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The Long Song
You do not know me yet. My son Thomas, who is publishing this book, tells me, it is customary at this place in a novel to give the reader a little taste of the story that is held within these pages. As your storyteller, I am to convey that this tale is set in Jamaica during the last turbulent years of slavery and the early years of freedom that followed. July is a slave girl who lives upon a sugar plantation named Amity and it is her life that is the subject of this tale. She was there when the Baptist War raged in 1831, and she was present when slavery was declared no more. My son says I must convey how the story tells also of July's mama Kitty, of the negroes that worked the plantation land, of Caroline Mortimer the white woman who owned the plantation and many more persons besides - far too many for me to list here. But what befalls them all is carefully chronicled upon these pages for you to peruse. Perhaps, my son suggests, I might write that it is a thrilling journey through that time in the company of people who lived it. All this he wishes me to pen so the reader can decide if this is a novel they might care to consider. Cha, I tell my son, what fuss-fuss. Come, let them just read it for themselves.
313 pages, Hardcover
First published February 4, 2010
About the author
Andrea Levy
28 books619 followersAndrea Levy was an English novelist, born in London to Jamaican parents. Her novels chronicled the experiences of the post-World War II generation of Jamaican immigrants in Britain. She was one of the first black British authors to achieve both critical and commercial success. Her novel Small Island won several major literary prizes: the Orange Prize for women's fiction, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Whitbread Book of the Year award.
Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,120 reviews
January 12, 2018
The Long Song is a deeply moving story, but it’s not what is said that is most effective. Indeed, it’s about what isn’t said that is the most powerful and intensely thought provoking aspect of the book.
The story begins with an aged mother (July) narrating her story to her son. He then, in turn, is writing the book we have before us. So everything she says comes through him on the page. Although, we presume, he sticks relatively close to her narrative, it is filtered through him. He wouldn’t change the facts per say, though he may present them in a way that he finds most appropriate. The two discuss this at length during a few interludes, and some aspects of the book is clearly told in the way July wishes them to be. But how far the rest of the book is an accurate portrayal of her words is impossible to tell.
There's three levels of storytelling, and sometimes four where July draws on the memories of other characters. To call this a book that tests the limits of unreliable narration would be to invoke an understatement. But memory can be self-serving, and July uses her imagination to fill in the gaps of the story-telling. She speaks of events she didn’t witness as if she was there. She is privy to facts she would never have known. So if she can do all this, how much of her own story can we actually trust to be accurate?
It’s hard to say. There are many gaps within the narrative. July’s retelling begins with the story of how she was adopted (taken would be a more appropriate word) into white society. She and her mother were slaves, and one day a white woman liked the look of July so she thought she’d have her as her pet. She took her from her mother, who had no say in the event, and kept her with her as a sort of handmaiden. July then developed a complex psychological state. She was a black woman acting like a racist white woman, once again evocative of the ideas in Black Skins, White Masks.
After a new overseer arrives and a love triangle develops, lately followed my massacre and tragedy, July then skips forward twenty or so years and we never learn what happened to July through this period of time, though we can presume it wasn’t very pleasant. She doesn’t wish to talk about it after all. So we have a half story, a story of the injustice one woman felt in such a world. We see the end of slavery, and the real transition the slaves felt afterward. Although they had more freedom, the serfdom did not end overnight. Levy delves deep into the historical issues of the time, and makes this part of history, the history of the Caribbean slave, known.
Levy plays around with language and traditional narrative expectations to create a story that is exactly what her character wants it to be. She chooses what events she is going to tell, and it’s up to us to ascertain the accuracy of them. At times it felt purposely cinematic; it felt like this was written for the screen. And that’s not a bad thing. I think this would make an excellent movie because it, certainly, is a very creative and highly effective historical novel.
The story begins with an aged mother (July) narrating her story to her son. He then, in turn, is writing the book we have before us. So everything she says comes through him on the page. Although, we presume, he sticks relatively close to her narrative, it is filtered through him. He wouldn’t change the facts per say, though he may present them in a way that he finds most appropriate. The two discuss this at length during a few interludes, and some aspects of the book is clearly told in the way July wishes them to be. But how far the rest of the book is an accurate portrayal of her words is impossible to tell.
There's three levels of storytelling, and sometimes four where July draws on the memories of other characters. To call this a book that tests the limits of unreliable narration would be to invoke an understatement. But memory can be self-serving, and July uses her imagination to fill in the gaps of the story-telling. She speaks of events she didn’t witness as if she was there. She is privy to facts she would never have known. So if she can do all this, how much of her own story can we actually trust to be accurate?
It’s hard to say. There are many gaps within the narrative. July’s retelling begins with the story of how she was adopted (taken would be a more appropriate word) into white society. She and her mother were slaves, and one day a white woman liked the look of July so she thought she’d have her as her pet. She took her from her mother, who had no say in the event, and kept her with her as a sort of handmaiden. July then developed a complex psychological state. She was a black woman acting like a racist white woman, once again evocative of the ideas in Black Skins, White Masks.
After a new overseer arrives and a love triangle develops, lately followed my massacre and tragedy, July then skips forward twenty or so years and we never learn what happened to July through this period of time, though we can presume it wasn’t very pleasant. She doesn’t wish to talk about it after all. So we have a half story, a story of the injustice one woman felt in such a world. We see the end of slavery, and the real transition the slaves felt afterward. Although they had more freedom, the serfdom did not end overnight. Levy delves deep into the historical issues of the time, and makes this part of history, the history of the Caribbean slave, known.
Levy plays around with language and traditional narrative expectations to create a story that is exactly what her character wants it to be. She chooses what events she is going to tell, and it’s up to us to ascertain the accuracy of them. At times it felt purposely cinematic; it felt like this was written for the screen. And that’s not a bad thing. I think this would make an excellent movie because it, certainly, is a very creative and highly effective historical novel.
February 13, 2017
4.25 stars
Following on from Small Island; this is another historical novel and this time Levy looks at her Jamaican roots charting the last days of slavery on the island. It is narrated by July, a former slave, and starts about 1831 the time of what was known as the Baptist revolt and goes to the end of slavery in the late 1830s. July is telling her story in old age whilst she is living with her son Thomas. The novel is the story of her early life on a plantation called Amity. Although narrated by July, it is edited by Thomas and there is a periodic interplay between the two which sometimes gives the story a slightly odd feel.
July describes herself as a mulatto; her father was white, an overseer and raped her mother. She was taken from her mother whilst still young to become the pet and then lady’s maid to Caroline Mortimer, the vapid and foolish sister of the plantation owner. A new overseer, Robert Goodwin, arrives with good intentions and a Christian upbringing. He intends to show that following slavery the plantation can be managed on humane lines. The charting of his downfall on several levels is fascinating. He ends up being just as cruel as his predecessors. The story is weaved around actual historical events.
The telling of any story of slavery is going to be difficult and will contain horrors; and this certainly does. However, the character of July is irrepressible and injects a strong comic element into the novel. There is always a question here as to whether July is an entirely reliable narrator. This and the humour counterpoised with the background of slavery makes for an unusual feel. The humour is Pythonesque at times; at the same time reviewers have also described it as a Comedy of Manners. There is also a touch of Upstairs/Downstairs about it as we see the two worlds; slaves and masters running parallel.
The Jamaican setting gives a rather different feel to the American novels about slavery. In Jamaica the white population was very small and relative newcomers. This led to relationships on the plantations shifting in different ways; with both sides having the ability to harm each other.
This is a good novel with some well-drawn characters (especially July); it doesn’t, for me have the power of books like Beloved and there are irritations with the structure. Nevertheless it is well worth reading for its particular focus on the women in the story.
Following on from Small Island; this is another historical novel and this time Levy looks at her Jamaican roots charting the last days of slavery on the island. It is narrated by July, a former slave, and starts about 1831 the time of what was known as the Baptist revolt and goes to the end of slavery in the late 1830s. July is telling her story in old age whilst she is living with her son Thomas. The novel is the story of her early life on a plantation called Amity. Although narrated by July, it is edited by Thomas and there is a periodic interplay between the two which sometimes gives the story a slightly odd feel.
July describes herself as a mulatto; her father was white, an overseer and raped her mother. She was taken from her mother whilst still young to become the pet and then lady’s maid to Caroline Mortimer, the vapid and foolish sister of the plantation owner. A new overseer, Robert Goodwin, arrives with good intentions and a Christian upbringing. He intends to show that following slavery the plantation can be managed on humane lines. The charting of his downfall on several levels is fascinating. He ends up being just as cruel as his predecessors. The story is weaved around actual historical events.
