An unforgettable novel that shimmers with the wonder and terror of its author's native Haiti. Set in the island's impoverished villages and in New ...
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Jun 12, 2007
Sammy
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*sigh* Okay, what did I think of the book, what did I think? Well, by my grade I'm sure you can tell I wasn't too fond of the book and didn't like it all that much. I wish I could leave it at that, but I'm a person who's solidly against criticisms without any sort of reason to back it up with. So... let's explain why I didn't really like it...
First of all, the story itself really didn't interest me at all. Sure there were moments that I couldn't put it down, but most of the time I wa More...
First of all, the story itself really didn't interest me at all. Sure there were moments that I couldn't put it down, but most of the time I wa More...
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Jan 03, 2009
Laureen
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Breath,Eyes,Memory by Edwidge Danticat was recommend to me by Nicole. This book, I don't know where to beginning. As I started reading the book I thought it would turn out to be like any other books but it didn't. This book is about the relationship between a mother and a daughter who had not seen each other for a long period of time. This book relates to me in so many ways. When Manman sees her daughter for the very first time she took her as like she was a fragile glass. As for Sophie, she did
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Jan 30, 2011
Dominic
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This is a quiet but beautiful book. While it may not shimmer with literary acrobatics, its prose is clear as water, and the narrative structure literally tugs the reader through it. Had I the time, I could have read this in one sitting. It's that effortless. And yes, Danticat was only 24 when she wrote it!
At times I wanted Danticat to take me deeper into the complex lives of this multi-generational circle of women and the unspoken pasts that haunt them. Many of the 35 chapters are More...
At times I wanted Danticat to take me deeper into the complex lives of this multi-generational circle of women and the unspoken pasts that haunt them. Many of the 35 chapters are More...
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Feb 01, 2008
Christa
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“She told me about a group of people in Guinea who carry the sky on their heads. They are the people of Creation. Strong, tall, and mighty people who can bear anything. Their Maker, she said, gives them the sky to carry because they are strong. These people do not know who they are, but if you see a lot of trouble in your life, it is because you were chosen to carry part of the sky on your head.”
“Tante Atie once said that love is like rain. It comes in a drizzle sometimes. The More...
“Tante Atie once said that love is like rain. It comes in a drizzle sometimes. The More...
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May 15, 2007
Casey
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This is a great, if disturbing, book. It's funny how an outsider's view of culture changes her own understanding of right and wrong. Let me clarify: because I was reading about Haitians in Haiti and then in New York (a group of people I'm not familiar with), I was less critical of certain characters' actions. I became, simply, an observer. Silly me. Because of this oversight, it didn't even occur to me that Sophie's mother was sexually abusing her. Maybe this is the point--in a certain co
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Jan 01, 2009
Carolyn
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Not the best editing job, but a good read nonetheless. Compared to the "Dew Breaker" (which seemed more like a collection of short stories, loosely connected as an afterthought) "Breath, Eyes, Memory" is much more interesting. I hate to side with Oprah, in fact I've had to reconsider the validity of the novel twice because of the prominent Oprah book club sticker, but yeah Oprah's right, it's a decent read. I wish I could give it a 3.5, but the book made me cry a little,
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Jun 27, 2011
Melissa
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"I come from a place where breath, eyes and memory are one, a place from which you carry your past like the hair on your head. Where women return to their children as butterflies or as tears in the eyes of the statues that their daughters pray to."
Breath, Eyes, Memory is a coming of age story focusing on Sophie Caco, a young girl growing up happily with her aunt in Haiti but then suddenly finds herself on a plane to New York, to reconnect with a mother who left her as an infa More...
Breath, Eyes, Memory is a coming of age story focusing on Sophie Caco, a young girl growing up happily with her aunt in Haiti but then suddenly finds herself on a plane to New York, to reconnect with a mother who left her as an infa More...
