The Long Song
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| Author | Andrea Levy |
|---|---|
| Country | America |
| Language | English |
| Subject | War |
| Genre | War |
| Set in | Jamaica |
| Published | 2010 |
| Publisher | Charnwood |
| Pages | 416 |
| Awards | Notable Book of the Year, Walter Scott Prize |
| ISBN | 0-7553-5941-0 |
| OCLC | 812984161 |
The Long Song is an historical novel by Andrea Levy published in 2010 that was the recipient of the Walter Scott Prize.
Plot summary
The Long Song is written as though a memoir by an elderly Jamaican lady, living in early nineteenth century Jamaica during the end of the years of slavery and the transition into the start of freedom that took place thereafter. It tells the tale of a young slave girl, July, who lives at Amity – a sugarcane plantation. She went through the 1831 Baptist War, and then lived through the beginning of freedom. Her mother, Kitty, is also portrayed in it as well as the negroes working on the plantation land and the owner of the plantation – the white lady Caroline Mortimer.[1]
Themes
The themes of the book incorporate: how it feels being an immigrant Jamaican, racism, black versus white, landlord versus tenant, slavery and its abolition, slave uprisings, rape, 1831 Baptist War, the clergy and love triangles.
Acclaim
According to Kate Kellaway in The Observer, "Levy has researched the novel meticulously… Levy has a talent for crowd control, ensemble work, comic timing."[2] The Boston Globe reviewer described it as: “at once defiant, funny, and shocking…leav[ing] its reader with a newly burnished appreciation for life, love, and the pursuit of both."[3]
Tayari Jones wrote: “Andrea Levy's insightful and inspired fifth novel, The Long Song, reminds us that she is one of the best historical novelists of her generation…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…Her refusal to reduce her characters to merely their suffering does not trivialize the experience of enslavement, but underscores the humanity of all involved."[4]
According to Fernanda Eberstadt, “Levy's novelistic defense against evil and injustice is her humane sense of comedy. In The Long Song, she has painted a vivid and persuasive portrait of Jamaican slave society, a society that succeeded with bravery, style and strategic patience both to outsmart its oppressors and to plant the seeds of what is today a culture celebrated worldwide.”[5]
Amanda Craig described the book as being “above all the female version of emancipation, told in vivid, vigorous language in which comedy, contempt and a fierce poetry are at work ….”[6] Holly Kyte wrote: Levy’s handling of slavery is characteristically authentic, resonant and imaginative. She never sermonises. She doesn’t need to—the events and characters speak loud and clear for themselves.”[7]
Awards
It was a finalist for the 2010 Man Booker Prize. The New York Times Book Review awarded it the Notable Book of the Year award. It was the recipient of the 2011 Walter Scott Prize.[8]
References
- ↑ "The Long Song by Andrea Levy". Good Reads. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ↑ Kellaway, Kate (7 February 2010). "The Long Song by Andrea Levy". The Observer. London. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ↑ "Overview". Barnes and Noble. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ↑ Jones, Tayari. "Book review: 'The Long Song,' by Andrea Levy". Washington Post. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ↑ Eberstadt, Fernanda. "When Jamaica Lost Its Chains". New York Times. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ↑ Craig, Amanda. "The Long Song by Andrea Levy: review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ↑ "Product Description". Book Depository. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ↑ "Overview". Barnes and Noble. Retrieved 12 March 2015.