The telling of any story of slavery is going to be difficult and will contain horrors; and this certainly does. However, the character of July is irrepressible and injects a strong comic element into the novel. There is always a question here as to whether July is an entirely reliable narrator. This and the humour counterpoised with the background of slavery makes for an unusual feel. The humour is Pythonesque at times; at the same time reviewers have also described it as a Comedy of Manners. There is also a touch of Upstairs/Downstairs about it as we see the two worlds; slaves and masters running parallel.
The Jamaican setting gives a rather different feel to the American novels about slavery. In Jamaica the white population was very small and relative newcomers. This led to relationships on the plantations shifting in different ways; with both sides having the ability to harm each other.
This is a good novel with some well-drawn characters (especially July); it doesn’t, for me have the power of books like Beloved and there are irritations with the structure. Nevertheless it is well worth reading for its particular focus on the women in the story.
May 29, 2010
Levy's previous novel, "Small Island," is rightly regarded as a masterpiece, and with "The Long Song" she has returned to the level of storytelling that earned her the Orange Prize in 2004. Her heroine narrates the beginning of the end of slavery in Jamaica, coming to a climax with the 1831 Baptist War, when enslaved men and women fought their enslavers for 10 days. It's clear that Levy has done her research, but this work never intrudes upon the narrative, which travels at a jaunty pace. Levy's sly humor swims just under the surface of the most treacherous waters. (For example, a shocking suicide is preceded by a delightful farce.) Her refusal to reduce her characters to merely their suffering does not trivialize the experience of enslavement, but underscores the humanity of all involved.
August 27, 2012
This was a huge disappointment to me.
I found the depiction of the black Jamaican slaves positively insulting. Their plight and their path toward freedom is a central theme, but they need not be presented so degradingly.
The writing is wordy and convoluted. Get to the point. I do not want to wade through all these words to get the gist of the story.
The characters, they were all very unappealing. Not just unappealing, downright despicable. Whites and blacks alike.
If you are looking for a smidgen of humor, don't look here.
Here is what bothered me the most. Every action and even every sentence reflected a hidden, subversive intention. Nobody and nothing that happened is presented honestly. Every action had a hidden meaning, always dishonest and often cruel or mean. I say, if you hate someone, tell them and/or give them a punch, but do not do something that appears friendly but in fact causes pain. I want the meanness and anger upfront, not hidden and not disguised!
I finished the book. After many lies and false starts, I eventually found out how the people were related and what happened to each, but what a long, tedious and unpleasant journey it was!
I found the depiction of the black Jamaican slaves positively insulting. Their plight and their path toward freedom is a central theme, but they need not be presented so degradingly.
The writing is wordy and convoluted. Get to the point. I do not want to wade through all these words to get the gist of the story.
The characters, they were all very unappealing. Not just unappealing, downright despicable. Whites and blacks alike.
If you are looking for a smidgen of humor, don't look here.
Here is what bothered me the most. Every action and even every sentence reflected a hidden, subversive intention. Nobody and nothing that happened is presented honestly. Every action had a hidden meaning, always dishonest and often cruel or mean. I say, if you hate someone, tell them and/or give them a punch, but do not do something that appears friendly but in fact causes pain. I want the meanness and anger upfront, not hidden and not disguised!
I finished the book. After many lies and false starts, I eventually found out how the people were related and what happened to each, but what a long, tedious and unpleasant journey it was!
January 31, 2021
Rating: 2.5* of five, rounded down because I really don't enjoy the read more in retrospect
31 Jan 21 news There is a three-part PBS Masterpiece adaptation premiering tonight and going on through 14 Feb.
What am I missing here? This is a perfectly good novel, and the character of Miss July is well-drawn, the story of Jamaica is interesting, but...great? How? Where?
It's all rather one-note cute-n-coyness from my POV. The narrative drive is that these are the memories of Miss July. So that takes any suspense out of the book. I know she's alive to tell the tale, so who cares who else dies?
I wonder if I should read Small Island now (*spoiler* I did; I didn't like it either). I would hate to take another tepid bath in the Jamaican waters. I don't recommend this one with any vigor. Sure, if you can get it free, don't hesitate to accept it and read it. BUY it?! Oh hell no. Too many exciting books out there. I didn't connect with it, and I've read it twice now, so I think it's fair to say I've given the book a chance to make its mark on me.
It failed to do so.
31 Jan 21 news There is a three-part PBS Masterpiece adaptation premiering tonight and going on through 14 Feb.
What am I missing here? This is a perfectly good novel, and the character of Miss July is well-drawn, the story of Jamaica is interesting, but...great? How? Where?
It's all rather one-note cute-n-coyness from my POV. The narrative drive is that these are the memories of Miss July. So that takes any suspense out of the book. I know she's alive to tell the tale, so who cares who else dies?
I wonder if I should read Small Island now (*spoiler* I did; I didn't like it either). I would hate to take another tepid bath in the Jamaican waters. I don't recommend this one with any vigor. Sure, if you can get it free, don't hesitate to accept it and read it. BUY it?! Oh hell no. Too many exciting books out there. I didn't connect with it, and I've read it twice now, so I think it's fair to say I've given the book a chance to make its mark on me.
It failed to do so.
May 9, 2022
A powerful, fantastic read.
July 5, 2021
Such a magnificent piece of storytelling by gifted author, Andrea Levy. It speaks of the abuse and cruelty leading up to, through and after The Baptist War of Jamaica (1831/1832). But it also shares the tenderest of moments, shared sorrows and and dreams of hope. Levy's scene settings are cinematic as an aged woman (once a slave) recalls her life on that island. Her educated son struggles to keep a handle on her telling. So there are snippets of story which contradict (depending on whose telling you wish to believe). Levy has adopted Jamaican nomenclature which does take a bit of getting used to. But all in all, this was an excellent read and quite informative.
October 1, 2022
Y por fin puedo decir que me he leído uno de mis eternos pendientes de la vida. Conocí este libro al ver en la televisión su versión en miniserie o película larga hará cosa de unos dos o tres años, y si he tardado tanto en leerlo (aunque lo he tenido en la mano muchas veces para comenzarlo) era precisamente porque quería alejarme un poco de la película, esperando que así el libro pudiera sorprenderme más si se me desdibujaba su argumento aunque fuera un poco . Tengo que deciros que la versión cinematográfica es muy fiel al original (De hecho, creo que es la película que he visto nunca que es más fiel al libro del que bebe) y que merece mucho la pena verla.
En esta novela conoceremos los últimos años de la esclavitud como práctica legal en la isla de Jamaica (que en el siglo XIX era una colonia inglesa) y lo que aconteció posteriormente tras la emancipación de los esclavos por parte de la corona. Todo esto será narrado por July, quien escribirá su historia siendo ya una anciana a su hijo, un prospero editor. Nacida como esclava en la plantación de Concordia, July será abruptamente apartada del lado de su madre siendo una niña por los caprichos de Caroline Mortimer, una recien llegada a la isla, quien la convertirá en su doncella particular. La historia de July no será un camino de rosas, estará marcada por la lucha por la libertad de sus semejantes, el egoísmo de los blancos, el amor y la pérdida.
Nos encontramos ante una historia sencilla, en la que las cosas que pasan, aunque puedan destrozar el corazón del lector, tampoco le sorprende por lo esperables que resultan. Muchas veces de una forma muy cruel. Es un libro de ritmo apacible la mayor parte del tiempo, que sin embargo tiene una fuerza que hace que todo fluya perfectamente. Personalmente, tengo que reconocer que después de las primeras partes, hubo un cuarto de obra o así en que me aburrí un poco leyendo, pero rápidamente eso pasó, y la narración logró atraparme hasta el final de la misma. Andrea Levy tiene una pluma sencilla, directa y sobria, no extendiéndose en demasía en los sucesos, en las descripciones o en los detalles. Pero funciona por la inteligencia con la que maneja todos los elementos a su disposición, y por su enorme capacidad evocadora, tanto para las descripciones paisajísticas, como para introducirse ya no solo en su narradora y protagonista, también en la mente y alma de los personajes que lo que la acompañan a lo largo de las más de trescientas páginas de las que consta el libro.
