Customer Reviews

Stigmata

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After receiving a quilt from her deceased grandmother, Lizzie begins to "travel" to past generations through dreams and visions. These visions become eerily "real" as Lizzie actually bleeds from empathetic wrist wounds (stigmata) inflicted on the slave Ayo, one of her ancestors. Others, including her own mother, suspect that she has attempted suicide and is losing her sanity. By the end of the novel, what Lizzie had learned about the lives of her ancestors puts her in a position to help bring healing to her own suffering mother.

Told through a series of flashbacks to various time periods and ancestors interspersed with scenes from Lizzie's present and past, this book is at first confusing and hard to follow -- yet it is always intriguing. This narrative style reflects Lizzie's own struggle: her life becomes disjointed and confusing as her identity and memories become entangled with those of her ancestors. As observed by a Catholic priest who offers comfort to Lizzie, the "blood [of her stigmata] is a powerful sign." This blood could serve as a symbol for the interconnectedness of generations whose history shapes the present.

If you enjoy a thinker's book, the kind that leads you to discover meaning without just laying it out plain as day, the kind with rich symbolism, pick up Stigmata. It'll give you lots to think about.

Ms. Perry continues in the tradition of Toni Morrison (Beloved) and Octavia Butler (Kindred), acting as a keeper of history and telling the stories of our past. In an age when black people specifically and all people in general want to forget about the legacy of slavery, here comes along a book that tells a story in such a way as to grab the readers attention from the onset. A blend of natural and supernatural. What a way to tell a story. I would love to see the movie!

So much fiction that's published these days is so imitative that it's practically lifeless. That's why it is truly refreshing to finally pick up a novel that truly takes risks and tries to say something new. It's an amazing accomplishment for a novice; naturally, a new writer will have to grow and hone their craft and will make mistakes. However, with Ms. Perry there's surprisingly little of that. She's handled her material with remarkable poise and assurance. My hat's off to her!

"A multifaceted achievement"-Atlanta Journal Constitution

"Perry is a gifted storyteller...Certain to hit the best-seller list"-Los Angeles Times

Words and phrases repeat hauntingly like ecstatic jazz riffs....evocative"-Washington Post Book World

Intricate, understated, and beautifully controlled, this novel introduces a quietly provocative voice-Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

"Powerful"-Kirkus Review (starred review)

"A truly engrossing tale"-Booklist (starred review)

Georgia Author of the Year Award

Much more than a "time-travelesque" novel, this novel is a meditation on the emotional and historical lives of the characters, the relationships between mothers and daughters, the ties that bind through generations and a closeup look at mental illness. I think I speak for all the critics above when I say that this is one of the finest debuts I've read. I detect a whiff of jealously from the "reader in Georgia". I suspect none of the critics said the above about your book.

Stigmata is an amazing debut nove. It is a very powerful story about four generations of black women. Lizzie, the contemporary character is carrying the memories of early generations within her and this manifests in a strange way which baffles everyone around her. Her grandmother came to America as a slave and her voice in the novel is both poignant and superbly moving. The different women in the family form a chain and heritage which moves through the generations. It is a really special book which you will want to read more than once and which will stay with you for a long time afterwards. I can't wait for the author's next book. It will be published in the UK in January apparently. I was given a copy of the American book.

I usually don't read many first time novelists. If I'm going to plunk down $20-25 bucks, I want to get an author I know is going to be good. But after a friend called me up raving about how good Stigmata was, I decided to go out on a limb. I'm glad I did. Stigmata was one of the best books I've read in years. Ms. Perry is a major talent that's only going to get better. Readers in five foreign countries can't all be wrong. The story of these four women is as gripping and engaging from the first page to the last. It's a book that stays with you long after you've put it down. Thanks to Stigmata, I'm going to give more first novelists a chance!

Phyllis Alexis Perry is a gifted new author with a compelling and intriguing supernatural tale about Elizabeth "Lizzie" Dubose and her female ancestors. Stigmata weaves the stories of three women blessed with a powerful vision but cursed by a shared legacy of slavery, pain and struggle. Lizzie inherits a trunk and a quilt from grandmother. She believes she can feel the history of her family in them. Lizzie becomes determined to learn the truth of her past in order to clear the path for her future. She becomes so engrossed in her quest that she begins to physically experience the painful past through episodes, dreams, memories, visions and reincarnations. All of this is distressing to her parents so they commit her to a mental hospital. However, as the novel progresses there's also a sub-story about Lizzie and her mom; by the end of the novel what Lizzie had learned about the lives of her ancestors puts her in a position to help bring healing to her mother.

Told through a series of flashbacks to various time periods and interspersed with scenes from Lizzie's present and past, this book is complex and at times confusing and hard to follow. In spite of this flaw, Perry manages to pull off a powerful and imaginative debut novel which is refreshing and creatively crafted. Stigmata is an engrossing tale that will stay with you long after you've read the book.

I liked the novel very much, the concept behind it. It is a story about an American-African girl who live three lives... what I like most is who the characters who they were and how they are connected to each other. It is not a complicated story but a very touching.

I read the last 2 chapters twice and I wept. It really touched my heart and I felt good with this happy ending.

I recommend reading this novel, but it is too slow, it took me two months to finish it. But it worth it.

Thanks!

What do you say when a first novel not only lives up to expectations but stunningly exceeds them? Stigmata is one of the most, if not the most, accomplished debuts I've read in years. The author shows remarkable sophistication and poise in handling territory that would prove difficult for a veteran novelist, much less a novice. With a disarming, almost cool assurance she charts the historical and emotional life of the protagonist. I was particularly impressed with the fact that she broke new ground in discussing mental illness - subject matter never handled in African-American fiction. Superb!

Told through a series of flashbacks to various time periods and ancestors interspersed with scenes from Lizzie's present and past, Stigmata is a haunting read. Lizzie, at age 14, inherits her mysterious grandmother's trunk and upon opening it she discovers a quilt that awakens the spirits of the past. Plagued by stigmata of her great-grandmother's wounds from slavery and periodic episodes of memories/time travel, Lizzie is institutionalized for 14 years. She learns to play to game with her psychiatrists and is released to go home under the watchful care of her parents. There she begins to make a quilt to interconnect the generations and provide healing for herself and her family. Stigmata was a quick and easy read for me...it kept me wanting to read it and I'm looking forward to Ms. Perry's next novel.