From Harvey River: A Memoir of My Mother and Her Island (Paperback)

~ Lorna Goodison (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Goodison, an acclaimed poet who received Jamaica's Musgrave Gold Medal in 1999, makes lyrical exposition sing with dulcet island patois in this homage to her mother, Doris, who grew up in the sleepy Eden-like setting of Harvey River, but raised her own nine children in urban Kingston under less coddled conditions. Starting on a supernal note, in which Doris bequeaths this book to her daughter in a dream, the memoir draws a richly textured portrait of a sprawling, well-to-do family, including seven strong-willed siblings with deftly sketched personas. As plump and pretty as a ripe ox-heart tomato, Doris—whose Anglo-African blood attests to Jamaica's history of interracial dalliance—joins her sisters in the clique of fabulous Harvey girls, their surnames trumpeting the family's landed-gentry status. But it's a working-class chauffeur—the author's father—who wins Doris's hand in marriage. Borne away from her childhood idyll, she takes in her first moving picture, produces a succession of offspring and plies her domestic skills, especially sewing, gamely weathering the vicissitudes of life outside paradise. Steeped in local lore and spiced with infectious dialect and ditties, Goodison's memoir reaches back over generations to evoke the mythic power of childhood, the magnetic tug of home and the friction between desire and duty that gives life its unexpected jolts. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Goodison’s memoir reaches back over generations to evoke the mythic power of childhood, the magnetic tug of home, and the friction between desire and duty that gives life its unexpected jolts." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Steeped in local lore and spiced with infectious dialect and ditties, Goodison’s memoir reaches back over generations to evoke the mythic power of childhood. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition (March 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061337560
• ISBN-13: 978-0061337567
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #242,955 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Fabulous Harvey Girls, July 18, 2008

By	Dera R Williams (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: From Harvey River: A Memoir of My Mother and Her Island (Hardcover)

Poet and college professor Lorna Goodison brings a heartwarming story of family life and community in the memoir of her beloved birthplace, Jamaica, in From Harvey River: A Memoir of My Mother and Her Island. Goodison's great-grandfather, Englishman William Harvey, and his brother founded and built the community of Harvey River in 1840. William married Frances Duhaney, despite being told that black women were acceptable as concubines but not as wives. Their son, David, was a self-taught lawyer, who served his village for many years acting as legal counsel. His daughter, Doris, Goodison's mother, was one of the "fabulous Harvey Girls."

The five Harvey sisters benefited from their family name; they were respected in the community and were expected to conduct themselves as ladies at all times. One time Doris was bathing in the river and a young man visiting from another town did not give her the privacy required. Well, that young man was called upon by David Harvey, Doris' father, and her brothers, at his relatives' home, and made to understand that the Harvey girls were held in high esteem. When they went into the main town of Lucea, all the young men turned out to gaze upon and win the charms of the sisters. Their maternal grandfather was an Irishman who later came to live with the family in his later years and one of their grandmothers was a Guinea woman who was said to have mystical powers. Such an illustrious ancestral background made for much family folklore, superstitions and unity.

For awhile after Doris married Marcus Goodison, life was good, but when the author was a young girl in the 1930s, the family's fortunes turned and they were forced to move to Kingston to find work. Being in a big city as Kingston was an adjustment for Doris and her status as a Harvey was of no consequence. She was just another poor, young wife and mother trying to keep food on the table and raise her children. Her strength of character, however, would not allow her to give up. She became sought after for her excellent seamstress skills and she was the community mother and mentor to many children. Her children thrived and Lorna, the author, has wonderful memories of a special summer with her grandmother at Harvey River.

This memoir was rich with tradition and beautiful detail. I could see the women washing clothes in the Harvey River and taste the Lucea yams melting in my mouth. Goodison's poetic writing brought the cadence of the language and mannerisms of the people of Harvey River to life. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy memoirs and especially love reading about different cultures of the Black Diaspora. Rating 4.5

Dera R. Williams
APOOO BookClub

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great read, June 2, 2008

By	Rosa J. Hilliard "Rosa J" (Florissant, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: From Harvey River: A Memoir of My Mother and Her Island (Hardcover)

This book was a great read. If gave me insight to life in Jamacia. Not the The characters were human with all the foibles that go along with being human. You could see all the good, the bad, and the ugly of life, the weather, the living conditions, and the history that makes up island life. I truly enjoyed the pictures enclosed identifying some of the people i nthe book. All in all I would recommend this book to those who enjoy historical reads.

I think the books rates a 4.5.
I know I should have given it 5 stars but I tend to give very few 5 stars.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging Memoir, April 26, 2008

By	Melissa S. (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Harvey River: A Memoir of My Mother and Her Island (Hardcover)

Ms. Goodison manages to do what a great many writers hope to do but seldom achieve - produce work that is illuminating and engaging. This is a beautifully written book filled with rich, authentic descriptions of Jamaican life and offers an often candid view of her family and people. As such, whether you are from the Caribbean or not, I think that readers will be able to relate to the more universal themes of love, loss, triumph and growth and will become personally invested in Ms. Goodison's story.

In addition, Harvey River provides a great historical context in terms of geography and social mores of that country and I learned a great deal. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and intend to share with my friends and family. Well done!