Para mí el punto fuerte de Levy como escritora es su gran capacidad para ambientar la obra de forma que los elector acabe transportado a la Jamaica del siglo XIX. Uno se encuentra en medio de una vorágine de calor sofocante que se pega a la piel, frutas exóticas de sabores poderosos, colores vibrantes y vegetación exuberante. Una vorágine en la que la en la que la dicotomía entre blancos y negros, ya no solo en lo histórico, aspecto que se nota muy cuidado y estudiado. También se siente transportado a lo que era la vida en una plantación de azúcar de la Jamaica de la época y en como era la vida en la isla, con una sociedad de negros con sus propias normas y convenciones sociales y sus propias maneras de hacer y ver las cosas. Pero sobre todo, el lector puede sentir como fueron esos últimos años de esclavitud y como se llevó acabo la emancipación de los habitantes de la isla, la forma en que estos dos mundos chocaron y se enfrentaron salvajemente entre sí, la manera en que los negros lucharon y pelearon por su libertad y por la posibilidad de ser independientes en todos los sentidos, frente a los prejuicios y la incomprensión de los blancos.
Pero si hay algo que para mí es el sello de identidad personal de la novela y lo que hace que esta historia, que podría caer en muchos tópicos y en lo convencional, destaque, es su protagonista y narradora July es un personaje con una fuerza y una energía vibrantes, que traspasan las páginas de la novela para impactar en el lector. Con su carisma, su viveza y todo el drama que es su historia, logra conectar con el lector de forma que éste acaba sintiendo no poca simpatía por su persona, sufriendo y compartiendo con ella sus, ya no solo sus cuitas y sufrimientos, también los momentos de dicha . La gracia del libro reside en la forma en que está escrito, en como es la propia July quien cuenta su historia a su hijo, en su necesidad de dejar constancia de la misma. Y aquí es cuando recibimos todo un juego que se extiende a lo largo de la novela. July, desde la primera página, busca hacer partícipe al lector, comprometerle con su biografía. Hay muchas ocasiones es salvajemente directa y abiertamente sincera en sus amores y desagrados, deja su propio corazón expuesto de una forma conmovedora en papel y tinta para la posteridad. Y otras veces pasa en ciertos asuntos de pies puntillas, cuenta las cosas a su manera . Una de las gracias de la lectura son las no escasas intervenciones del hijo, Thomas, exigiendo a su madre que sea sincera y que cuente la verdad, o que se explaye más en aquello sobre lo que prefiere pasar a pies puntillas. Esto la obliga a ser sincera muchas veces a regañadientes y nos demuestra como, cuando quiere, metamorfosea su propio pasado según se sienta con fuerzas o no de enfrentarse a él, o según le convenga. Y pone al lector ante la disyuntiva de creerla siempre o de cuestionar su palabra en no pocas ocasiones. Y ante los que tenemos el libro delante se nos presenta un personaje lleno de luces y sombras, te cae bien l buena parte del tiempo, pero que también puede despertar el efecto contrario. Una protagonista, en definitiva, profundamente humana y realista.
Algo que casa bien con esta historia conmovedora, humorística y triste a partes iguales. Si hay algo que no puede hacer “Una Larga Canción” es dejar indiferente al lector pese a la sencillez de su historia. La historia de July impacta precisamente porque puede haberle ocurrido a cualquier esclava negra del siglo XIX, y porque el lector la siente cruelmente cercana. La situación de esclavitud y la lucha por la libertad y la emancipación están detalladamente narradas, de forma que uno se siente arrastrado hacia esta lucha y hacía todas las injusticias que el pueblo jamaicano vivió y padeció de la mano de los ingleses y los blancos, y ante el enfrentamiento entre los dos mundos y las dos formas de entender la situación. Además, quedan muchas cosas en el aire, como si la historia no estuviera narrada del todo, faltan episodios por ser contados. La vida rara vez es un camino redondo en el que todo quede bien cerrado y todo sea comprensible. De ahí que cerremos el libro con una sensación agridulce en el pecho, sabiendo que hay cosas en la vida de July que están bien, pero otras que es imposible que lo estén nunca hasta que las viejas heridas puedan cerrar del todo de una forma u otra. Así que en ese sentido creo que esto aporta mucha autenticidad y frescura a la novela. Todos los personajes que acompañan a July están también nítidamente trazados, de una forma sencilla pero efectiva. Me gustaría poner destacar el personaje de Caroline Mortimer, ama de July y su opuesto en todo, hasta convertirse prácticamente en la persona que acaba por influir en toda su vida. Caroline, desde el principio, se nos presenta como el prototipo incuestionable de ama blanca de la época, siendo una mujer llena de prejuicios, un tanto inútil, caprichosa y muy bobalicona. Pero Andrea Levy no se corta a la hora de darle ciertos matices que permiten al lector comprender bien su personalidad y, en ciertos momentos, sentir atisbos de simpatía por ella. En esta historia nada es totalmente blanco o negro, sus personajes son grises. Son las circunstancias de la vida los que hacen que viren de uno a otro lado.
Mi gran problema con este libro es que al conocer ya su película no habido nada en el que me haya sorprendido realmente, el saber ya lo que iba a pasar creo que le ha quitado a esta lectura varios factores importantes al menos para mí. Otro aspecto que me ha parecido, no negativo, sino más bien anticlimático ha sido que al final de la novela se ahonde tanto en la biografía de Thomas cuando viaja de Jamaica a Inglaterra en su juventud, en su formación como impresor y en como consiguió prosperar y hacer fortuna. No digo que esa parte no sea interesante, ni mucho menos. Mi problema con ella ha sido que viene acompañada de un largo periodo en el cual la propia July se niega totalmente a contarnos qué ha sido de su vida, pasa muy de puntillas en una parte muy importante en extensión y contenido de su vida. Creo que si la autora y su protagonista se hubieran explayado un poquito más en este aspecto, la lectura habría sido mucho más redonda en su final. También me ha faltado algo en lo que en las últimas escenas de la miniserie: la historia de July queda como un ejemplo más de la totalidad de la trayectoria de los negros bajo la opresión blanca. Aquí, aunque la lucha por la libertad de los negros es una parte importante del libro, al final la historia es única y exclusivamente la de July, centrada totalmente en ella. Una forma más en la que se nota el no poco marcado egocentrismo que nuestro personaje demuestra a lo largo de su historia, una historia que ella canta a pleno pulmón y con todas sus notas, independientemente del matiz y color que tengan. Una canción, que lo quiera ella o no, fue la misma canción de muchos de sus hermanos, y que deja una marca perdurable en el lector. Sobre todo por lo especial que es su protagonista y por la forma en que llega a él o ella.
En esta novela conoceremos los últimos años de la esclavitud como práctica legal en la isla de Jamaica (que en el siglo XIX era una colonia inglesa) y lo que aconteció posteriormente tras la emancipación de los esclavos por parte de la corona. Todo esto será narrado por July, quien escribirá su historia siendo ya una anciana a su hijo, un prospero editor. Nacida como esclava en la plantación de Concordia, July será abruptamente apartada del lado de su madre siendo una niña por los caprichos de Caroline Mortimer, una recien llegada a la isla, quien la convertirá en su doncella particular. La historia de July no será un camino de rosas, estará marcada por la lucha por la libertad de sus semejantes, el egoísmo de los blancos, el amor y la pérdida.
Nos encontramos ante una historia sencilla, en la que las cosas que pasan, aunque puedan destrozar el corazón del lector, tampoco le sorprende por lo esperables que resultan. Muchas veces de una forma muy cruel. Es un libro de ritmo apacible la mayor parte del tiempo, que sin embargo tiene una fuerza que hace que todo fluya perfectamente. Personalmente, tengo que reconocer que después de las primeras partes, hubo un cuarto de obra o así en que me aburrí un poco leyendo, pero rápidamente eso pasó, y la narración logró atraparme hasta el final de la misma. Andrea Levy tiene una pluma sencilla, directa y sobria, no extendiéndose en demasía en los sucesos, en las descripciones o en los detalles. Pero funciona por la inteligencia con la que maneja todos los elementos a su disposición, y por su enorme capacidad evocadora, tanto para las descripciones paisajísticas, como para introducirse ya no solo en su narradora y protagonista, también en la mente y alma de los personajes que lo que la acompañan a lo largo de las más de trescientas páginas de las que consta el libro.
