33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"testimony"-- not romance; must-read for all minorities, April 22, 2003
Reading some of the customer reviews I gather that some people were disappointed because this novel is not more dramatic-- even an editorial review remarked on a distant feeling in the narrative. To be fair I think this is a fault of the book jacket which leads a reader to imagine this will be a 20th-century style romance, a bit more like Roots.
No. this book never lets you to forget it is the 17th-century, and the style of the testimony and even Cot's early memories of Ireland are told in a way that shows harshness and low expectations of life. Neither the main narrator, the former slave girl (an old crone in her forties at the time of the book's opening) nor her deposer, a young "apothecary" (doctor), come from a world as safe and civilized as ours (for all the fault's in today's world).
But look again to the title. The book is testimony, and it is a testament to a period and an event that few know about-- the impressing of "indentured servants" (i.e., slaves) from Ireland. "Impressing" is code for "kidnapping." The book's heroine, Cot Quashey (nee Daley) is kidnapped at a little over 10 years old, and grows up in this strange new world. It's a very harsh world, although one does have the impression that it's fairly harsh for masters too.
What is remarkable is how quickly most of these slaves adapted to the utter brutality-- forced breeding programs, life in low shacks they built themselves, long labor. Romance of all kinds is played down-- it is a little disappointing that Cot's beauty is so hinted at without the book ever fulfilling the promise of a steamier romance.
If you come to the book without the expectations of an intimate acquaintance with a sympathetic, fairly modern heroine, you will find a fascinating journey. The doctor interviews Cot because his employers want to find the connection between the Irish workers and the African slaves, that led to the wave of rebellions on the island. Even at the end of the story he doesn't see it, but we do. Cot at first identifies with her captors (like a young Elizabeth Smart) because they are the ones who can save her. So she betrays one rebellion while still young, something she bitterly regrets at the telling. But over the course of her life her loyalties shift.
She is a creature with many faults-- jealousy, and a certain amount of cowardice. But she is very human, and a testament to the human will to survive.
This is a slim book-- like a deposition, again, not a true novel. And it is absolutely fascinating. Cot comes from a long
line of "seanachies"-- storytellers-- and it shows in her gift for description and honesty. Hers was a bleak and terrible life, yet she never succumbed to absolute bitterness and despair, finding joy in her children (an interesting point and one that rings true is the deep attachment mothers had to their babies even when they came from a "breeding program") and taking what pleasures she could in her existence.
It's terrible to think people could so abuse each other-- it was an Irish barmaid who contributed to her kidnapping-- with no remorse, but the times were harsh. That the servants/slaves revolted as often as they did is a testimony to the resilience of human nature even in bondage. I think this book is a must-read for Jews and Blacks (I read this over Passover) and anyone from any people who have been oppressed (including, perhaps, women!). Though the ending is ambivalent, if you read between the lines there is enormous hope in her tale.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A little know travesty -- Highly recommended, June 5, 2002
This review is from: Testimony of an Irish Slave Girl (Hardcover)
While readers share an awareness of the brutality of slavery, few realize that the slave trade of the seventeenth century included Irish men, women, and children who were transport to the cane fields of Barbados. Eventually, uprisings reached across cultures to unite blacks, Irish, and other races in a bid for freedom that was tragically quashed. Based on these historical events, author Kate mcCafferty's debut novel reveals this often forgotten bit of history, exploring a world of indentured servitude perpetrated by the British who kidnapped and enslaved Irish Catholics.
Peter Coote hauls Cot Quashey in for interrogation following the failure of an uprising that resulted in the death of all but this one surviving conspirator. Cot offers to relate the truths surrounding their rebellion in exchange for the freedom to relate her entire life history. As Peter records her story, he finds that he feels impatient and sympathetic in turns. He often exhorts Cot to get on with her tale; a sentiment the reader will likely echo at times.
Cot's almost forgotten memories of Ireland and family quickly give way to the horrors of kidnapping and the long voyage to Barbados, a land as beautiful as paradise, and deceptively dangerous. Initially bought by a kind master, Cot's maturing beauty eventually leaves her mistress feeling threatened. When she catches the eye of her master, Cot eventually betrays her fellow slaves' plan for freedom. Nevertheless, her master gambles Cot away to harsher existence where she learns of the brutalities of slavery that extend far beyond mere physical existence.
Author Kate McCafferty uses an unorthodox narrative style to relate her tale that some readers may find distracting. Cot orally relates her life history in a first person narrative. While such a style lends a sense of immediacy to the tone of the book, it also slows the pace, leaving readers as impatient as Peter. Nevertheless, McCaffrety captures the drama of this fictional heroine's life with rich nuance and historical accuracy. Even readers familiar with slavery tales will find Cot's story differs widely from traditional slavery narratives. Indeed, Cot's tale provides fascinating insight into this footnote of history, coming highly recommended.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brutal History, April 27, 2003
In this extensively researched historical novel, author Kate McCafferty uncovers a little-known area of history: the 'trepanning'(forced immigration into slavery) of Irish and other whites to Barbados in the 17th C. Cot Daley, who is kidnapped at the age of 11, endures a 'middle passage' similar to that taken by African slaves to her new, 'hellish' home in the New World. The novel is written in the form of a deposition that the now elderly Cot Quashey delivers to Peter Coote, an apothecary charged with unearthing evidence from an aborted slave-servant revolt on the island in which Cot played a minor role. Cot promises information, if only Coote will take down her entire life story (which he does with increasing frustration). We learn of Cot's endless suffering, both in her work on sugar cane plantations and in her personal life. There are only fleeting moments of happiness, some with her eventual 'husband', an African named Quashey, who becomes the leader of a thwarted rebellion (there were several unsuccessful attempts by enslaved whites and Africans during the 17th C). There are few joys in Cot's life -- the novel is depressing in its realism -- yet, by the end of the book, she has gained a certain nobility of purpose. McCafferty provides an in-depth character study of a flawed woman who only wants her personal freedom...and is denied such by circumstance and the men in her life. Well worth reading.
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