A Rendezvous in Haiti

by Stephen Becker

When a peasent revolt erupts in 1919 Haiti and Caroline Barbour is taken hostage, Lieutenant McAllister and a Black priest penetrate rebel territory to save the woman he loves

Genres: Historical Fiction

237 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1987

About the author

Stephen Becker (1927–1999) was an American author, translator, and teacher whose published works include eleven novels and the English translations of many works, including Elie Wiesel’s The Town Behind the Wall and The Forgotten and André Malraux’s The Conquerors.

He was born in Mount Vernon, New York in 1927, and after serving in World War II, he graduated from Harvard University and studied in Peking and Paris, where he was friends with the novelist Richard Wright and learned French in part by reading detective novels. The recipient of Paul Harris and Guggenheim Fellowships and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Becker taught at numerous schools throughout the United States, including the University of Iowa, Bennington College, and the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

His best-known works include A Covenant with Death (1965), which was adapted into a Warner Brothers film starring Gene Hackman and George Maharis; When the War Is Over (1969), a Civil War novel based on the true story of a teenage Confederate soldier executed more than a month after Lee’s surrender; and the Far East trilogy of literary adventure novels: The Chinese Bandit (1975), The Last Mandarin (1979), and The Blue-Eyed Shan (1982).

Equally distinguished as a translator, a biographer, a commentator on the popular arts, and a novelist, Stephen Becker brings to his fiction a breadth of experience with world culture and human behavior which yields moral complexity and psychological verity in his work. Two major themes intertwine through his novels—the problems of justice and the necessity for self-knowledge and self-fulfillment.

Becker's examination of society's structure and limitations and his portrayal of men seeking "grace under pressure" is a significant contribution to contemporary fiction. The existential premises of the works—individuals finding meaning inside the arbitrary bounds of social order—reflect our acceptance of the civilization we have built.

Read more: Stephen (David) Becker Biography - JRank Articles http://biography.jrank.org/pages/4144...

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Daring Rescue in Haiti

Lt. Robert McAllister, a US Marine, is serving as an aide to Colonel George Barbour in WWI. He admires his much decorated colonel, but wants to get into the action himself. He’s also in love with Carolyn, the colonel’s daughter. After a week together in Paris, McAllister sees some action and a year later is sent to Haiti to put down a peasant uprising. Teddy Roosevelt uses his big stick philosophy to interfere in unstable countries in the Caribbean to protect the Panama Canal.

In love with McAllister, Carolyn follows him to Haiti, but instead of a romantic adventure with her lieutenant, she’s captured by the gorillas. McAllister rushes to save her, but the adventure turns out to be more difficult than he imagined.

I enjoyed the historical detail in this book, but it’s not one of Becker’s best. I liked A Covenant with Death much better.

This short book is long on historical detail and relatively short on character development. If you’re interested in this period, the book is worth reading, but if you’re looking for a love story, you may be disappointed.

I received this book from Open Road Media for this review.

[Dawn Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Rendezvous in Haiti by Stephen Becker

223 Pages
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media, Open Road Media
Release Date: January 12, 2016

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Kidnapping, Military

Lt. Bobby McAllister met Sgt. Louis Paul Blanchard in Belgium in1918. Blanchard was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Victoria Cross for his outstanding service. He made an impression on the senior officers. The following year McAllister is sent to Haiti to lead a team of marines. The Whites believed they were superior, and the native inhabitants were savages and should be treated as slaves. McAllister did not necessarily share these beliefs.

Blanchard is also in Haiti but for different reasons. He has made a life on the island with several women. Although he is white, he is accepted by the locals. He is friends with Boniface, a local prominent business owner and cock fighting organizer, and Martel, a guerilla leader. He is tired of the way the island is being overrun by the marines and wants to shake things up. He decides he is going to take a white person hostage, but not any white person. He is going to take Caroline Barbour, General Barbour’s daughter and the love interest of McAllister. He believes this will either keep the marines on base or will provide a most needed ransom.