Jun 20, 2011
Molly
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I read this book to learn more about Haiti and by extension, our sister library in Haiti. One frightening theme of the book is the violent and heart-breaking sexism that many Haitian women struggle against. The book celebrates the closeness of women and their mothers, daughters and aunts while highlighting a disturbing practice wherein women insure the purity of their daughters by checking them with their fingers. Also,they listen to their pee because if they pee to loud they might have too much
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Jun 13, 2011
Jennifer
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This one will be on my memorable books list for this year. It is beautifully written. This is a story of Haiti, especially the women of Haiti. It is sweet and tender, and heartbreaking. It asks how a woman can be healed after unthinkable things have happened to her. How she can help passing her pain and sorrow on to her daughters, how she can be free.
Quotes:
There is a difference between what a person wants and what is good for them.
"Do you see that light moving More...
Quotes:
There is a difference between what a person wants and what is good for them.
"Do you see that light moving More...
Apr 04, 2011
Cherie
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I liked this book. I REALLY liked the beginning, but towards the end, I read it quicker, almost skimming.
I really enjoyed the beginning. The lush language, the lifestyle. I like how you don't exactly get things from the very start, but then things slowly unwind.
I hated how she goes back to a mother she doesn't know...and soon you realize why her mother didn't really want her in the first place. So sad.
The mother...a fucked up creature. I had a real issue dealing w/ More...
I really enjoyed the beginning. The lush language, the lifestyle. I like how you don't exactly get things from the very start, but then things slowly unwind.
I hated how she goes back to a mother she doesn't know...and soon you realize why her mother didn't really want her in the first place. So sad.
The mother...a fucked up creature. I had a real issue dealing w/ More...
Mar 15, 2011
Venessa
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I enjoyed this book, but was left wanting more. I don't think it was necessarily the fact that it was a short novel, because I enjoy short stories very much, I suppose I feel as if this was an unfinished draft. Some of the transitions were too abrupt: I turn one page and Sophie is twelve and then all of a sudden she is eighteen. Authors do this all the time, however it didn't quite work for me in this novel. I don't know much about Danticat, but from some brief research it looks like this was on
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Dec 07, 2010
Stasa
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This is from a combined response to three books I did for my current MFA program. I would separately note that while this is a fine book, it seems to be a bit over rated by many. It is a good story and it is well done, but it does not have the many layers that I expected, especially after reading Junot Diaz.
Response to Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat, Idoru by William Gibson, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Attempting a combined response w More...
Response to Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat, Idoru by William Gibson, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Attempting a combined response w More...
May 17, 2010
Rowland
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The Male World's Debilitating Obsession with Female Purity
The dominant culture's problematic obsession with female purity is best witnessed by the pair of Martine and Atie. Growing up, the sisters' purity was carefully guarded by the humiliating practice of testing. Yet Martine was raped at age sixteen, while Atie, betrayed by her fiancé, never married. Neither achieved the womanhood for which she was groomed, suggesting at first that this is the source of their unhappiness. But the More...
The dominant culture's problematic obsession with female purity is best witnessed by the pair of Martine and Atie. Growing up, the sisters' purity was carefully guarded by the humiliating practice of testing. Yet Martine was raped at age sixteen, while Atie, betrayed by her fiancé, never married. Neither achieved the womanhood for which she was groomed, suggesting at first that this is the source of their unhappiness. But the More...
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Apr 03, 2010
Kahena
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This is the second book I have read by Danticat and once again I am mesmerized by her writing. “Breath, Eyes, Memory” is a novel filled with passion as young girl tries to find herself and remain connected to her Haitian roots. The book can be seen as a coming of age novel, as Sophie, the main character, is forced to move to the United States after living with her aunt in Haiti for as long as she can remember. In this book, Sophie explores her heritage in order to understand why her mother treat
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Mar 19, 2010
Melissa
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Snapshot:
This novel of multiple generations of Haitian women can be read as a rebellion against the sexual oppression of women in that culture both by men and by other women. As the story’s main character, Sophie, struggles to understand the women who raise her -- her aunt, her mother, and to an extent, her grandmother, she is forced also to confront the fact that she was born after her mother was raped by a stranger (probably a member of a political gang, a so-called macoute), and also More...
