tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1483877654474162845.post7609262228956171946..comments2023-07-10T01:17:13.383+10:00Comments on Brona's Books: Sugar Money by Jane HarrisBronahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11110584237325026052noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1483877654474162845.post-2690909722250587532018-06-23T21:48:20.385+10:002018-06-23T21:48:20.385+10:00Thank you for your kind offer Jane.
I've thoro...Thank you for your kind offer Jane.<br />I've thoroughly enjoyed our email correspondence and learnt much about how this book came to be. I'm glad that your time at the Grenada Museum with the curator and meeting the locals helped you to feel confident in taking on this little known story and bringing it to a wider audience. <br />Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions.Bronahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11110584237325026052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1483877654474162845.post-62545334204023600542018-06-15T18:35:06.482+10:002018-06-15T18:35:06.482+10:00Thanks for this thoughtful review which someone sh...Thanks for this thoughtful review which someone shared on Twitter, which is how I found it. Feel free to ask me any questions you like. Jane Harris.Jane Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14247696630139079283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1483877654474162845.post-16651968111332069662018-06-13T10:15:48.524+10:002018-06-13T10:15:48.524+10:00I did try to find out more about this before writi...I did try to find out more about this before writing my post Mae, but there was so much differing opinion, that I couldn't work it out. <br />****SPOILER ALERTS AHEAD****<br />The Guardian's lead line said, 'slavery obscured by a rollicking adventure' & they thought the tone was too light for such a sombre topic. Whereas I found the light tone made the ending even more harrowing. The lightness came from Lucien's voice - a typical teen full of bravado, self-importance and that sense of thinking they know everything there is to know about everything!<br /><br />The Irish Times said, 'vivid depiction of Caribbean slavery' & 'Like their beloved fictional cousin the unreliable narrator, the inadequate narrator of a novel draws the reader into a tale by forcing them to take an active role in the plot.<br /><br />The reader must themselves deduce what the narrator can’t understand.'<br />Harris uses this literary device well - the reader inserts what they already know about slavery into the gaps of Lucien's narrative. <br /><br />The Spectator went with the lead, ' A tall and true tale from Grenada' & 'Harris read Beverley Steele’s Grenada: A History of its People and first came across the story of an enslaved man charged by his masters to steal fellow slaves from their enemy. The historical original embarked on his mission without an accomplice but, having worked on two previous novels with ‘solitary protagonists’, Harris has said she wanted to place close relationships at the centre of this book. One of the most moving aspects of the novel is the relationship between the siblings.'<br /><br />The Sydney Morning Herald said it was an, 'uneasy slavery novel about slavery' & finished by asking (but not answering) 'does the historical truth suffer from being appropriated and bent out of shape in the service of fiction?'<br /><br />The Huffington Post 'With a richness of historical detail, wry wit, and subtle characterization reminiscent of Hilary Mantel, Harris bridges the distance of centuries, to the slave plantations of eighteenth century Grenada.'<br /><br />I'm glad I had basically written my post before I went looking for these, otherwise I may never have written anything at all! Authenticity doesn't seem to be in doubt, but lots of (white?) reviewers have debated the cultural appropriation aspect. And I was certainly impressed by the quality of the research, but spent ages trying to find out which bits were real and which bits fictional. Jane Harris' author site (link in post above) had the most detailed info on this in the end.Bronahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11110584237325026052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1483877654474162845.post-8448164394279108582018-06-13T04:45:36.610+10:002018-06-13T04:45:36.610+10:00You wrote: "Issues around white appropriation...You wrote: "Issues around white appropriation of a black story are bound to be raised when a slave narrative is written by a young white woman - is this just a softer version of the greed, manipulation and disregard that allowed slavery to occur in the first place?" <br /><br />Good point. A more pressing issue to me is the quality of research that the author achieved. Is this a story that too glibly fulfills modern readers' expectations and prejudices (or well-meaning pre-judgements)? Does the author really have evidence for whatever thoughts and feelings are attributed to the characters? Are details portrayed accurately, for example the minutiae of everyday life? These are the things I would like to know before reading a historical novel, and are the ones that are often messed up.<br /><br />best... mae at maefood.blogspot.comMae Travelshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13328946930935633113noreply@blogger.com