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Asya
Some spine creasing and small tears on bottom edge. Front cover has corner right creases top and bottom. Scratching on front and back covers and edge wear. Name on inside front cover page. No other marks, clean and intact. Very good book for "1978"! Ships very quickly and packaged carefully!
573 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
About the author
Allison Baker
20 booksReal name Alice Eibeck Crumbaker was the author of only one book - Asya. She passed away at the age of 78 from cancer in her Avalon home.
She graduated from Avalon High School and the University of Pittsburgh and was a teacher before her marriage.
She served several terms as president of the North Boroughs Women's Club and served in many capacities with the March of Dimes, including chairing major fund drives and the International Food Festival.
Mrs. Crumbaker's first novel, "Asya" was set in Haiti, one of the many countries she and her late husband, Herbert, a dentist, visited. The book was published by Dell Books in 1978 and sold about 500,000 copies. She was also published by U.S. Catholic and Extension magazines.
She was a member of the Council for International Visitors, and often hosted students and international dignitaries in her home. She was a member of Operalogue, a group that promoted opera, and helped raise funds for the homeless through the St. Joseph Auxiliary.
Photo from her graduation picture in the 1932 Owl.
She graduated from Avalon High School and the University of Pittsburgh and was a teacher before her marriage.
She served several terms as president of the North Boroughs Women's Club and served in many capacities with the March of Dimes, including chairing major fund drives and the International Food Festival.
Mrs. Crumbaker's first novel, "Asya" was set in Haiti, one of the many countries she and her late husband, Herbert, a dentist, visited. The book was published by Dell Books in 1978 and sold about 500,000 copies. She was also published by U.S. Catholic and Extension magazines.
She was a member of the Council for International Visitors, and often hosted students and international dignitaries in her home. She was a member of Operalogue, a group that promoted opera, and helped raise funds for the homeless through the St. Joseph Auxiliary.
Photo from her graduation picture in the 1932 Owl.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 15, 2015
This was...well, I finished it, so that counts for something. But I don't particularly recommend it. Like many 3-star 70s doorstoppers, the historical underpinnings are its strength -- details about the French battle with yellow fever, the relationship between voodoo & Catholicism, the constant political unrest in Haiti, etc, were all interesting. Unfortunately, the characters dragged everything down.
The book opens with a lengthy section devoted to our supporting cast, mostly focusing on Etienne-the-hero, a vaguely rakish young officer who is sent to Haiti on Napoleon's orders. A near-death experience introduces him to Negu & Joswee, the high priestess & priest of the local voodoo church. We learn Negu's history, including her scarred face & former life as a coddled plantation-master's whore. In the midst of violent revolution, Negu is determined to secure the Drapeaux plantation for her granddaughter -- so she blackmails her owner into naming Asya as legit heir to his fortune.
And so, somewhere around page 200, we finally meet the titular heroine.
Asya is an annoying, bratty cow. She puts on airs. She's racist. She throws tantrums. There's absolutely nothing likable about her. Asya is such a mental child that Etienne forces her to sit on chairs & listen to lectures on good social behavior, after which he & Joswee 'discipline' her stupidity by spanking her arse like a wayward toddler. (Is that sexy? I think not. I can't even describe how much I hate the disciplinary spanking trope. If your heroine is that f'ing childish, she's too young to be the lead in a romance novel.) Joswee, at least, has the stones to treat her like the spoiled chit she is, but Etienne isn't so bright -- for some god-knows reason, he falls in love while vowing to save her from herself & the violence that surrounds them. (Whatever you say, champ.)
In any case, shit keeps rolling downhill. A sudden loss of wealth & standing propells our heroine into a two-pronged coming of age party -- that is, Asya & Haiti's growth into 'fully grown' adult entities. Once the rebel army has been handed an appropriate plan of action & a few more side characters have been killed off, the book closes abruptly in the middle of an anti-climactic scene that left me thinking "That's the end? Really?"
