Home Stretch

by Velma Pollard

David and Edith are happy to return home to Jamaica, having spent several dreary years living in England. Laura, their niece and surrogate child, is delighted to see them again. But for Brenda, Laura's friend, arriving home from the USA and England to 'find herself', the adjustment is not so smooth...In Homestretch, Velma Pollard has shown great sensitivity in the unravelling of her characters' various life stories. Wistful notalgia and joyful homecoming are delicately interwoven with tangible descriptions of Jamaican life, both past and present.

189 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1994

About the author

Velma Pollard was a Jamaican poet and fiction writer. Among her most noteworthy works are Shame Trees Don't Grow Here (1991) and Leaving Traces (2007). She was known for the melodious and expressive mannerisms in her work. She was the sister of Erna Brodber.

Reviews

[Ren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edith and David migrated to England, where they lived and worked for about thirty years. Finally, they've decided to move back home to their little village in Jamaica. They are met by their niece, Laura, who has also lived in England for many years and is now living in Kingston. With their return comes an intertwining of characters who all, in different ways, share their stories of migration and return: their fears, their hopes and their reality.

This novel is an all-inclusive island tour with familiar sights and sounds: Jamaican breakfasts, village churches, city bars, the same telling street names, beach hotels and traditional fairs. It's the Jamaica that we love.

What would have made it better is the development of the plot. Clearly, the setting and the characters could have made for an intriguing plot but what we get is more of a highly condensed narrative with little development; streams of consciousness help to fill us in on details about past events/developments in the characters' lives rather than the reader seeing the events unfold. The result is plain frustration but for anyone who knows Jamaica, especially for Caribbean people living abroad, this novel is a lovely walk down memory lane.

[Harmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

My High School Novel.

[Wangũi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the book is about:

David and Edith are happy to return home to Jamaica, having spent several dreary years living in England. Laura, their niece and surrogate child, is delighted to see them again. But for Brenda, Laura's friend, arriving home from the USA and England to 'find herself', the adjustment is not so smooth...In Homestretch, Velma Pollard has shown great sensitivity in the unravelling of her characters' various life stories. Wistful notalgia and joyful homecoming are delicately interwoven with tangible descriptions of Jamaican life, both past and present.

[Maurice Kariuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome read..if anything we should borrow a leaf from the old couple!

[Lali · Rating 2 out of 5]

A love letter to Jamaica.

[Johnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book few years ago back in high school and its still fresh on my mind. It was indeed Jamaica's love letter. Loved it.

[MEDA MUTAI · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it.....I read the book while in campus it's really a great work of art

[Ally]

thrilling book from Jah-land

[Maiyo Alex]

I THOUGHT YOU WANT TO GIVE ME THE REAL STORY OF THE BOOK