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Island Beneath the Sea
2016 Group Reads
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Island Beneath the Sea: November group read
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I'm in and looking forward to it.
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I have it and I have to admit, I started it already.
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I'm doing my buddy read first and will read it. Isabel Allende could write a cereal box and I'd read it.
I'm loving it. It is a little complicated when listening on audio. It is longer than the other books I've been reading lately, so in an effort to not be left behind I thought it prudent to begin early and whisper sync between audio and text. I'm proud of myself, LOL>
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lol
I have it & I'm ready!
I've got it and have read the first few chapters and I love it already. I've never read a book about slavery that looks at the French and Spanish perspective.
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I'm about halfway through the book and I love it. It makes me want to go to Haiti and learn more about voodoo. I don't think the first chapter sets the tone. I actually didn't realise that slavery in the Carribean, or maybe Haiti in particular, was that horrific and because of how horrific it was it isn't surprising that Haitian slaves were the first to rebel and emancipate themselves.
I have been wondering about why the book begins with a positive perspective of a slave woman who appears to be looking back on her life and why those sections are written in italics. That and the title of the novel (view spoiler)
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A.D., you made me smile. I love it. I want to go to Haiti also, but not particularly to learn more about voodoo, lol. I'm about 1/2 way through it too. So much has happened that I cannot honestly remember what the first chapter is about, but I can say that I don't think Tete has a strong hold on the common reality of life for slaves because she seemed a bit more sheltered from what went on than was usual. she saw and was exposed to more than she had to actually experience. She was lucky to have her Godmother. She was not sold a lot, therefore didn't have a lot of masters and Chambray seemed to be her biggest threat.
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I know that's right! We can pick a group read for the travel time there and back. Have you ever heard of a reading cruise? I understand they are becoming popular. Just saying, lol.
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Have any of you read The Book of Night Women? It's another slavery novel that takes place in Haiti (or maybe Jamaica?). Do you think the concepts of slavery from these two books are similar or different?
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You guys are so lucky I'm broke or I would be organising a reading cruise to Haiti lol. I think that is a fantastic idea for a holiday.Your comment made me laugh, Dosha. I'm a scaredy cat so the nearest I'll be getting to any Voodoo is from reading about it in books lol. I agree that Tete was sheltered but (view spoiler)
Thanks for the recommendation, Kisha. I'll be adding that one to my TBR pile.
kisha wrote: "Oh a reading cruise I love the sound of that! Have any of you read The Book of Night Women? It's another slavery novel that takes place in Haiti (or maybe Jamaica?). Do you think the concepts of ..."
I have The Book of Night Women on audio but have not got around to it yet.
A.D. wrote: "You guys are so lucky I'm broke or I would be organising a reading cruise to Haiti lol. I think that is a fantastic idea for a holiday.Your comment made me laugh, Dosha. I'm a scaredy cat so the ..."
Excellent point about Tete and Valmorain. It was worded so smooth, you could easily miss it. But yes, so true all the way - it is what it is no matter how we phrase it.
In the 1st chapter, pages 7-8 were missing. The librarian informed me that it was received to them from the publisher that way. lol.. This is were Valmorain's father was dying of syphilis. O_o?
Tante Rose is my hero.
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What do you think caused Tete to run away twice? She was so young and she obviously loved Honore and seemed to really like Violette.
Where is everyone at in the book?
I've finished it and really enjoyed it. I think the 2nd time she ran away it was because she knew she wouldn't be able to stay with Violette. I'm not sure about the reason why she ran away the first time, but I remember Violette remarking to the woman she bought her from that she was thin, so she wasn't being treated properly - though it sounds as if very few slaves were treated well in Haiti.
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Yeah, I felt sorry for Eugenia too. I found myself wondering at times whether she really was delusional or if some of the slaves had cursed her lol. I really loved the parts about voodoo in this novel and I want to learn more about it.I saw this article ages ago and it scared the hell out of me.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic...
A.D. wrote: "Lol, Lee.Yeah, I loved her too, Dosha. [spoilers removed]"
I think the likes of the Dr. and Sancho exist but in extremely low numbers. I really felt bad for poor Eugenia. She did not have a chance, neither did Tete.
I'm not sure how I feel about Violette.
I have made it as far as (view spoiler)
I liked Violette. She seemed to make the best out of her lot in life whether she wanted it or not.
Yes, Eugenia had a hard time with her pregnancies, but......I'm still not sure what I think of Violette. lol
The Dr. sure gave Valmorain a history lessons on Africa. lol
Dr Parmentier made me laugh at times. Where are you up to, Lee?
Lee wrote: "Yes, Eugenia had a hard time with her pregnancies, but......I'm still not sure what I think of Violette. lol
The Dr. sure gave Valmorain a history lessons on Africa. lol"
You got that right: I loved when the good Doctor told Valmorain that (view spoiler)
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I know, Lulu. I don't know if Cambray was a slave. He could have been one of the free Mulattos. But Lacroix sounded like the worst of the lot even though the reader didn't get to meet him, just heard about what went on at his plantation.
Lulu wrote: "Cambray is straight up evil. He's a mulatto and a slave, right? How can he be so cruel?!?!"Chambray certainly took full advantage of abusing his power, slave or not. The more I read about Valmorain, the more I came to despise him. And then his (view spoiler)
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I'm glad (view spoiler) Tete went through a lot during that situation, she's had to endure a lot up to this book in the book. I wonder why her strength and character is downplayed.....maybe I should just keep reading. ;)
A.D. wrote: "Yeah, I hated Valmorain too. [spoilers removed]"He was an (insert any swear here), no doubt. (view spoiler)
Lulu wrote: "I'm up to the part of the rebellion starting....this is a really good book! I'm glad [spoilers removed] Tete went through a lot during that situation, she's had to endure a lot up to this book in..."
Keep reading daughter. :-)
I think Valmorain probably was considering selling his son, Lulu, and it was probably his affection for Violette that made him do the decent thing. The book is fascinating. Hearing about the rebellion just made me think about the extent to which slaves were brutalised in Haiti. I don't know if you've got to that part yet, Lulu, but what do you guys think of the terms the rebels wanted to agree to when they had the meeting with the grand blancs? (I think that's what they were called)
I've read a lot about slavery in America but had no idea just how horrifying slavery in Haiti was. It's no wonder Haitians were the first to free themselves.
Dosha(view spoiler)
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Black Coffee
Books mentioned in this topic
Some Sing, Some Cry (other topics)Alex Cross's Trial (other topics)
The Underground Railroad (other topics)
When twenty-year-old Toulouse Valmorain arrives on the island in 1770, it’s with powdered wigs in his baggage and dreams of financial success in his mind. But running his father’s plantation, Saint-Lazare, is neither glamorous nor easy. It will be eight years before he brings home a bride -- but marriage, too, proves more difficult than he imagined. And Valmorain remains dependent on the services of his teenaged slave.
Spanning four decades, Island Beneath the Sea is the moving story of the intertwined lives of Tété and Valmorain, and of one woman’s determination to find love amid loss, to offer humanity though her own has been battered, and to forge her own identity in the cruellest of circumstances.
We will start this book on November 1st. Please post below is you will be reading along. I will do a reading schedule soon as it gets closer to the time.