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From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…

Wine of Astonishment

Earl Lovelace

Discussion: Books Set in the Caribbean

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Books Set in the Caribbean

* Caribbean Authors
By Diane , Armchair Tour Guide · 9 posts · 460 views

last updated Oct 22, 2017 03:32PM

Puerto Rico
By Diane , Armchair Tour Guide · 21 posts · 1073 views

last updated Sep 21, 2025 03:25PM

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What Members Thought

Nov 18, 2013 Beverly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

My thoughts:

• I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed this book. It has been some time since I read a “Caribbean Classic” and I wondered how I missed this book as during the 80s and early 90s I was reading most of the books that were part of the Heinemann Caribbean Writers Series.
• This book was 146 pages and the author did a impressive job of telling the story of a small community and the challenges they faced in a recent post-colonial world, the “invasion” of American soldiers and how My thoughts:

• I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed this book. It has been some time since I read a “Caribbean Classic” and I wondered how I missed this book as during the 80s and early 90s I was reading most of the books that were part of the Heinemann Caribbean Writers Series.
• This book was 146 pages and the author did a impressive job of telling the story of a small community and the challenges they faced in a recent post-colonial world, the “invasion” of American soldiers and how it affected (or maybe just accelerated) the transition the challenges of a modern more urban focused culture, and the challenge of violence vs patience (working through the approved process) for achieving equality goals.
• I thought this book did an excellent job of showing how there was a common goal to get rid of the yoke of colonialism and to have "freedom", but because each individual has/had their own definition of what "freedom" was and what was the path to freedom and how this "freedom" would be measured.
• I thought that the author was very clever to use a female narrator. Though I will admit at first I was a little miffed at the portrayal of female characters. But then I remembered the time when this book was published, the time period that this book is covering. As in most of the literature that covers a pre & post colonial experience women were very much involved and played key roles but were mostly not the front people that were allowed to represent the people. The females were/is the glue that often held it all together and I felt the narrator, Eva, played that role here. It has often been said because women are/were not given equal status to men, they are good at manipulation to get what they want.
• I also liked the history lesson about the Shouters prohibition Ordinance.
• Overall the lyrical language, great pacing, well-developed character sketches, and the thought provoking themes made this an excellent read for me.
• I highly recommend to readers interested in post-colonial experiences and those interested in current issues in post-colonial societies.
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