When McAllister hears of Caroline’s kidnapping, he immediately takes action to get her back. He joins forces with Father Jean Baptiste. Together they travel the island looking for Blanchard and Caroline. They are heading towards Martel believing Blanchard would bring Caroline to him.

The book has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. The scenery is very descriptive, and the author does a good job making the reader feel immersed in the story. I had a hard time getting into the book, but once I did, I was committed.

[Maria Beltrami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sullo sfondo della prima guerra mondiale prima, e di una delle tante rivoluzioni che hanno insanguinato Haiti dopo, Caroline vive una vita straordinaria per una donna della sua epoca, e non solo perché è la figlia di un colonnello. Forte e indipendente, porta avanti la sua storia d'amore con un soldato che, per certi versi, sembra esserle inferiore, e non solo socialmente. Quando però la donna verrà rapita per motivi politici e, in una sorta di sindrome di Stoccolma si innamorerà del suo rapitore, a sua volta un eroe di guerra che però, dopo aver avuto i polmoni rovinati a Ypres ha deciso di diventare un mercenario piuttosto che continuare a fare il soldato, la vera tempra del fidanzato verrà fuori, perché a lui non serve una donna virtuosa, ma una che sappia piangere.
Un libro insolito e intrigante, con personaggi veramente "vivi".
Ringrazio Open Road Integrated Media e Netgalley per avermi fornito una copia gratuita in cambio di una recensione onesta.

Against the backgounr of World War first, and one of the many revolutions that have bloodied Haiti after, Caroline lives an extraordinary life for a woman of her time, and not just because she is a colonel's daughter. Strong and independent, pursuing her love affair with a soldier who, in some ways, seems to be less that her, and not only socially. But when the woman is kidnapped for political reasons and, in a sort of Stockholm syndrome she falls in love with her captor, himself a war hero, but that, after having had the lungs ruined in Ypres, has decided to become a mercenary rather than continue to be a soldier, the true character of her boyfriend will come out, because he does not need a virtuous woman, but one who knows how to cry.
An unusual and intriguing book, with truly "live characters".
I thank Open Road Integrated Media and Netgalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Katherine Wacker · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Steven Becker’s A Rendezvous in Haiti, Lt. Robert Macalister is in the country shortly after World War One to quell an uprising. When the rebel leader kidnaps the General’s daughter, Macalister’s love interest, the Lieutenant must go to extraordinary lengths and make unthinkable choices to get his lover out alive.



A Rendezvous in Haiti is exquisitely set in post-World War One. Becker expertly describes the squalid conditions in the island and weaves rich, historical, detail into the narrative. The storyline has potential, and there are some attractive elements. However, the plot has an uneven feel to it, and the dialogue is crass at times, giving the book a heavy feel. The climax of the novel feels flat because the love-interest aspect does not end sufficiently. In addition, readers may find the coarse language as well as some subject matter objectionable. As a result, it is difficult to recommend A Rendezvous in Haiti.







I was given a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Leslie Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth reading for blanchard’s description of war.

[Jay Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great on historic detail, but is limited in establishing the environment. I delayed writing a review to think and determine what the story was really about. The story shows in detail the results of exposure to violence and depravity. It could be a love story, but the net effect is to describe falling out of love. The story followed a linear time line to bring various specimens of humanity together. At the end, it just petered out. It makes for an interesting character study, but not a memorable book.

[Jay Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting combination of history, adventure and romance. Haiti of the 1800s is the stage for a drama that weaves together a strong marine, his lady love, and a bitter survivor of the first world war. It is not hard to guess what is coming as the story unfolds, but the writing provides tension, foreboding, and a conclusion that is remarkable for lack of resolution. I read it with great anticipation, and ended it with a groan. The book does a good job of capturing the environment of the time, and provides the details of a classic application of the Stockholm Syndrome.