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5th out of 9 books
—
6 voters
Jessamine
by
Eugenia O'Neal (Goodreads Author)
Jessamine tells the story of Grace Hylton, an African-American, who arrives on the Caribbean island of St. Crescens full of doubts about her husband’s political aspirations, doubts about her marriage and doubts about the wisdom of relocating. Her native-born husband, Julian, has lived most of his adult life in the States but has come back to St. Crescens, determined to pul...more
ebook
Published
June 2012
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I just finished this book last night, and I already wish I hadn’t. I know St. Crescens isn’t a real island, but it sure felt real. As a child, I lived in the Caribbean for three years, and as an adult, I’ve found my way back again and again. At the age of nine, living in Puerto Rico, I looked forward to the regular puddle-jumping seaplane rides over to St. Thomas. I looked forward to that, not only because I loved the people, the beaches, the stores, the neighborhoods, and the smell of the wind,...more
The Wall Have Secrets
Grace and Julian Hylton are married. Grace stayed in Philadelphia while Julian went back to the Caribbean island of St.Crescens,his home. St.Crescens is in turmoil. Julian is involved with the People's National Party. Grace gives up everything and moves to St.Crescens to be with her husband. Julian purchases an old home, Jessamine. Neither is aware that Jessamine is still inhabited by the ghost of a former resident.
Eugenia O'Neal’s “Jessamine” deals with violence, corruption...more
Grace and Julian Hylton are married. Grace stayed in Philadelphia while Julian went back to the Caribbean island of St.Crescens,his home. St.Crescens is in turmoil. Julian is involved with the People's National Party. Grace gives up everything and moves to St.Crescens to be with her husband. Julian purchases an old home, Jessamine. Neither is aware that Jessamine is still inhabited by the ghost of a former resident.
Eugenia O'Neal’s “Jessamine” deals with violence, corruption...more
Jessamine is a fascinating story that uses alternate POV’s of Arabella and Grace to tell dual stories reflecting the past and present day. Grace moves to the island of St. Crescens to support her husband Julian in his political ambition to become the new Prime Minister. But when she arrives on the island, she is met with hostility from the locals and Julian’s own grandmother. And event though Julian, an accomplished architect, ha renovated the old Jessamine estate, the house still holds traces o...more
Miss O’Neal’s novel is a story of tragic love, greed and political rivalry fought on one island in two different centuries. The two women have very different voices and the author portrays the starkness of the 19th century as opposed to the more enlightened, but equally segregated 21st very well. I found Arabella’s voice to be the strongest and her story the more touching and tragic, but maybe this is because it is clear from the beginning that she needs Grace’s help to gain closure to her life....more
I've been on a historical fiction kick lately, and looking for more and more to gobble up. Jessamine was recommended to me by the author and I wasn't sure what to expect when I began reading.
Grace Hylton, has joined her husband, Julian on the island of St. Crescens. Where he's determined to overthrow the current political regime with a new political party developed with the citizens interest and well being in mind. As she adjusts to the island past and present collide causing her to question, i...more
Grace Hylton, has joined her husband, Julian on the island of St. Crescens. Where he's determined to overthrow the current political regime with a new political party developed with the citizens interest and well being in mind. As she adjusts to the island past and present collide causing her to question, i...more
A wonderful story about political conflict, corruption and racism. Grace not only faces moving to a small island after living in America but she has to come to terms with the small-minded community. Even though Grace is black, she is an outsider and seen as different by the wives of her husband's political party associates and friends. Even Julian's grandmother is rude to Grace initially until Grace starts to uncover the family history. Jessamine was owned by the island's British administrator i...more
3.5 Stars
The combination of the cover and the synopsis of Jessamine made me think that I was about to read a scary ghost story. While is a ghost story, it's not scary. It's more two women trying to fit into a small island, St. Crescens. The women, Arabella (the ghost) and Grace are outsiders and move to St. Crescens for different reasons. But they both find it hard to fit into St. Crescens society.
Jessamine was filled with all my favorite elements. It had strong female characters, historical fic...more
The combination of the cover and the synopsis of Jessamine made me think that I was about to read a scary ghost story. While is a ghost story, it's not scary. It's more two women trying to fit into a small island, St. Crescens. The women, Arabella (the ghost) and Grace are outsiders and move to St. Crescens for different reasons. But they both find it hard to fit into St. Crescens society.
Jessamine was filled with all my favorite elements. It had strong female characters, historical fic...more
Jessamine by Eugenia O’Neal is an intoxicating blend of mystery, history, and romance of two women linked by history but separated by time. American Grace Hylton is both excited and nervous about relocating to the Caribbean island, St. Crescens. She is excited about seeing her husband, Julian, after a six-month separation, yet nervous on what this next stage in her life will bring. Architect Julian Hylton is pleased that his wife will be by his side as he pursues his dream to lead his country ou...more
Grace Hylton is an African-American woman married to a man, Julian, from the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Crescens. Grace moves to the island to be with her husband who is running for election. Soon afterwards, Grace starts getting visits by a ghost of a woman who died over a century before and decides to help solve a mystery.
I really enjoyed this book. Having visited the Caribbean and lived in the tropics for some years the descriptions of the nature as well as the quirky "country folk"...more
I really enjoyed this book. Having visited the Caribbean and lived in the tropics for some years the descriptions of the nature as well as the quirky "country folk"...more
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This is a lovely piece of historical fiction set on the fictive island of St Crescens split between the points of view of Arabella, a white woman who went there as a governess in the late 1800s, and Grace a modern black woman who has moved there with her native-born husband. Dirty politics, racial tensions, a mystery, and historical tragedies all weave together beautifully. I quite enjoyed it.
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Literary Fiction ...: Jessamine, a novel of the Caribbean | 1 | 33 | Jun 23, 2012 05:53am |
Eugenia O'Neal's first book, From the Field to the Legislature: A History of Women in the Virgin Islands, was published by Greenwood Press in 2001. Since then she has published four novels, Just an Affair, Dido's Prize, Jessamine and The Water of Sunlight.
More about Eugenia O'Neal...
Sep 29, 2012 05:52pm