...There's also a zombie guy who unerringly guides Asya across the wilderness so she can be reunited with her one-twu-wuv Etienne. :D (Too bad he didn't leave her behind in the jungle.)
Aside from the zombie guy, I did like Negu & Joswee; it's too bad we didn't get to spend more time with them. I also liked the doomed voodoo priestess, though there was little connection with the overall cast (except perhaps Negu -- but she's abruptly dropped from the story when locales are switched). Not once did I forget these people were anything more than fiction, which is an Epic Novel Fail. The editorial staff could have been much more ruthless (esp towards the saggy middle section). But I still give it a solid 3 stars -- it entertained me (for the most part) while imparting hitherto unknown background re: Haitian history.
The book opens with a lengthy section devoted to our supporting cast, mostly focusing on Etienne-the-hero, a vaguely rakish young officer who is sent to Haiti on Napoleon's orders. A near-death experience introduces him to Negu & Joswee, the high priestess & priest of the local voodoo church. We learn Negu's history, including her scarred face & former life as a coddled plantation-master's whore. In the midst of violent revolution, Negu is determined to secure the Drapeaux plantation for her granddaughter -- so she blackmails her owner into naming Asya as legit heir to his fortune.
And so, somewhere around page 200, we finally meet the titular heroine.
Asya is an annoying, bratty cow. She puts on airs. She's racist. She throws tantrums. There's absolutely nothing likable about her. Asya is such a mental child that Etienne forces her to sit on chairs & listen to lectures on good social behavior, after which he & Joswee 'discipline' her stupidity by spanking her arse like a wayward toddler. (Is that sexy? I think not. I can't even describe how much I hate the disciplinary spanking trope. If your heroine is that f'ing childish, she's too young to be the lead in a romance novel.) Joswee, at least, has the stones to treat her like the spoiled chit she is, but Etienne isn't so bright -- for some god-knows reason, he falls in love while vowing to save her from herself & the violence that surrounds them. (Whatever you say, champ.)
In any case, shit keeps rolling downhill. A sudden loss of wealth & standing propells our heroine into a two-pronged coming of age party -- that is, Asya & Haiti's growth into 'fully grown' adult entities. Once the rebel army has been handed an appropriate plan of action & a few more side characters have been killed off, the book closes abruptly in the middle of an anti-climactic scene that left me thinking "That's the end? Really?"
...There's also a zombie guy who unerringly guides Asya across the wilderness so she can be reunited with her one-twu-wuv Etienne. :D (Too bad he didn't leave her behind in the jungle.)
Aside from the zombie guy, I did like Negu & Joswee; it's too bad we didn't get to spend more time with them. I also liked the doomed voodoo priestess, though there was little connection with the overall cast (except perhaps Negu -- but she's abruptly dropped from the story when locales are switched). Not once did I forget these people were anything more than fiction, which is an Epic Novel Fail. The editorial staff could have been much more ruthless (esp towards the saggy middle section). But I still give it a solid 3 stars -- it entertained me (for the most part) while imparting hitherto unknown background re: Haitian history.
December 19, 2021
If you're looking for a typical historical romance, then this is not the book for you. If you enjoy reading a historical novel that has a love story in it, but which is not the main focus, with more emphasis put on history, social customs, character development, with a dose of voodoo thrown in, then you'll find this the right book.
You'll learn quite a lot about Haitian history, as well as actual people, like Napoleon, Henri Christophe and Toussaint L'Ouverture and the Maroons. You may also learn more than you care to about voodoo rites and ceremonies, as well as a yellow fever outbreak and conditions in the hospitals at that time. (The novel takes place in the early 19thc.) You'll also get an idea of just how tough it was to be black, half black, quarter black, any part black, even on an island where whites were outnumbered. (It wasn't always easy for them either, like when the slaves revolt.)
