

Her novel feels like an afternoon in the sunshine. The warmth and its memory and effects stay with you long after you've finished it...and you find yourself wondering how Ida and Gracie are doing...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ce livre est une petite merveille! Marvellous!, March 7, 2000

By 

laurent Fachon (France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Madam Fate (Hardcover)

"madam Fate" is not any other book that will only make you have a good time reading it. It has a rare quality of authenticity that takes you at the roots of reality and yet, in a most subtle and minute way, has the "capability" of transferring the reader into a more exclusive and profound realm of magic and jamaican mysticism. The thin line between natural and surnatural becomes porous and one is experiencing a thrilling jolt at the realisation that, in "madam Fate," all the ingredients are at last exposed to allow the reader to peep directly into the magic reality of life. The emotions that are involved in this book are no stranger to such a liberating and revelatory effect that is conveyed onto the reader. Marcia Douglas has a gift of power and a keen sense of the beauty of life when it is approached properly and respectfully. I highly recommend this book. Since i am french, i also highly recommend this book to my compatriotes who are always on the lookout for "depaysement" and new visions of life. Ce livre est une petite merveille!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Powerful Story of Healing and Survival, July 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Madam Fate (Hardcover)

I am so glad that I found this book! Marcia Douglas is a wonderful and gifted storyteller. The writing is fresh and innovative and I really like the experimentation with form as well as the lyrical language. This is a new voice we have not heard before. I highly recommend this book.