This novel of multiple generations of Haitian women can be read as a rebellion against the sexual oppression of women in that culture both by men and by other women. As the story’s main character, Sophie, struggles to understand the women who raise her -- her aunt, her mother, and to an extent, her grandmother, she is forced also to confront the fact that she was born after her mother was raped by a stranger (probably a member of a political gang, a so-called macoute), and also More...
Nov 05, 2009
Bob
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In Breath, Eyes, Memory a young woman tells her tale of growing up in Haiti with her aunt and grandmother up until the age of 12. Then she is sent to live with her mother in New York City who left Haiti to try to escape the nightmares of her past and carve out a new life. After all those years, she was ready to bring her daughter with her.
The four women in this story are each strong and flawed in their own way. Each one relates to each other one in their own way. They love each other b More...
The four women in this story are each strong and flawed in their own way. Each one relates to each other one in their own way. They love each other b More...
Oct 07, 2011
AMillJax
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This book was an excellent picture of life for an immigrant who can feel confused about their life and how different their culture is from ours. I enjoyed the book immensely because it allowed me to see that it's not easy for immigrant children to come to our country and assimilate to our culture. Especially when you have issues such as sexual abuse. Sophie's mother didn't think that she was abusing her because it was what every mother had done to her child since the beginning of time. To us
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Dec 22, 2010
Saira
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I thought this was a beautiful story coming from a Haitian girl who has been struggling throughout her life. This novel contained a lot of information about the Haitian culture and traditions and I think that's nice when I learn one's customs because the United States is made up of people from other countries and its interesting to learn another's beliefs. I rated it four stars because a piece of it was about romance and I wasn't up for that but besides that it was really elusive because it show
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Jun 15, 2011
Mia
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This is the first time i have read any work by Edwidge Danticat and I was NOT disappointed. Danticat is a Hatian writer whose literary work will effortlessly surpass the work of counterparts! This book is the story of mother-daughter relationships, culture, violence and love! At the risk of sounding ignorant i was not familiar with culture or life in Haiti, so the extent of the violence it this land was shocking. Actions considered atrocities by American Standards is embraced as cultural norms
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Jan 30, 2010
Jamaica
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So I am unsure as to whether I thouroughly care for this book... this is rather hard to explain as I don't think I've ever felt this way after reading ... it's not that I don't like it-this feeling- but it is as though I don't particularly care for it much either...How to explain?
See, I care for the story, for the experience, for the brutality and love that's shared between the characters, and the overall message, and need to make people not only read about someone's personal story, More...
See, I care for the story, for the experience, for the brutality and love that's shared between the characters, and the overall message, and need to make people not only read about someone's personal story, More...
Jan 23, 2010
Chana
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I decided to read the only book that I have about Haiti after the terrible tragedy of the recent earthquake over there. I wanted, by reading this book, to say, "I care about the people of Haiti, I am not Haitian, but we are all G-d's people here on earth, and I care". I think some of my old neighbors in NMB were from Haiti and I pray for the welfare of their loved ones.
As for the reading experience of this book, I had some mixed feelings. Mothers and daughters, grandmothers, aun More...
As for the reading experience of this book, I had some mixed feelings. Mothers and daughters, grandmothers, aun More...
Feb 01, 2010
Rae
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I chose to read this book for class for a few reasons. One being, my professor talked about the author being from Haiti. I am going to Haiti for work in March as a translator and thought it would be a good idea to read this book as a sort of "background" project. As soon as I started reading, I was ultimately connected with Sophie. We were both born in other countries. We both "lost" our mothers at a young age (though she got hers back.) We both moved to America because our p
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Jan 16, 2010
Ms.Houseman
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I read this novel about a decade ago while I was in Haiti. If you are looking for a novel that will help you understand the culture of this country, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, during a time when the island nation is in the news, pick it up. I also recommend Graham Greene's The Comedians for a glimpse at what life was like in Haiti during the rule of Duvalier -- Papa Doc. The novel also highlights a time when people still considered Haiti a vacation destination. Greene's story is rife
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May 12, 2009
Mina
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I borrowed this book from my sister's bookshelf, because it looked so lost among her religious texts, the books from her history classes (especially the class on Nazism), and the relationship/self-improvement nonsense.
