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The Second Life of Samuel Tyne
by
Esi Edugyan
Suspenseful and atmospheric, this extraordinary novel portrays both the hardship and grace in the life of a man struggling to realize his destiny.
When Samuel Tyne emigrated from the Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1955, he was determined to accomplish great things. He excelled at Oxford and then came to Canada with the uncle who raised him, leaving the traditions and hard life o...more
When Samuel Tyne emigrated from the Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1955, he was determined to accomplish great things. He excelled at Oxford and then came to Canada with the uncle who raised him, leaving the traditions and hard life o...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
March 8th 2005
by Vintage Canada
(first published 2004)
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i have figured out all the low ratings on this book. it is "sad." that seems to be the major complaint about this book. its sadness.
well.
shrug.
i mean, yeah, this is a sad book. a very very sad book. and for those of you who like books in which an ambitious character gets everything they want and ends up happy as can be with their family and their reputation intact, this would definitely be a two-star book for you.
because the reality of the immigrant experience and the demands of family upon a...more
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The language was excellent, and the context was interesting. The writer is very gifted. The story line was unrelentingly sad, with only the slightest notes of hope in the end. It is a story of people--and relationships--falling apart. Given that I finished the book in one day, there must have been some part of me enjoying it, which is why I gave it three stars, despite my initial inclination to give it two. I was very curious to find out what was the real story with the twins and what further ha...more
****SPOILER ALERT****
The story of Samuel Tyne and his family is painfully drawn out into a full length novel that should have remained a short story. Granted, I don’t even know if this novel started as a short story but I hope it did. A glaring lack of drama makes this book long winded and disappointing.
The characters between the covers of Edugyan’s book are deficient. They are deficient not in their ability’s or personalities in the story itself, but they are void of depth and substance. Edugy...more
The story of Samuel Tyne and his family is painfully drawn out into a full length novel that should have remained a short story. Granted, I don’t even know if this novel started as a short story but I hope it did. A glaring lack of drama makes this book long winded and disappointing.
The characters between the covers of Edugyan’s book are deficient. They are deficient not in their ability’s or personalities in the story itself, but they are void of depth and substance. Edugy...more
"The Second Life of Samuel Tyne" by Esi Edugyan stood on my bookshelf for a long time before I dared reading it. I liked Half Blood Blues so much, I feared it would not live up to it.
I must have waited long enough then, because I loved this book. Very moody and quite different in style this book takes us from 1968 Calgary to Aster, a small community in Canada, where Samuel Tyne and his family try to make a new start. The newcomers are welcomed into the community as much as one would expect, wit...more
I must have waited long enough then, because I loved this book. Very moody and quite different in style this book takes us from 1968 Calgary to Aster, a small community in Canada, where Samuel Tyne and his family try to make a new start. The newcomers are welcomed into the community as much as one would expect, wit...more
I wanted to like this book. Her previous book, Half-BLOOD BLUES, was very good. This one attempts too much. Ir is a complicated due to the uniqueness of the setting.We meet a family that has been a part of immagration from Ghana to the Alberta Canada area.The author spends time giving background to the history of this and its effects on the life of Samuel and his family. There were too many story lines and they did not move the story.HE has twin daughters who seem to be brilliant but flawed . Th...more
I often fuss about about there not being enough narratives featuring non-stereotypical black people; yet, when I encounter a story like this one, I feel ambivalent because I still want the characters to feel heroic and colorful. I want the characters to have righteous comebacks for pushy people. I want the characters to be good parents. I don't want their children to be weird and unlikable. Esi Edugyan has painted a story of subdued personalities in a world both earthy and ethereal. It is beauti...more
After reading Half Blood Blues by the same author, I was confident that this novel would be good. And I was proved right.
It is a simple story about a man who decides to start a new life with his family in a small town, in order to pursue his life long passion. Unfortunately things do not go as planned and a series of mishaps and conflicts set this family up for a tragic end.
