The Fifth Figure

by Jean Binta Breeze

Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze was a popular Jamaican Dub poet and storyteller
whose performances were so powerful she has been called a 'one-woman
festival'. The Fifth Figure is a book-length sequence mixing
poetry and prose which chronicles the lives of five generations of
Caribbean and Black British women of mixed ancestry.

Part novel, part poem, part family memoir, its structure is based on
the Jamaican quadrille, a hybrid version of the dance brought from
Europe by the island’s former colonial masters. Beginning in the late
19th century with her great-great grandmother’s first quadrille, Breeze
tells a many-layered tale of love and betrayal, innocence and suffering,
hardship and joy over a hundred years as each mother sees her daughter
join a dance that shapes her life.

The Fifth Figure was her sixth book, and saw Breeze breathing
new life into the dramatic monologue. Steeped in the history of Jamaica,
the book develops the possibilities of narrative, voice and rhythm,
offering an eloquent and empowering vision of Caribbean lives and
culture.


In 2011 Bloodaxe published Jean 'Binta' Breeze's Third World Selected Poems , a DVD-book selection of new and previously published work with live performances on the accompanying DVD. This does include work from The Fifth Figure , which remains available as a separate edition, nor the later collection, The Verandah Poems (2016).

Genres: Poetry

82 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2007

About the author

Jean "Binta" Breeze MBE (born 1956) is a Jamaican dub poet, and storyteller. She has worked also as a theatre director, choreographer, actor and teacher. She has performed her work around the world, in the Caribbean, North America, Europe, South-East Asia and Africa, and been called "one of the most important, influential performance poets of recent years".

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Rosanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually don't summarize what I read- somehow that doesn't fall into my definition of a review. I'll make an exception in this case, since so few of us have read/reviewed this book.

In The Fifth Figure you hear from five generations of women. The quadrille, a dance, is the framework of the storyline and the lives. Each generation equates to a figure, of which there are five. The work is based in rural Jamaica.

That's all the summary you're getting, since I have no intention of spoiling it for potential readers.

As for my actual review, there's something else I have to get out of the way first.

"We going to dance until we laughter / Wear out all the pain"

Now that that's said and done, while thinking of what I would say in my review of this skinny little book the dialogue in my head went something like this: "Now THAT is poetry! But I can't say a poem is poetry on Goodreads. (Mr. Obvious is obvious, right?) But you can feel it. It's got rhythm." To be only 80 pages long, this book packs a punch. Poignant. Not easily forgotten. As I read, I was engulfed by the rhythm. You can feel what you're reading as you're reading it. I liked her style 100 percent. The shifts, the beat, the atmosphere. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is certain aspects of the content that I won't disclose (no spoilers!) made me uncomfortable, which I never like.

So, hats off to you, Mrs. Breeze. What a quality piece of art you have given us. Thank you!

Also, thanks Martine for recommending this read. It's a good read!

[Martine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A popular Jamaican Dub poet and storyteller, Jean “Binta” Breeze, composes such a powerful and inspiring narrative in The Fifth Figure that is has been placed on my all-time favorites list. This is not an easy task as I am quite picky about how I spend my time. No one wants to waste valuable hours in their day reading a subpar book. If it says anything to you this is my third year in a row reading this book-length mixture of prose and poetry (trust me, it speaks volumes). Each time I read this book I have difficulty putting it down, because it has a way of touching me personally and pulling me in–heart, mind, and soul.

Part memoir, part poem, and part novel, its structure is based on the Jamaican quadrille, a folk dance brought to the island by Europeans. This moving narrative chronicles the lives of five generations of Caribbean women of mixed ancestry, beginning in the late 19th-century. Using these women to symbolize the five figures of the quadrille, Breeze painstakingly paints a dramatic portrait of each woman’s experience with love, the loss of innocence, the pain of betrayal, forgiveness, and the restoration of hope and joy. Each woman, a mother, lives to see her daughter complete the next figure of the quadrille, the dance that has not only shapes the storyline, but the performance of which is profoundly significant to their lives.

This book is an eloquent and powerful piece of literature. It offers a voice and a rhythm often lacking in what is often mistakenly deemed as good writing. I am moved by Breeze’s approach and the possibilities of narrative. To say I can empathize with each woman would be a fallacy. It would be more truthful for me to say that Breeze creates such a familial atmosphere in her writing that I found myself delivered above the mere emotion of sympathy. I yearned for, and with these women. I long to be in the same room with the women I see when I read this book. These are really women, who understand the meaning of motherhood.

I encourage everyone–EVERYONE, who has a couple of spare hours (that’s all you’ll need) in their day to pick up this empowering vision of the feminine spirit and Caribbean culture. It is truly amazing how open your will find your spirit when you are done reading this book. I do not doubt that it will become one of your favorites as well. Furthermore, I have no doubts that you too will probably long to have the world around you welcome these women, not to mention the oh-so-handsome Gobi as well.

[Katherine Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful dance between 5 generations. Cleverly written onto a cleverly woven tapestry of family, generational curses, and learning what is most important.

[Ella]

that last section was perfection