Green Cane and Juicy Flotsam: Short Stories by Caribbean Women

by Carmen C. Esteves (Editor)

This collection of short stories features moving tales from the rich Caribbean oral tradition, stories that question women's traditional roles, present women's perspectives on the history of Caribbean slavery and colonialism, and convey the beautiful cadences of the language of Caribbean women. It offers the general reader a broad selection of the themes, styles, and techniques characteristic of contemporary women's fiction in the Caribbean. There are twenty-seven enjoyable and vibrant tales in this anthology, some of them originally written in English, others in French, Dutch, and Spanish. There are writers from Guadeloupe, Dominica, Jamaica, Trinidad, Puerto Rico, Martinique, Antigua, Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Surinam. Along with stories by well-known writers such as Jean Rhys, Jamaica Kincaid, Michelle Cliff, Maryse Conde, and Rosario Ferre, the anthology also includes first-rate stories by lesser-known but equally talented writers. The collection also contains a critical introduction, biographical notes, and a bibliography.

Genres: Short Stories, Travel, Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1991

Reviews

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has taken me on a very educational, emotional and fun journey. Although I probably didn't understand about two stories, that is, the concept from which they were coming from. Many people throughout the Caribbean believe that they are different from other persons in other Caribbean islands but this book highlights some of the similaritities that are faced by Caribbean people.

This book is an example of the effect that slavery has had on the Caribbean in terms of the various racial backgrounds that exist in the various Caribbean countries and attests to the talent of Caribbean writers in expressing themselves creatively.

[Greta · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great collection of writing by Caribbean women, voices I'm hearing for the first time in short story form. After spending a couple weeks on the Island nation of Curacao, I am primed to hear their stories. Great book!

[Chantal Waldropt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely wish I had read this book in school 🏫

[emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

[Antof9 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I realized in 2004 that I'm not really a short story person, which came as a shock to me! Having said that, I was happy that I could appreciate the richness of the stories in this book. It's interesting to me that good writing can always transport me to a different place or time, and this book was no exception. Almost every time I picked this book up, I was immediately in St. Thomas (where we have spent 3 enjoyable vacations), listening to the water, and feeling the comfort of sun heating my skin.

Two memorable stories for me were A Pottage of Lentils and Girl. The "rules" in the first story ". . . whose distinguished manners already belonged to an era long gone: that in which society women received as educational principles nothing but the following rules, which they applied all their lives. . ." although different rules from my own upbringing, reminded me so much of things my mom and grandmother taught me. Many sentences in our house started with "we don't do . . ." Anyway, that really made an impression on me. The other story, Girl, was almost poetry. Quoting the opening few lines:

Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry; don't walk barehead in the hot sun; cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil; soak your little cloths right after you take them off; when buying cotton to make yourself a nice blouse, be sure that it doesn't have gum on it, because that way it won't hold up well after a wash; soak salt fish overnight before you cook it; is it true that you sing benna in Sunday school?

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as my Anguilla book for The Travel Book Project. Even though none of the stories were from Anguilla. *headdesk*

This was just okay. I ended up skimming most of it. Short story anthologies aren't really my thing.

[Keir]

for school