The novel centers around Asya Drapeaux and Lt. Etienne Grenier, but their stories don't merge until the second half of the book, and although the book's named after her, Asya doesn't make an appearance (except briefly as a newborn baby) until well into the story, which had been focused on Etienne, and still did for a time, as you just get a few glimpses into Asya's life, until she arrives in Haiti to claim Cher Chateau, the estate she's inherited. There's also time devoted to Negu, a former slave, whose daughter was mistress to Andre Drapeaux, the late owner of Cher Chateau, who is skilled in voodoo rites and spells, Desaix, a beautiful black woman who becomes mistress to powerful men, as well as housekeeper and friend to Etienne, Abbe Brille, priest and advisor to Asya, who is sympathetic to the black people and the way they feel. (He can easily understand their reluctance to become fully Christian, as how can they trust the God of goodness, where was that goodness when they were enslaved?) There's also Eloise, a friend of Asya's, who proves to be as shallow, phony, materialistic and self-centered as the society she introduces Asya to, and Godefroy, a suitor of Asya's, a weak mama's boy, who keeps taking Asya's hand and saying she holds his heart, then literally spits in that hand when a favor she does for him backfires and he feels betrayed. 9He and Eloise end up married, they certainly deserved each other!)
I've given this book four stars because of all the history in it, and because it was a good insight into life in Haiti at that time, but the love story only gets three, possibly two, as it was much too lacking in depth. Asya and Etienne don't even meet until the book's halfway through, and they don't spend much time together for the rest of it, just a series of scenes, and most are with other people, so you don't get those typical sex attraction moments, stolen kisses, almost making love, etc. that are usually found in historical novels. Even the moments where she says something snarky and makes him angry (which in most stories tend to be followed by an intense making out scene) don't have a follow-up. There's actually a scene where Etienne gives Asya a spanking (she deserved it, for her reaction to the President's children when they've behaved badly, as it involved racial slurs) and then there's a long stretch afterward where they don't see each other at all. Also, too much is left unsaid. There's a time when Asya's concerned about Etienne, admits to herself her true feelings for him and longs to hold him close, yet she acts cold and aloof when she speaks to him. Another time he gives her a necklace, which brings back bad memories for her, as it reminds her of when she was molested by the obnoxious brother of a school friend, so she rejects the gift, but rather than explain why, she tells him it's too plain looking and dull, sounding like a spoiled brat, which makes him leave in disgust. Another time, at an important social function, she feigns indifference to him by drinking too much, acting too silly, and flirting with another man. There were too many moments like that, and also too many separations. At one point, Etienne kisses her, then leaves on business for months without a word. Later, after he admits his love, he goes off to help in the war (it's 1812) and they have no contact at all for over three years! (I won't give away the reasons, as it's pretty intense and would tell too much.) When you finally get a lovemaking scene, it's PG rated, kind of an anticlimax, no pun intended.
Asya's personality sometimes comes across as a bit erratic, almost dissociative. She's good to her servants, particularly her maid Cilla and later Cilla's husband Watusi (who both deserved a much better fate than they got) yet she's quick (too quick) to use the "N" word and refuses to make friends with anyone who wasn't all white. She often made it clear she thought herself superior to any black, mulatto, quadroon, etc., but then she shows concern for their wellbeing and lack of rights, especially the way the President, Henri Christophe, would treat them as if they were still slaves, despite his also being black. Her hot-and-cold attitude toward racial and social issues was a bit too over the top, though that changed when she discovered the truth about her background.
Then, at the end of the book (after joining in the fight to free "her people", which brings about her reunion with Etienne), she finds out yet another truth about her origins, which makes a lie of the truth, so to speak, and takes it a lot more calmly than you'd expect. But I won't spoil the details, and will instead end this review here.
You'll learn quite a lot about Haitian history, as well as actual people, like Napoleon, Henri Christophe and Toussaint L'Ouverture and the Maroons. You may also learn more than you care to about voodoo rites and ceremonies, as well as a yellow fever outbreak and conditions in the hospitals at that time. (The novel takes place in the early 19thc.) You'll also get an idea of just how tough it was to be black, half black, quarter black, any part black, even on an island where whites were outnumbered. (It wasn't always easy for them either, like when the slaves revolt.)