Para mí el punto fuerte de Levy como escritora es su gran capacidad para ambientar la obra de forma que los elector acabe transportado a la Jamaica del siglo XIX. Uno se encuentra en medio de una vorágine de calor sofocante que se pega a la piel, frutas exóticas de sabores poderosos, colores vibrantes y vegetación exuberante. Una vorágine en la que la en la que la dicotomía entre blancos y negros, ya no solo en lo histórico, aspecto que se nota muy cuidado y estudiado. También se siente transportado a lo que era la vida en una plantación de azúcar de la Jamaica de la época y en como era la vida en la isla, con una sociedad de negros con sus propias normas y convenciones sociales y sus propias maneras de hacer y ver las cosas. Pero sobre todo, el lector puede sentir como fueron esos últimos años de esclavitud y como se llevó acabo la emancipación de los habitantes de la isla, la forma en que estos dos mundos chocaron y se enfrentaron salvajemente entre sí, la manera en que los negros lucharon y pelearon por su libertad y por la posibilidad de ser independientes en todos los sentidos, frente a los prejuicios y la incomprensión de los blancos.
Pero si hay algo que para mí es el sello de identidad personal de la novela y lo que hace que esta historia, que podría caer en muchos tópicos y en lo convencional, destaque, es su protagonista y narradora July es un personaje con una fuerza y una energía vibrantes, que traspasan las páginas de la novela para impactar en el lector. Con su carisma, su viveza y todo el drama que es su historia, logra conectar con el lector de forma que éste acaba sintiendo no poca simpatía por su persona, sufriendo y compartiendo con ella sus, ya no solo sus cuitas y sufrimientos, también los momentos de dicha . La gracia del libro reside en la forma en que está escrito, en como es la propia July quien cuenta su historia a su hijo, en su necesidad de dejar constancia de la misma. Y aquí es cuando recibimos todo un juego que se extiende a lo largo de la novela. July, desde la primera página, busca hacer partícipe al lector, comprometerle con su biografía. Hay muchas ocasiones es salvajemente directa y abiertamente sincera en sus amores y desagrados, deja su propio corazón expuesto de una forma conmovedora en papel y tinta para la posteridad. Y otras veces pasa en ciertos asuntos de pies puntillas, cuenta las cosas a su manera . Una de las gracias de la lectura son las no escasas intervenciones del hijo, Thomas, exigiendo a su madre que sea sincera y que cuente la verdad, o que se explaye más en aquello sobre lo que prefiere pasar a pies puntillas. Esto la obliga a ser sincera muchas veces a regañadientes y nos demuestra como, cuando quiere, metamorfosea su propio pasado según se sienta con fuerzas o no de enfrentarse a él, o según le convenga. Y pone al lector ante la disyuntiva de creerla siempre o de cuestionar su palabra en no pocas ocasiones. Y ante los que tenemos el libro delante se nos presenta un personaje lleno de luces y sombras, te cae bien l buena parte del tiempo, pero que también puede despertar el efecto contrario. Una protagonista, en definitiva, profundamente humana y realista.
Algo que casa bien con esta historia conmovedora, humorística y triste a partes iguales. Si hay algo que no puede hacer “Una Larga Canción” es dejar indiferente al lector pese a la sencillez de su historia. La historia de July impacta precisamente porque puede haberle ocurrido a cualquier esclava negra del siglo XIX, y porque el lector la siente cruelmente cercana. La situación de esclavitud y la lucha por la libertad y la emancipación están detalladamente narradas, de forma que uno se siente arrastrado hacia esta lucha y hacía todas las injusticias que el pueblo jamaicano vivió y padeció de la mano de los ingleses y los blancos, y ante el enfrentamiento entre los dos mundos y las dos formas de entender la situación. Además, quedan muchas cosas en el aire, como si la historia no estuviera narrada del todo, faltan episodios por ser contados. La vida rara vez es un camino redondo en el que todo quede bien cerrado y todo sea comprensible. De ahí que cerremos el libro con una sensación agridulce en el pecho, sabiendo que hay cosas en la vida de July que están bien, pero otras que es imposible que lo estén nunca hasta que las viejas heridas puedan cerrar del todo de una forma u otra. Así que en ese sentido creo que esto aporta mucha autenticidad y frescura a la novela. Todos los personajes que acompañan a July están también nítidamente trazados, de una forma sencilla pero efectiva. Me gustaría poner destacar el personaje de Caroline Mortimer, ama de July y su opuesto en todo, hasta convertirse prácticamente en la persona que acaba por influir en toda su vida. Caroline, desde el principio, se nos presenta como el prototipo incuestionable de ama blanca de la época, siendo una mujer llena de prejuicios, un tanto inútil, caprichosa y muy bobalicona. Pero Andrea Levy no se corta a la hora de darle ciertos matices que permiten al lector comprender bien su personalidad y, en ciertos momentos, sentir atisbos de simpatía por ella. En esta historia nada es totalmente blanco o negro, sus personajes son grises. Son las circunstancias de la vida los que hacen que viren de uno a otro lado.
Mi gran problema con este libro es que al conocer ya su película no habido nada en el que me haya sorprendido realmente, el saber ya lo que iba a pasar creo que le ha quitado a esta lectura varios factores importantes al menos para mí. Otro aspecto que me ha parecido, no negativo, sino más bien anticlimático ha sido que al final de la novela se ahonde tanto en la biografía de Thomas cuando viaja de Jamaica a Inglaterra en su juventud, en su formación como impresor y en como consiguió prosperar y hacer fortuna. No digo que esa parte no sea interesante, ni mucho menos. Mi problema con ella ha sido que viene acompañada de un largo periodo en el cual la propia July se niega totalmente a contarnos qué ha sido de su vida, pasa muy de puntillas en una parte muy importante en extensión y contenido de su vida. Creo que si la autora y su protagonista se hubieran explayado un poquito más en este aspecto, la lectura habría sido mucho más redonda en su final. También me ha faltado algo en lo que en las últimas escenas de la miniserie: la historia de July queda como un ejemplo más de la totalidad de la trayectoria de los negros bajo la opresión blanca. Aquí, aunque la lucha por la libertad de los negros es una parte importante del libro, al final la historia es única y exclusivamente la de July, centrada totalmente en ella. Una forma más en la que se nota el no poco marcado egocentrismo que nuestro personaje demuestra a lo largo de su historia, una historia que ella canta a pleno pulmón y con todas sus notas, independientemente del matiz y color que tengan. Una canción, que lo quiera ella o no, fue la misma canción de muchos de sus hermanos, y que deja una marca perdurable en el lector. Sobre todo por lo especial que es su protagonista y por la forma en que llega a él o ella.
July 20, 2019
What an astounding novel, and a natural development of the author's work as she too came to claim her own ancestry and awoke to who she was, her family and how they were all perceived. I loved it. It's totally unique, she narrates from both the inside and the outside, being in the story and looking back on the story of the life of a girl named July, the daughter of a black slave and a white overseer on a plantation in Jamaica.
Only she removed all the blinkers, and steps inside her characters and shows them warts and all, making this uncomfortable reading at times and yet more realistic than most. For even those well intended were a product of their time and of white privilege.
She manages to share the story with great humour and frequent distaste. No one is immune to her stripping characters bare and showing their true selves. So there's no indulging flights of fancy, happy endings or gratuitous violence, although there is perhaps one character who manages to rise above the rest, but he was abandoned at birth so he deserves it.
It's sad to think her storytelling days have ended, but the three works I've read are a brilliant encapsulation of seeing through the lens of a life imagined and lived, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants living in Britain, who came to know and imagine the history and potential lives of her ancestors.
Only she removed all the blinkers, and steps inside her characters and shows them warts and all, making this uncomfortable reading at times and yet more realistic than most. For even those well intended were a product of their time and of white privilege.
She manages to share the story with great humour and frequent distaste. No one is immune to her stripping characters bare and showing their true selves. So there's no indulging flights of fancy, happy endings or gratuitous violence, although there is perhaps one character who manages to rise above the rest, but he was abandoned at birth so he deserves it.
It's sad to think her storytelling days have ended, but the three works I've read are a brilliant encapsulation of seeing through the lens of a life imagined and lived, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants living in Britain, who came to know and imagine the history and potential lives of her ancestors.
January 12, 2019
I really wanted to like Andrea Levy’s The Long Song. The subject matter is interesting—the last years of slavery in Jamaica in the 1820s-30s—and Levy’s outstanding 2004 novel Small Island was one of my favourite British novels of the 2000s.
The Long Song I found strangely inept for someone who has written such an accomplished novel as Small Island. If I had read it ‘cold’, without knowing the author’s name, I might have judged it the work of a promising (-ish) first-time novelist with a lot to learn.
