Lucy
by Jamaica Kincaid
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 426)
Read in May, 2008
I have read other Jamaica Kincaid novels and loved them, and I would love to teach her but haven't found the right place for doing so, particularly because Kincaid's style is quite abrasive. When I found out LUCY is about an au pair, I thought it might make a great companion to JANE EYRE, esp since Kincaid is clearly influenced by Bronte. Then, almost as soon as I started reading it, I came across the following passage, which I found completely awesome, but which is the kind of thing that I woul...more
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recommended to Samantha by:
Gloria
I read this when I was about 14 and hated it. The main character, Lucy, was so relentlessly hostile I found her completely unsympathetic. Then a few years later I started to really like my memory of the book. I re-read it and thought it was brilliant. Lucy is, so angry, but I love her for it. This is an unsentimental political novel that manages to elude dogmatism or hyperbole. It's about colonialism, imported labor, women's work, family and sexuality, but power and 'goodness' are shiftin...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in March, 2008
This book was a great example of the old writing professor adage, "Consciousness can be action." The reader is planted firmly in the mind of Lucy, a 19-year-old au pair from the West Indies whose working with a family in New York City.
From the first page I was taken in to this book because the protagnoist wasn't sketched in a way that was likeable. Interesting choice. Instead she is angry, and has much reason to be, from being devalued by her mother because of her gender, to the c...more
From the first page I was taken in to this book because the protagnoist wasn't sketched in a way that was likeable. Interesting choice. Instead she is angry, and has much reason to be, from being devalued by her mother because of her gender, to the c...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommended to Josh by:
Theresarecommends it for: People interested in domestic work, immigration, or the West Indies
In this fictional narrative loosely based on her own life, Kincaid dissects gender, economic, familial, and international relations from the rarely-viewed perspective of an immigrant au pair. The book follows Lucy from her birthplace in the West Indies to New York City where she mediates the tensions between her gender, sexuality, race, citizenship, past, present, and future in a short and fast-moving book.
Brevity is both a strength and weakness for pieces at this bloated-novella length (abo...more
Brevity is both a strength and weakness for pieces at this bloated-novella length (abo...more
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Read in January, 1996
Lucy has a great line: "I wish I could love someone so much that I would die from it.” But what makes the line so great really is the context. Lucy is fascinating and emotionally complex, and I remember her saying this surprised me because it was so intense and open but also suddenly made the character click for me as a whole. I guess it may have humanized her. This is the only book of Jamaica Kincaid's I've really enjoyed.
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Read in February, 2008
This was for class, but I really enjoyed it. Kincaid has the same kind of smooth, seamless prose as, say, Jhumpa Lahiri, but with a good measure of texture under the surface. The main character is so very, very 19-years-old, which is an aspect that's hard to teach to 19-year-olds, but rings true for those of us looking back on it.
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Dominique by:
school assignmentrecommends it for: mature biography/journey story readers
Lucy was a very good book. It described the journey of a young women gaining her independence, detail for detail. It had a few grahic scenes ,but overall the book was on track. It told the story in a very organized way. It kept me interested and I was able to follow along. It was a remarkable journey and I would recommend it.
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Read in April, 2008
This is not the easiest read but it is still enjoyable. The reader will spend a lot of time in the narrator's head (which calls into questions about whether or not the narrator is reliable). Kincaid is a skilled writer and this comes out in the novel. This is my first novel by her but I am looking for more.
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
eh...
Well-written. The character is a captivating puzzle, and the reader has a curious relationship with her; one feels bad from her, but in a distant way, like the way one feels bad for an alcoholic. The story is no great shakes.
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I probably loved this novel, but the fact that I couldn't remember having read it until the author's name was mentioned in a presentation on identity issues in postmodernism this evening means I can't rate it any higher.
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Read in April, 2007
This is the story of a young woman leaving home and dealing with her introduction into society and coming to grips with her family (or lack thereof), sexuality, and, well, herself in general. Great book!
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An interesting novel, told through the perspective of a Caribbean born young woman of mixed race who becomes the nanny for a fairly affluent blond-haired, blue-eyed family in New York.
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I read this book in college so I don't totally remember it, but for some reason, the feeling I had reading it has always stayed with me. Too bad I can't remember why...
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Read in January, 1995
recommends it for:
women with 'mother issues'
My second favorite book of all time. The value is sentimental to me, but I do find the writing and story (besides themes I highly relate to) to be excellent.
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Read in March, 2002
recommends it for:
er'ybody
I forgot how much I love this book. Her writing here may not be as refined as it is in her later books but this one is really powerful and relatable.
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recommends it for:
anyone; people with mommy issues.
I've never felt more affinity with any other character from any other book than I did with Lucy. Good read, fast and well worth it. Highly recommended.
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Read in January, 2005
"Lucy" demonstrates what life is for a strong West Indian girl and the story reminded me that there are always more to everyone than meets the eye.
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This story could be a little risque, but it was sweet. It was sad, but uplifting at the same time. It's a short one so u should pick it up.
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Read in January, 2004
For anyone who hates their parents but isn't as eloquent as Jamaica Kincaid. This is a pretty awesome book. Got some very memorable quotes.
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Read in February, 2007
meh...it was short so it went quickly. but at the end i wasn't sure what the point of it was. or if i learned anything from it.
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