The novel centers around Asya Drapeaux and Lt. Etienne Grenier, but their stories don't merge until the second half of the book, and although the book's named after her, Asya doesn't make an appearance (except briefly as a newborn baby) until well into the story, which had been focused on Etienne, and still did for a time, as you just get a few glimpses into Asya's life, until she arrives in Haiti to claim Cher Chateau, the estate she's inherited. There's also time devoted to Negu, a former slave, whose daughter was mistress to Andre Drapeaux, the late owner of Cher Chateau, who is skilled in voodoo rites and spells, Desaix, a beautiful black woman who becomes mistress to powerful men, as well as housekeeper and friend to Etienne, Abbe Brille, priest and advisor to Asya, who is sympathetic to the black people and the way they feel. (He can easily understand their reluctance to become fully Christian, as how can they trust the God of goodness, where was that goodness when they were enslaved?) There's also Eloise, a friend of Asya's, who proves to be as shallow, phony, materialistic and self-centered as the society she introduces Asya to, and Godefroy, a suitor of Asya's, a weak mama's boy, who keeps taking Asya's hand and saying she holds his heart, then literally spits in that hand when a favor she does for him backfires and he feels betrayed. 9He and Eloise end up married, they certainly deserved each other!)
I've given this book four stars because of all the history in it, and because it was a good insight into life in Haiti at that time, but the love story only gets three, possibly two, as it was much too lacking in depth. Asya and Etienne don't even meet until the book's halfway through, and they don't spend much time together for the rest of it, just a series of scenes, and most are with other people, so you don't get those typical sex attraction moments, stolen kisses, almost making love, etc. that are usually found in historical novels. Even the moments where she says something snarky and makes him angry (which in most stories tend to be followed by an intense making out scene) don't have a follow-up. There's actually a scene where Etienne gives Asya a spanking (she deserved it, for her reaction to the President's children when they've behaved badly, as it involved racial slurs) and then there's a long stretch afterward where they don't see each other at all. Also, too much is left unsaid. There's a time when Asya's concerned about Etienne, admits to herself her true feelings for him and longs to hold him close, yet she acts cold and aloof when she speaks to him. Another time he gives her a necklace, which brings back bad memories for her, as it reminds her of when she was molested by the obnoxious brother of a school friend, so she rejects the gift, but rather than explain why, she tells him it's too plain looking and dull, sounding like a spoiled brat, which makes him leave in disgust. Another time, at an important social function, she feigns indifference to him by drinking too much, acting too silly, and flirting with another man. There were too many moments like that, and also too many separations. At one point, Etienne kisses her, then leaves on business for months without a word. Later, after he admits his love, he goes off to help in the war (it's 1812) and they have no contact at all for over three years! (I won't give away the reasons, as it's pretty intense and would tell too much.) When you finally get a lovemaking scene, it's PG rated, kind of an anticlimax, no pun intended.
Asya's personality sometimes comes across as a bit erratic, almost dissociative. She's good to her servants, particularly her maid Cilla and later Cilla's husband Watusi (who both deserved a much better fate than they got) yet she's quick (too quick) to use the "N" word and refuses to make friends with anyone who wasn't all white. She often made it clear she thought herself superior to any black, mulatto, quadroon, etc., but then she shows concern for their wellbeing and lack of rights, especially the way the President, Henri Christophe, would treat them as if they were still slaves, despite his also being black. Her hot-and-cold attitude toward racial and social issues was a bit too over the top, though that changed when she discovered the truth about her background.
Then, at the end of the book (after joining in the fight to free "her people", which brings about her reunion with Etienne), she finds out yet another truth about her origins, which makes a lie of the truth, so to speak, and takes it a lot more calmly than you'd expect. But I won't spoil the details, and will instead end this review here.
July 14, 2015
Great Grandma Crumbaker's book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews