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meghb's review
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
dinahrachel's review against another edition
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
Lovely set of short stories, coherent collection, definite recommend.
joghansah's review
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
dfostermartin's review
4.0
I discovered this book after exploring authors mentioned in one of the chapters of Evaristo’s “Girl, Woman, Other” and I’m so glad that I did. Senior is an excellent storyteller who has mastered the art of the short story. Each story captures your attention quickly and almost always went in a direction I could understand once we were heading there, but had not anticipated. The breadth of her stories, in type of narrator, time, class, and content, was impressive. She is also able to write so concisely and precisely, crafting a time and space that sucks you in, but still feels finished by the end. Very well done.
shyster's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
themillennialjareads's review
5.0
This is my favorite short story collection I've read in a while. Every story was distinct, gripping and unlike any collection I've read before. Masterful creations. Remember how I said Lorna Goodison's characters FELT Jamaican, I felt a similar way reading this, just in a way that's less directly relatable to me... but I've heard stories!! Sometimes it felt as if I was reading the secret lives of uptown ppl, as if I was peeping through windows and entering lives I shouldn't, but I couldn't help myself. The housekeepers- though always in the background- were common threads throughout the collection, haunted by history and Jamaica's social condition in a way that can't go unnoticed. The eponymous opening story sets the tone for this. Some of the stories also focused on characters from the rural parts of the island, some were hilarious and jarring at the same time, some surrounded folklore, spirituality and families. All captured in different time periods and locations and all under 200 pages. I'll always carry pieces of these stories with me, looking for them in other characters.
I was starting to think something was wrong with me (after the last few short story collecttions) but Olive Senior has revived me!
I was starting to think something was wrong with me (after the last few short story collecttions) but Olive Senior has revived me!
hplreads's review
4.0
Full review: http://hotpepperlatte.com/index.php/2017/02/22/the-pain-tree/
There is often a lot of attention given to young, talented authors who write a bestseller or award-winner. We love to talk about them and how young and how gifted they are. But there is something to be gained from a writer with years of experience and practice under her belt, and that is epitomized in Senior. Her writing is thoughtful, each line measured carefully to carry across the experiences of the young, old, wealthy, poor, and all types of Jamaicans in between from 1930 to 1960. She captures the truth of life with humour and insight which remind me of Austen and is likely one of the reasons I enjoyed her collection so much.
There is much fun to be had in the likes of Mr. Everett’s fear of television from “Boxed-In” and Mrs. Bailiff’s adopted children in “The Goodness of My Heart.” Surrounding these stories are the intersections of shadeism, classism, sexism, and homophobia which Jamaican society is built upon. And as you sit with the cruel, the selfish and the cunning you realize that all things are in perspective.
There is often a lot of attention given to young, talented authors who write a bestseller or award-winner. We love to talk about them and how young and how gifted they are. But there is something to be gained from a writer with years of experience and practice under her belt, and that is epitomized in Senior. Her writing is thoughtful, each line measured carefully to carry across the experiences of the young, old, wealthy, poor, and all types of Jamaicans in between from 1930 to 1960. She captures the truth of life with humour and insight which remind me of Austen and is likely one of the reasons I enjoyed her collection so much.
There is much fun to be had in the likes of Mr. Everett’s fear of television from “Boxed-In” and Mrs. Bailiff’s adopted children in “The Goodness of My Heart.” Surrounding these stories are the intersections of shadeism, classism, sexism, and homophobia which Jamaican society is built upon. And as you sit with the cruel, the selfish and the cunning you realize that all things are in perspective.