"People start calling me Night from small 'cause I was so dark. . . ". So the heroine of this evocative novel introduces herself to the tourist Amanda. But Amanda is not just on vacation. Nor is Night just a simple island girl. Their chance meeting changes both their lives. SONG OF NIGHT is a woman's tale of love and rage, set on the island of Barbados.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
In this tough Caribbean tale, Cyan Cattlewash's world begins to fall apart when she is only a child. Nicknamed Night because she's so dark, Cyan is her father's darling girl. But then her father is executed for murdering a man that his wife had flirted with, and her sister--a bright girl who is sent away to school with every penny the family has saved--dies from a failed abortion.
Cyan ends her turbulent relationship with her mother and lives alone. When she becomes pregnant by the only man she ever loved, she discovers that she can't bear the thought of being a mother, yet is terrorized by the idea of terminating the pregnancy, after what happened to her sister.
Her American friend, Koko, has fled anonymity in the United States for relative fame and admiration among the people of Barbados. Through her remaining ties in the States, Koko arranges for an American woman named Amanda to adopt Cyan's baby. When the baby arrives, Cyan refuses to see her, afraid at some deep level that the baby will take hold of her battered affections, and Amanda makes preparations to leave with her newly adopted daughter. Yet Cyan can't stop thinking about her baby, and her thoughts push her to reenact the violence that she had tried to place behind her. --Susan Swartwout
From Publishers Weekly
For Night, the beleaguered, independent-minded Barbadian heroine of Lovell's highly wrought second novel (after the praised Fire in the Canes), life is a series of no-win scenarios. With her father hanged for murder and her beloved sister dead from a botched abortion, Night (christened Cyan but called Night "'cause I was so dark") suffers the scorn of her native fishing village until her job as a domestic leads to a life-altering friendship with the lady of the house. An artsy, expat African American, Koko is necessarily an ambiguous figure in this novel, which bitterly depicts the quasi-colonial sexual tensions between vacationers and locals. Koko encourages Night to take dressmaking courses and helps her peddle her wares to tourists on the beach. This business soon leads Night into selling her body to tourists, a trade that enriches and demeans her at once. At the same time, Night falls in love with a fellow beach vendor, who leaves Night pregnant when he decamps with a female tourist. Koko arranges for Night to give up the baby for adoption to a wealthy American woman, an act that breeds tragic consequences. After a leisurely development, Lovell concludes his narrative in a frenzied whirlwind of action and melodrama. Despite this imbalance, his ear for the musical cadences of Bajan English and his understanding of Barbadian culture underscore his evocation of an exotic location that seems like paradise but has its own share of human misery.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Song of Night - Insightful!,
By Ann Baj (BC, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Song of Night (Hardcover)
Cyan (also known as Night) grew up in a small seaside village on the island of Barbados with her father, mother and sister. At a very early stage in her life, she is faced with some very unsettling events that re-arranges the family structure and in the process, Cyan is forced to make decisions and deal with issues seemingly far beyond her years. Her character becomes strong-willed and very independent in her thinking and actions. The book is set in Barbados, and has a unique Caribbean flavor - the story is fascinating, that seems to unmistakably transcends the people, culture and politics of the island. It's a cleverly written story that to me reflects the circle of life, decisions and resulting consequences. Song of Night captures this and more! Another excellent read by Glenville Lovell!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sassy Cyan,
By "jujubajan" (Connecticut, United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Song of Night (Hardcover)
Mr. Lovell brings out the real life of a young girl growing up in beautiful Barbados. I felt as thought I knew Cyan personally, she was sassy and real during all of her traumatic adventures. All of the characters were phenomenal. This book made me a laugh and it made me cry. Mr. Lovell also did an excellent job in presenting the facts about Barbados and its problems. I'm waiting for a sequel.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Just as gripping as Fire in the Canes,
By A Customer
This review is from: Song of Night (Hardcover)
This book gives a great perspective into a young girl's life in Barbados, the life she faces and the choice she has to make. You feel for Night, but at the same time, are able to stand back and evaluate her from a distance -- the book is written so that you as the reader keep your perspective too. It brings Barbados to life -- not just a touristy place, but a place where real people live. The mother and daughter tension in the book was interesting, as it shows the tensions that exist in almost every mother/daughter relationship to a degree. Also, the use of decriptions, language, politics of the island were very well done.
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