I read it, because it did not seem so long ago that I read The Dew Breaker. I read it, because within the first few pages of the first chapter, I found myself underlining loved phrases:
"She said the lottery was like love. Providence was not with her, but More...
I read it, because it did not seem so long ago that I read The Dew Breaker. I read it, because within the first few pages of the first chapter, I found myself underlining loved phrases:
"She said the lottery was like love. Providence was not with her, but More...
Jun 14, 2011
Andrea
rated it:
The protagonist of this story is raised by her aunt in Haiti, until her mother sends for her from New York and she must adjust to a new culture. It was a quick read. Danticat tells the story clearly and keeps the narrative flowing. I was a little disappointed, actually, that it seemed a more "shallow" book somehow than some of her others. The focus was on only one character's perspective and really focused mainly on one aspect of that character's experience, the way that gender sup
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Aug 08, 2011
How can such self-assured perfection belong to a first novel? Danticat offers her readers everything: spare, exquisite prose, page-turning plot trajectory, a unique glimpse both of Haiti and the immigrant experience, and if you want a good cry and SERIOUS catharsis, you'll find it here. Nothing in her writing is heavy-handed or dogmatic, despite the fact that Oprah's Book Club has claimed it. Each character is fully developed and utterly unique. What I found as moving as the final scene in
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Jun 17, 2010
This book is really intense. I never knew how much a person's past could dramatically affect their child's life. Sophie (the main character, protagonist) lives with her aunt her whole life in Haiti because her mother left for New York. Her mother was raped in Haiti and gives birth to Sophie. She wanted to abandon the memories. All of a sudden, Sophie's mother gives her a plane ticket and expects her to go to New York. Sophie has a strong bond with her aunt and didn't want to leave but she didn’t
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Apr 26, 2011
Meg
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Instead of grading and lesson planning (back to reality tomorrow!) I curled up and finished this book.
I acquired it when I went to a talk given by the author. She was delightful to hear in person.
I finally grabbed the book off my shelf, and started it (in order to avoid a textbook I am dragging myself through). The book is written as a memoir (but the characters are not real) and the book is beautifully written. It tells the story of a young girl who immigrates to NYC to jo More...
I acquired it when I went to a talk given by the author. She was delightful to hear in person.
I finally grabbed the book off my shelf, and started it (in order to avoid a textbook I am dragging myself through). The book is written as a memoir (but the characters are not real) and the book is beautifully written. It tells the story of a young girl who immigrates to NYC to jo More...
Dec 01, 2010
Gigi
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I loved this book. I first heard about the book from my cousin,and it sound very interesting, but didn't actually read it a few years later. When I read that book I felt consumed by it. I was able to relate to Sophie in a way that I had never been able to relate to any other literary character. Like Sophie I was also born in Haiti, and relocated to the US, leaving behind family and friends that I knew and loved, and then moving in with family that I barely knew. I was able to relate to a lot of
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Apr 28, 2010
Judy
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One of the wonders of the United States melting pot is its wide range of writers from other cultures who emigrate to America and write in English. This provides us with a built-in translation program carried out by the immigrants themselves with a lag of approximately one generation.
I decided to read Danticat in tribute to Haiti when the earthquake happened. Breath, Eyes, Memory is her first novel and while it is in part autobiographical, it is stunning. The style is plain and More...
I decided to read Danticat in tribute to Haiti when the earthquake happened. Breath, Eyes, Memory is her first novel and while it is in part autobiographical, it is stunning. The style is plain and More...