The novel relies heavily on the reader’s positive response to its narrator, Miss July, a young enslaved woman employed as a lady’s maid. Levy works hard to make July engaging (‘Her full mouth still had that mischievous turn upon its corners, where a wry tale or tall-tall truth looked about to escape’); but she didn’t work for me, and there isn’t much else for readers to latch onto in terms of characterization if they don’t bond with July. The white characters are all pretty much caricatures, especially July’s airhead employer, Caroline Mortimer, who occupies a great too much real estate in the novel; and the black characters are barely sketched in.
This seemed a great shame, as there was an interesting story to be told here. At the centre of the novel is the historical episode of the 1831 Baptist Rebellion, when Jamaican slaves rose up and attempted to seize their freedom by force a few years prior to emancipation. I read up on this online after finishing The Long Song, and it’s a fascinating micro-slice of history. The Long Song stages it as something almost peripheral to the action of the novel, and there’s no attempt to portray the ideological build-up to the rebellion; we just see it suddenly happening, almost out of nowhere. This may be realistic—many witnesses of important historical events aren’t particularly politicized and informed observers—but there are still brilliant ways to ‘do’ the margins of history (like Thackeray’s treatment of Waterloo, most famously). Levy really just lets it fall flat.
There are also structural problems in the book (we get a long passage towards the end on July’s son’s life in England, which is interesting per se, but comes far too late in the novel to be properly integrated); and the writing is sometimes oddly lumpen, especially the dialogue (‘I’m ready for them if there’s trouble. Good chance to put all those niggers back in their place’). I do hope this half-baked novel doesn’t stop any readers from trying Small Island. It would be a great shame if that were the case.
The Long Song I found strangely inept for someone who has written such an accomplished novel as Small Island. If I had read it ‘cold’, without knowing the author’s name, I might have judged it the work of a promising (-ish) first-time novelist with a lot to learn.
The novel relies heavily on the reader’s positive response to its narrator, Miss July, a young enslaved woman employed as a lady’s maid. Levy works hard to make July engaging (‘Her full mouth still had that mischievous turn upon its corners, where a wry tale or tall-tall truth looked about to escape’); but she didn’t work for me, and there isn’t much else for readers to latch onto in terms of characterization if they don’t bond with July. The white characters are all pretty much caricatures, especially July’s airhead employer, Caroline Mortimer, who occupies a great too much real estate in the novel; and the black characters are barely sketched in.
This seemed a great shame, as there was an interesting story to be told here. At the centre of the novel is the historical episode of the 1831 Baptist Rebellion, when Jamaican slaves rose up and attempted to seize their freedom by force a few years prior to emancipation. I read up on this online after finishing The Long Song, and it’s a fascinating micro-slice of history. The Long Song stages it as something almost peripheral to the action of the novel, and there’s no attempt to portray the ideological build-up to the rebellion; we just see it suddenly happening, almost out of nowhere. This may be realistic—many witnesses of important historical events aren’t particularly politicized and informed observers—but there are still brilliant ways to ‘do’ the margins of history (like Thackeray’s treatment of Waterloo, most famously). Levy really just lets it fall flat.
There are also structural problems in the book (we get a long passage towards the end on July’s son’s life in England, which is interesting per se, but comes far too late in the novel to be properly integrated); and the writing is sometimes oddly lumpen, especially the dialogue (‘I’m ready for them if there’s trouble. Good chance to put all those niggers back in their place’). I do hope this half-baked novel doesn’t stop any readers from trying Small Island. It would be a great shame if that were the case.
October 17, 2015
This is so deep, so sad, so harrowing, despite its playful undertone. The book's strength doesn't rest solely on the narrator's skill (she wavers between reliable and unreliable narrator) but on the diversity of the characters written about. Amity, the sugarcane farm upon which this dark tale is based, seems a simple, run-of-the-mill kind of set up, and it's owners, and slaves seem simple enough folk, but their story carries a lot of depth, especially right around the time when slavery is abolished and the slaves become "free" men and women. The story focuses on a slave girl named July, or Miss July, or Marguerite, who happens to be the book's narrator, and how she came to be born, snatched from her mother and granted as a handmaid to Caroline, the sister to the Massa of the farm. Her story is both comic and tragic, full of love, hate, betrayal and loss of faith. What's surprising about it all is how everything that happens to her just seems to always catch you off guard and never leaves you bored, such is the great writing prowess of Andrea Levy, that's what makes this book such a great book.
April 13, 2011
I came to 'The Long Song' having thoroughly enjoyed Andrea Levy's 'Small Island'. My expectations were high, and she did not merely match but exceed them. Her secret is in finding the right voice for the story, and in the female slave July she found someone to conduct us through the years of slavery and (so-called) freedom for the blacks in Jamaica with just the right amount of irreverence to deny her victim status, and an instinctive native wit to counterbalance the misery, or rather to give it a very individual perspective.
Levy admits in her own notes on writing the novel to the anticipated difficulty of writing about slavery "without it turning into a harrowing tale of violence and misery". July arose from that anxiety as the answer to it. As a narrator she is unreliable, one-eyed and sometimes mendacious, which is paradoxically why we trust her version of events above the orthodox white historian's view. She is not overly interested in the historical details (though the author has clever devices to give us just as much as we need) preferring to let the story unfold for us through her experiences and her relationships. She is often self-deluded, succeeds in fooling us too at times, and we love her for it.
You might be surprised, given the subject matter, when I tell you that this is in many ways a highly comic novel. July's interpretation of her mistress Caroline's foibles, for example, is pure Fielding at times, as is July's relationship with her own son, Thomas, who is presented as the publisher of her story and with whom she has a continuing chafing dialogue about her version of events. The written down speech of the late-educated Jamaican slave is another source of amusement, in the same way that Huck Finn makes us smile as he tells his tale Mississippi-style. Levy writes with the ear just as well as Mark Twain did.
However much we are entertained by July, we never lose sight of her courage, her tenacity, her life-affirming spirit, and through them we see the qualities that all those who survived and eventually thrived in that harsh period must have had in abundance. Levy never fails to get her message through clearly. That she can do so without a hint of didactism or of overwrought sentimentality says much about her ability as a writer of our times and of our sometimes inglorious past.
Reviewer David Williams has a regular writer's blog http://writerinthenorth.blogspot.com
Levy admits in her own notes on writing the novel to the anticipated difficulty of writing about slavery "without it turning into a harrowing tale of violence and misery". July arose from that anxiety as the answer to it. As a narrator she is unreliable, one-eyed and sometimes mendacious, which is paradoxically why we trust her version of events above the orthodox white historian's view. She is not overly interested in the historical details (though the author has clever devices to give us just as much as we need) preferring to let the story unfold for us through her experiences and her relationships. She is often self-deluded, succeeds in fooling us too at times, and we love her for it.
You might be surprised, given the subject matter, when I tell you that this is in many ways a highly comic novel. July's interpretation of her mistress Caroline's foibles, for example, is pure Fielding at times, as is July's relationship with her own son, Thomas, who is presented as the publisher of her story and with whom she has a continuing chafing dialogue about her version of events. The written down speech of the late-educated Jamaican slave is another source of amusement, in the same way that Huck Finn makes us smile as he tells his tale Mississippi-style. Levy writes with the ear just as well as Mark Twain did.
However much we are entertained by July, we never lose sight of her courage, her tenacity, her life-affirming spirit, and through them we see the qualities that all those who survived and eventually thrived in that harsh period must have had in abundance. Levy never fails to get her message through clearly. That she can do so without a hint of didactism or of overwrought sentimentality says much about her ability as a writer of our times and of our sometimes inglorious past.
Reviewer David Williams has a regular writer's blog http://writerinthenorth.blogspot.com
June 26, 2010
“The Long Song” is a story about a woman named July, who writes a memoir about her life in Jamaica during its 19th century slave era. She is taken from her mother Kitty at the age of 9 by the request of the plantation owner’s sister Caroline Mortimer. July’s position at the main house on Amity Plantation as Caroline’s personal maid was full of hard work; her lessons learned during the early years were just as difficult, despite her escaping the laborious work and abuse associated with the sugar cane fields.
One would think with a novel set up against the backdrop of historical slave era Jamaica there would be the makings of a great story. Oddly enough, both the content and manner in which this novel is written are both a huge disappointment! The plethora of characters are poorly developed rendering them depthless and uninteresting. July, Caroline Mortimar, Kitty, Dewar, Godfrey, all seemed so generic...Nothing about them set them apart from anything else out there. This novel should have been so much better...AGH!
Brief interjections from both July and her son, Thomas, appear all too often guiding us and the story, or lack there of, along creating nothing but annoyance. It is quite similar to the way one feels when listening to a "song" that lacks luster on a record that skips-ruining the very little flow it had to begin with.