Esi Edugyan tells the story well using simple language and references, making it easy for the reader to relate to the char...more
It is a simple story about a man who decides to start a new life with his family in a small town, in order to pursue his life long passion. Unfortunately things do not go as planned and a series of mishaps and conflicts set this family up for a tragic end.
Esi Edugyan tells the story well using simple language and references, making it easy for the reader to relate to the char...more
I looked forward to reading this, as I had enjoyed Half Blood Blues by the same author.
It was a disappointment. While the description and figurative language was compelling in parts, on the whole it was inconsistent. Sometimes it was insightful, but at other times it seemed over done. It was very emotionally dark and the storyline bordered on the absurd. I would not have finished it had it not been on my book club list. I will not recommend it.
It was a disappointment. While the description and figurative language was compelling in parts, on the whole it was inconsistent. Sometimes it was insightful, but at other times it seemed over done. It was very emotionally dark and the storyline bordered on the absurd. I would not have finished it had it not been on my book club list. I will not recommend it.
This is a book that has a slow moving story, but it keeps you interested from beginning to end. You get a chance to bond with each character and care about what happens to them. Except the twins. They are an enigma, as they are meant to be. My only complaint is not knowing which of the twins we are with at the end of the book.
I came close to quitting on this book. I just kept going because I didn't have another book handy. In the end I realized that it wasn't just okay, I actually didn't like it. The characters had no depth at all. They had so little dimension that when bad things happened, I felt no sympathy at all. Clearly not worth the time spent.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Apr 08, 2013
Cheryl Swanson
added it
I am struggling to get through this book. The characters are flawed and illicit very little compassion from me. I wonder if the struggles they experience in small town Alberta are a true reflection of the times or the authors interpretation.
The problem I had was the twin girls. They had their own language and were untrustworthy psychos. I was intrigued by what was going to happen...but alas, I was unable to finish the story. :(
Seldom do I read a book in one sitting and rarely am I haunted by the characters afterwards, but this was the case for Esi Edugyan's The Second Life of Samuel Tyne. It is masterfully written and touching.
"He was really like two men at this point, for no single life seemed right for him. He felt himself to be much more than what others gave him credit for, than what he gave himself credit for, than what life was letting him be. There was such feeling in him, in all of us, he thought, and what ki...more
"He was really like two men at this point, for no single life seemed right for him. He felt himself to be much more than what others gave him credit for, than what he gave himself credit for, than what life was letting him be. There was such feeling in him, in all of us, he thought, and what ki...more
I am now fervently praying that I never give birth to twins.
much ado about nothing....
Not so good - don't bother
het leven van immigranten in canada .... mooi en oerdegelijk verhaal over hoop !
The story of a Caribbean immigrant to Canada and his family who gradually lose their way as the adolescent confusion of Samuel's twin daughters turns inward toward destruction.
I didn't finish this, if I'm honest; I read half and then flicked through to the end. There was nothing really wrong with it - it just simply wasn't my thing.
It should be noted that my reviews reflect my personal tastes. This was a wonderfully written book, but it was too depressing to want to read again.
The language was really beautifully crafted but the story so dark, morose and scary.
I'm not saying it's not a good book. It was just really, really depressing.
Jun 02, 2013
Nell
marked it as to-read
Jun 01, 2013
Maggie
marked it as to-read
May 27, 2013
Writing
marked it as to-read
May 26, 2013
Kanita Carington-McDonald
marked it as to-read
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Esi Edugyan has a Masters in Writing from Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars. Her work has appeared in several anthologies, including Best New American Voices 2003, ed. Joyce Carol Oates, and Revival: An Anthology of Black Canadian Writing (2006).
Her debut novel, The Second Life of Samuel Tyne, was published internationally. It was nominated for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, was a More Book Lust se...more
More about Esi Edugyan...
Her debut novel, The Second Life of Samuel Tyne, was published internationally. It was nominated for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, was a More Book Lust se...more
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