Half way through I could not be pushed to proceed any further. Luckily enough, July actually gives us permission to put an end to our agony… "I can go no further! Reader, my story is at an end. Close up this book and go about your day..." And I did just that! I have no interest in reading about her son, or life back on the plantation as a free slave…Okay, okay, so I read a bit more!
The title for this book may be “The Long Song,” it may have received rave reviews and awards; however, it makes me wonder…Are all of these people tone deaf, because Andrea Levy surely did not sing a good "song" here.
One would think with a novel set up against the backdrop of historical slave era Jamaica there would be the makings of a great story. Oddly enough, both the content and manner in which this novel is written are both a huge disappointment! The plethora of characters are poorly developed rendering them depthless and uninteresting. July, Caroline Mortimar, Kitty, Dewar, Godfrey, all seemed so generic...Nothing about them set them apart from anything else out there. This novel should have been so much better...AGH!
Brief interjections from both July and her son, Thomas, appear all too often guiding us and the story, or lack there of, along creating nothing but annoyance. It is quite similar to the way one feels when listening to a "song" that lacks luster on a record that skips-ruining the very little flow it had to begin with.
Half way through I could not be pushed to proceed any further. Luckily enough, July actually gives us permission to put an end to our agony… "I can go no further! Reader, my story is at an end. Close up this book and go about your day..." And I did just that! I have no interest in reading about her son, or life back on the plantation as a free slave…Okay, okay, so I read a bit more!
The title for this book may be “The Long Song,” it may have received rave reviews and awards; however, it makes me wonder…Are all of these people tone deaf, because Andrea Levy surely did not sing a good "song" here.
October 13, 2014
The Long Song is one of those fiction books that provides a clearer picture of a particular historical era then any history book. In this case the time is the last years of slavery in Jamaica and the story unfolds from the viewpoint of a child born into slavery who lives through the end of slavery.
Without wishing to give too much of the story away there is one particular scene which was agonizing. The child July and her mother are walking towards the fields when the plantation owner and his sister, a woman whose giggle worthy silliness becomes something monsterous with absolute power, meet them. The newly widowed sister slowly takes a fancy to the little girl and decides at the end of the meeting to take her as her own. In the hands of Andrea Levy the writing of this seen is matter of fact but builds to an incredible dread as the curiosity of a child, the growing realization of the mother come crashing against a whimsical act of inhumanity by the plantations owners sister who give no more thought to the abduction then someone taking a kitten. The whole thing capped by the plantation owners disppassionate discussion of the work attributes of his slaves. For me that one scene brought to life the history of slavery in a way that makes you wiser in a way a hundred recitation of the facts would be unable to do. In the ability to take history and make it relatable by showing the effects on everyday humans it reminded me of "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry.
There are some warts in the book, especially the interplay between narrator and her son which grate but all in all a great read.
Without wishing to give too much of the story away there is one particular scene which was agonizing. The child July and her mother are walking towards the fields when the plantation owner and his sister, a woman whose giggle worthy silliness becomes something monsterous with absolute power, meet them. The newly widowed sister slowly takes a fancy to the little girl and decides at the end of the meeting to take her as her own. In the hands of Andrea Levy the writing of this seen is matter of fact but builds to an incredible dread as the curiosity of a child, the growing realization of the mother come crashing against a whimsical act of inhumanity by the plantations owners sister who give no more thought to the abduction then someone taking a kitten. The whole thing capped by the plantation owners disppassionate discussion of the work attributes of his slaves. For me that one scene brought to life the history of slavery in a way that makes you wiser in a way a hundred recitation of the facts would be unable to do. In the ability to take history and make it relatable by showing the effects on everyday humans it reminded me of "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry.
There are some warts in the book, especially the interplay between narrator and her son which grate but all in all a great read.
September 29, 2011
With a keen interest in the writing of Caribbean women, and the female perspective of slavery, I'd been meaning to read Andrea Levy for a long time. Given my personal interests her fifth novel "The Long Song" seemed like a good place to start. Yet despite being an engaging, well crafted read in the end I was somehow left wanting. Our somewhat unreliable narrator Miss July, herself a 19th century Jamaican slave now free to tell her story with the editorial assistance of her once estranged son Thomas, asks in the closing of her narrative, "Must I show you the trouble that those free negroes had to endure?" and my overwhelming response was "Yes". Don't get me wrong, in the earlier parts of the narrative there are scenes of convincing cruelty and brutality, and whilst I didn't want Levy to linger on these (it is the story of Miss July's journey to freedom after all) I found the story as a whole a little too light hearted and it didn't move me in the way I'd hoped. On the flipside though I adore the fictional Miss July for her beautifully buoyant voice and unapologetic patois, and for telling and writing her "long song" as her own, and not succumbing to readers (like me) who may have wanted her to tell it slightly differently. Levy allows her to write her own "herstory" and therefore herself into history
February 4, 2017
I have to start by saying Andrea Levy is one of my favourite authors. Her writing is always so beautiful and I wasn't surprised to learn that The Long Song was.a Man Booker finalist in 2010.
July is a slave born on a sugar cane plantation in Jamaica and it is July who leads us through life as a slave on the plantation. July sure is an interesting character. Completely unreliable from the start, witty, brattish and speaks her mind - I couldn't decide if I liked her or not from page to page but she tells an interesting story. The dual narrative of the elderly July lightens the load a little so the book gives the historical facts without being too deep.
Possibly not the best historical fiction novel about slavery but I enjoyed it all the same. 4 stars!
July is a slave born on a sugar cane plantation in Jamaica and it is July who leads us through life as a slave on the plantation. July sure is an interesting character. Completely unreliable from the start, witty, brattish and speaks her mind - I couldn't decide if I liked her or not from page to page but she tells an interesting story. The dual narrative of the elderly July lightens the load a little so the book gives the historical facts without being too deep.
Possibly not the best historical fiction novel about slavery but I enjoyed it all the same. 4 stars!
January 18, 2024
I kind of get why this is a beloved novel but I really didn't like it. The story itself is very interesting but the execution was lacking to me. We have an unreliable narrator which is appreciated within literary circles but I don't really enjoy that. Then the story is told in bursts, I mean July is telling her story (in the 3rd person but why not) and then we have an interlude in the present in which she addresses the reader directly and talks about her current life with her son. This took me out of the story especially since after such interludes she sometimes jumps a few years. So that I was sometimes lost. I don't really like stories told in a non-linear way.
When it comes to characterization it was lacking to me. You have July the narrator who was a slave, she remained remote to me to the end. Then you have her "mistress" who is just annoying and stupid but also not fully fleshed out. You have the slaves living on the plantation but they remained one dimensional. You have a few other characters along the way but non were that fleshed out or interesting.
I was bored and didn't enjoy the writing style this time around (I've already read something by this author). The historical context which is a massive slave rebellion barely has an impact on the story and the way it serves as a backdrop was strange to me. I would not recommend for sure as it put me in kind of a slump...
When it comes to characterization it was lacking to me. You have July the narrator who was a slave, she remained remote to me to the end. Then you have her "mistress" who is just annoying and stupid but also not fully fleshed out. You have the slaves living on the plantation but they remained one dimensional. You have a few other characters along the way but non were that fleshed out or interesting.
I was bored and didn't enjoy the writing style this time around (I've already read something by this author). The historical context which is a massive slave rebellion barely has an impact on the story and the way it serves as a backdrop was strange to me. I would not recommend for sure as it put me in kind of a slump...
December 7, 2019
In my opinion, Andrea Levy is quite a talented writer. My first experience was "Small Island", which I awarded 5 stars. There has to be something outstanding for me to give such an accolade, sadly, "The Long Song" delivered a story that was quite average in my opinion, although I think it could have been better, had she done some things differently. Frankly, I doubt in fifty books from now, I will remember little about this story.
Ms. Levy's talent shined with regard to her descriptive language. I could picture everything she described and felt as though I was recalling my last visit on the property of Amity, the plantation, where July is born in Jamaica in the earlier 1800's. At first, we are unclear, who is narrating the story or even their name (which the author did very intentionally, although her purpose for doing so, wasn't achieved in full). Perspective in narration shifted frequently, which frankly I felt was not essential to the story being told. Primarily, so the reader could realize that July's experiences had caused trauma on the level of possibly disassociation, where the injured party disconnects with their emotional response because it is either unsafe (physically and/or emotionally) for the victim to process the trauma as it is happening. Levy may have achieved that with some readers, who have experienced dissociation or know someone who has. Her delivery may be to subtle for those unfamiliar or confusing to others. I think this would have been more powerful, had she been directing that information to someone other than whom she has chosen in the story, although her choice was logical.
Which brings me to the next concern, frankly, I didn't connect with any of the characters in the story. I truly wanted to do so. Though July tries to make lemonade out her life's worth of lemons. Her spin doesn't feel true. She has suffered greatly, yet, she doesn't seem impacted.
Most disturbing of all, is that a major subplot was started and never again. Had this "event" happened to a real person, I can't imagine that they wouldn't give it further thought or mention. To end the story without even this significant subplot even a nod was grossly dissatisfying.
Frankly, I am rather surprised that the publisher didn't require at least giving the reader a reason, why this subplot wasn't resolved as a contingency for the book's publication and release. I believe it to be a necessary inclusion! I'm not one, who wants everything wrapped up with all the issues resolved and tied up with a pretty bow. However, in this story, I didn't expect it to be forgotten! It was as vital to me as bread crumbs being forgotten from inclusion in a meatloaf.
Based on the structure of this story the "forgotten" portion of July's story is critical to the rest of the story. Why would an author see fit to discard a plot point makes no sense to me. I think most women readers would question this. I saw at least one other reviewer mentioning his disappoint regarding this as well. If it is on your TBR, you may want to reconsider. I doubt that I will reader anything from Levy in the future unless I am assured that she didn't leave out anything important out.
Ms. Levy's talent shined with regard to her descriptive language. I could picture everything she described and felt as though I was recalling my last visit on the property of Amity, the plantation, where July is born in Jamaica in the earlier 1800's. At first, we are unclear, who is narrating the story or even their name (which the author did very intentionally, although her purpose for doing so, wasn't achieved in full). Perspective in narration shifted frequently, which frankly I felt was not essential to the story being told. Primarily, so the reader could realize that July's experiences had caused trauma on the level of possibly disassociation, where the injured party disconnects with their emotional response because it is either unsafe (physically and/or emotionally) for the victim to process the trauma as it is happening. Levy may have achieved that with some readers, who have experienced dissociation or know someone who has. Her delivery may be to subtle for those unfamiliar or confusing to others. I think this would have been more powerful, had she been directing that information to someone other than whom she has chosen in the story, although her choice was logical.
Which brings me to the next concern, frankly, I didn't connect with any of the characters in the story. I truly wanted to do so. Though July tries to make lemonade out her life's worth of lemons. Her spin doesn't feel true. She has suffered greatly, yet, she doesn't seem impacted.
Most disturbing of all, is that a major subplot was started and never again. Had this "event" happened to a real person, I can't imagine that they wouldn't give it further thought or mention. To end the story without even this significant subplot even a nod was grossly dissatisfying.
Frankly, I am rather surprised that the publisher didn't require at least giving the reader a reason, why this subplot wasn't resolved as a contingency for the book's publication and release. I believe it to be a necessary inclusion! I'm not one, who wants everything wrapped up with all the issues resolved and tied up with a pretty bow. However, in this story, I didn't expect it to be forgotten! It was as vital to me as bread crumbs being forgotten from inclusion in a meatloaf.
Based on the structure of this story the "forgotten" portion of July's story is critical to the rest of the story. Why would an author see fit to discard a plot point makes no sense to me. I think most women readers would question this. I saw at least one other reviewer mentioning his disappoint regarding this as well. If it is on your TBR, you may want to reconsider. I doubt that I will reader anything from Levy in the future unless I am assured that she didn't leave out anything important out.
December 12, 2019
Although I didn’t love The Long Song quite as much as Small Island, I was still thoroughly enthralled once more by Levy’s powerful storytelling and memorable characters, in this book moving away from her usual British setting and taking us to the sugar plantations of Jamaica. Set during the last few years of slavery, The Long Song follows the journey of July, from her childhood when she is cruelly snatched away from her mother for the amusement of the plantation owner’s sister, through her adolescence peppered with defiant acts, to adulthood and a tricky relationship.
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I loved Levy’s narrative structure in this one, as she really makes you think about storytelling as an act and how much we can trust written accounts. It’s written as though July herself is writing a book of her life, and through sections ‘written’ by her son Thomas we can see how July might want to censor or alter her own narrative.
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In an insightful afterword, Levy explains that although she didn’t initially want to write a novel about slavery in Jamaica, as it would inevitably be a horrific story to write. But at a conference, a girl in the audience questioned how she could be proud of her Jamaican roots when all of her ancestors were slaves, and Levy felt compelled to tell, not the harrowing history of slavery, but the story of a courageous and defiant young woman who survived those horrors. Although she’s done her research, the lack of black-authored texts from those who lived through it meant that much of her book had to come from her imagination, to bring to life the stories of those who have long been silenced by history.
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A compelling, rich and moving read!
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I loved Levy’s narrative structure in this one, as she really makes you think about storytelling as an act and how much we can trust written accounts. It’s written as though July herself is writing a book of her life, and through sections ‘written’ by her son Thomas we can see how July might want to censor or alter her own narrative.
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In an insightful afterword, Levy explains that although she didn’t initially want to write a novel about slavery in Jamaica, as it would inevitably be a horrific story to write. But at a conference, a girl in the audience questioned how she could be proud of her Jamaican roots when all of her ancestors were slaves, and Levy felt compelled to tell, not the harrowing history of slavery, but the story of a courageous and defiant young woman who survived those horrors. Although she’s done her research, the lack of black-authored texts from those who lived through it meant that much of her book had to come from her imagination, to bring to life the stories of those who have long been silenced by history.
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A compelling, rich and moving read!
February 12, 2024
Despite hating the main character, July, as I think she was a spoiled brat who didn't appreciate what was given to her, I couldn't help but feel pity towards her. She did lead a hard life, as her choices were taken away from her even before she was born - although some of the choices she could make where not the best ones. But one must not judge, specially if never having been through a similar situation.
The saddest thing is to think that this story happened in the 19th century, in Jamaica, during the Baptist war, when slaves fought back and took what was rightfully theirs, and still to this day, in the 21st century, racism is still very present in our world, not just towards black people, but towards anybody who is deemed "different".
The saddest thing is to think that this story happened in the 19th century, in Jamaica, during the Baptist war, when slaves fought back and took what was rightfully theirs, and still to this day, in the 21st century, racism is still very present in our world, not just towards black people, but towards anybody who is deemed "different".
July 22, 2021
The Long Song is one of the lighter novels about slavery in Jamaica, as opposed to bleaker stories such as The Book of Night Women by Marlon James. It is a consistently entertaining and surprisingly funny autobiographical account of the life of a former slave called July. Levy masterfully suffuses the inhumane cruelty of slavery with a very human frivolity and hope, and that is what differentiates this work. The abolition of slavery triggered the exploitation of the emancipated in different other ways and the hard truths are to be found in every page. We get an intricate picture of Jamaica in the transformative years surrounding the abolition, and it is impossible not to be claimed by waves after waves of despair. But July's spirit, determination and mischief shines through every new obstacle in her life, instilling cautious optimism. It is not without flaws, but they are easily forgivable.
A memorable read, and highly recommended!
A memorable read, and highly recommended!
October 11, 2020
This was a book chosen by my book club. Once again it's a book I wouldn't have read left to my own devices but, as is usually the case, I’m glad I did.
Levy was the daughter of mixed race parents who emigrated from the Caribbean to England in the 1960s and the interactions between the immigrant (coloured) and the host (white) cultures are the subject of all her novels.
In her fifth novel, The Long Song (2010), she explores an earlier shared history of slaves (coloured) and slave owners (mostly white) in the sugar plantations of 19th-century Jamaica.
The white colonialists are, as you might expect, a loathsome lot. I haven’t read enough of the literature of colonial West Indies to know whether they are stereotypical, but they could well be – hypocritical, greedy and with no awareness of the humanity of the people of different race who were their slaves.
Household slaves were better off than the field workers, who are treated with contemptuous brutality. While Levy vividly conveys the horrors of slavery, she lightens the tone as her house slave characters act out complex rivalries and exploit their owners when they can.
Long song was awarded the Walter Scott prize for historical fiction. It was also shortlisted for the 2010 Man Booker prize.
Andrea Levy’s 2019 obituary here:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
Levy was the daughter of mixed race parents who emigrated from the Caribbean to England in the 1960s and the interactions between the immigrant (coloured) and the host (white) cultures are the subject of all her novels.
In her fifth novel, The Long Song (2010), she explores an earlier shared history of slaves (coloured) and slave owners (mostly white) in the sugar plantations of 19th-century Jamaica.
The white colonialists are, as you might expect, a loathsome lot. I haven’t read enough of the literature of colonial West Indies to know whether they are stereotypical, but they could well be – hypocritical, greedy and with no awareness of the humanity of the people of different race who were their slaves.
Household slaves were better off than the field workers, who are treated with contemptuous brutality. While Levy vividly conveys the horrors of slavery, she lightens the tone as her house slave characters act out complex rivalries and exploit their owners when they can.
Long song was awarded the Walter Scott prize for historical fiction. It was also shortlisted for the 2010 Man Booker prize.
Andrea Levy’s 2019 obituary here:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
October 16, 2010
I am, and you all must be as well, sick of having to write reviews that are mainly negative. I enjoy reading and is it too much to ask for a book that delievers enjoyment?
Alas.
Anyways, The Long Song had an interesting story. Actually I'll change that, it had the potential to be a very good story. Unfortunately the nattative of July and her son just wasn't up to scratch. The interjections throughout the book, whilst I assume they were there to guide the reader through a fairly lacklustre story, just distracted me and interrupted the flow of the story. I would have preferred to have missed out on July's "storytelling" and her refusal to tell the truth, and just read it like a normal book. I gather the interjections were meant to make the book feel more personal, and therefore more interesting, but it just failed at the execution of this.
The characters were underdeveloped, uninteresting, and the whole book seemed to drag on a little. I don't get what all the hype is about, but I'm willing to consider someone elses viewpoint on why they think this was a great book.
Alas.
Anyways, The Long Song had an interesting story. Actually I'll change that, it had the potential to be a very good story. Unfortunately the nattative of July and her son just wasn't up to scratch. The interjections throughout the book, whilst I assume they were there to guide the reader through a fairly lacklustre story, just distracted me and interrupted the flow of the story. I would have preferred to have missed out on July's "storytelling" and her refusal to tell the truth, and just read it like a normal book. I gather the interjections were meant to make the book feel more personal, and therefore more interesting, but it just failed at the execution of this.
The characters were underdeveloped, uninteresting, and the whole book seemed to drag on a little. I don't get what all the hype is about, but I'm willing to consider someone elses viewpoint on why they think this was a great book.
February 16, 2013
I liked the mother-daughter story about two women who grow up as slaves, and the cruel things they had to endure. In fact the first scene with Kitty, is what really drew me to the book. Later, Kitty's daughter, July (the main character) is introduced, along with Caroline (her mistress). The use of dialect added just enough spice to the book. Part of the book also captures the Emancipation Proclamation--a nicely added twist.
Partway through though, things get confusing with the introduction of too many characters who play minor roles. It's not until pg. 160 before you figure out how the narrator is tied to the story. It seemed as if most of the story should have stuck with those three women, and the narrator should have been Thomas Kinsman and not his mother.
Though I enjoyed July's placement in the story, I wanted to see more of her mother, Kitty. And Caroline was too ordinary, nothing special about her character (until a little bit at the end). I would have loved to learn more about Thomas.
Partway through though, things get confusing with the introduction of too many characters who play minor roles. It's not until pg. 160 before you figure out how the narrator is tied to the story. It seemed as if most of the story should have stuck with those three women, and the narrator should have been Thomas Kinsman and not his mother.
Though I enjoyed July's placement in the story, I wanted to see more of her mother, Kitty. And Caroline was too ordinary, nothing special about her character (until a little bit at the end). I would have loved to learn more about Thomas.
September 9, 2018
A beautiful, incredibly poignant and very witty book.
April 24, 2011
I sent this book to ApoloniaX for a birthday gift then decided i wanted my own copy. I've never read anything by Levy before and I picked this book because it deals with a fictional first hand account of slavery just prior to the abolition. I've read several books in this vein now and I have to say (apologies to all ardent Levy fans in advance) that this was the one which I found to be the least conpelling. Anyway below are a list of books, both fiction and non-fiction which I would recommend for anyone else who reads this book and wants to find out more about the history of slavery:
Slave Ship by Marcus Rediker
Sweet Water and Bitter by Sian Rees
African Voices of the Atlantic Slave Trade by Anne Bailey
The Book of Night Women by Marlon James
A Congo Chattel; The story of an African Slave Girl by Henry D Campbell
A Short History of Slavery by James Walvin
The Interesting narrative of Oloudah Equiano
Slave Ship by Marcus Rediker
Sweet Water and Bitter by Sian Rees
African Voices of the Atlantic Slave Trade by Anne Bailey
The Book of Night Women by Marlon James
A Congo Chattel; The story of an African Slave Girl by Henry D Campbell
A Short History of Slavery by James Walvin
The Interesting narrative of Oloudah Equiano
May 21, 2015
I like this very very much.. Perfectly portrays how black people suffered and how, after the years of slavery, they maintained their new lifestyle.. It's very nicely written and the text is very emotional, Andrea Levy did a great job with it; she conveyed the message and delivered it in a very nice and sensual way that i appreciate very very much
November 30, 2022
I didn't love this quite as much as Small Island but I decided to get the audio version after hearing rave reviews on Between the Covers. It doesn't disappoint.
Andrea Levy herself takes most of the parts involved and she was most definitely a very talented narrator as well as story teller.
The story follows the life of July, the daughter of a slave and overseer who is used and abused, as I imagine all slaves were, by her owners. (Even writing that word disgusts me). However July is a wily woman who uses her station to her own advantage more often than not. She is certainly able to twist several of her white owners round her little finger without too much trouble.
The story is told in retrospect by an older woman and (in very small part) by her son. The woman constantly moans about the son's insistence on using a recalcitrant ink pen and also his verbosity. The novel is certainly peppered with very funny/tragic moments. The scene where July's master dies is particularly funny when it shouldn't be.
All I can really say is that Andrea Levy is a fascinating story teller, the audio version is wonderful and I'd recommend this to any of her fans or simply those who enjoy a well told historical tale.
Andrea Levy herself takes most of the parts involved and she was most definitely a very talented narrator as well as story teller.
The story follows the life of July, the daughter of a slave and overseer who is used and abused, as I imagine all slaves were, by her owners. (Even writing that word disgusts me). However July is a wily woman who uses her station to her own advantage more often than not. She is certainly able to twist several of her white owners round her little finger without too much trouble.
The story is told in retrospect by an older woman and (in very small part) by her son. The woman constantly moans about the son's insistence on using a recalcitrant ink pen and also his verbosity. The novel is certainly peppered with very funny/tragic moments. The scene where July's master dies is particularly funny when it shouldn't be.
All I can really say is that Andrea Levy is a fascinating story teller, the audio version is wonderful and I'd recommend this to any of her fans or simply those who enjoy a well told historical tale.
June 23, 2012
From the first few pages, I knew I was going to get along well with both the book and with the protagonist and narrator, July. It has been a while since I have read a voice so vivid, so compelling, so funny but with such serious stories to tell.
As slavery comes to an end in Jamaica after an inconceivable 300 years, we learn about the life and times of July. House-slave on a sugar plantation with a fat and useless mistress, July overcomes a painful separation from her formidable field-slave mother, Kitty to somehow survive the brutality and injustice. As the tide of slavery turns, we see the white plantation owners struggle to keep their prosperity. We see 'good' Christian men bring their own insidious brand of racism in sheep's clothing.
Andrea Levy describes her book as 'most unexpected and surprising' and I would have to agree. I would never imagine that I could so thoroughly enjoy a book set at such a dark time with such dreadful acts being perpetrated. Of course, there were points in the book which I found hard to read and yet, July's wit and strength helped me through it. Although this is a work of fiction, it brought this era to life for me.
As slavery comes to an end in Jamaica after an inconceivable 300 years, we learn about the life and times of July. House-slave on a sugar plantation with a fat and useless mistress, July overcomes a painful separation from her formidable field-slave mother, Kitty to somehow survive the brutality and injustice. As the tide of slavery turns, we see the white plantation owners struggle to keep their prosperity. We see 'good' Christian men bring their own insidious brand of racism in sheep's clothing.
Andrea Levy describes her book as 'most unexpected and surprising' and I would have to agree. I would never imagine that I could so thoroughly enjoy a book set at such a dark time with such dreadful acts being perpetrated. Of course, there were points in the book which I found hard to read and yet, July's wit and strength helped me through it. Although this is a work of fiction, it brought this era to life for me.
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