Reviews

Incomparable World by S.I. Martin

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bookofcinz's review

3.0

In Bernardine Evaristo’s introduction to Incomparable World she said, “To my knowledge, Incomparable World, remains the only novel about this specific aspect of Black British History. Indeed, so few novels have been written about the Black presence in these shores before the twentieth century that the field is almost completely wide open for writers to colour in the empty space

Incomparable World was the second book I read in the series that Bernardine Evaristo curated for Black Britain: Writing Back I decided to go with this because of the premise. We meet three former enslaved persons, Buckram, Georgie and William who fought in the Revolutionary War against America. They were promised rewards once they returned to London but that did not happen. These three men returned to London in the 1780s with nothing and must now beg and scrape to make a living.

We are thrust into London life in the 1780s, it is chaotic, ugly, smelly, hard and constantly changing. As a Black Man starting from scratch, life is hard. Buckram is back from spending time in jail, he meets up with his ex-soldiers who seem to be making an ok life for themselves. Buckram struggles to get back on his feet. When William hatches a plan that will take them out of their misery, they all fall for it… will this plan work? How will it change their lives?

This is a tiny novel that packs in A LOT. It also references a place I cannot remember reading, especially from a Black perspective. I also cannot remember reading the experiences, albeit fiction, of Black man that fought in the war for Britain and what their lives turned out to be. I enjoyed getting the heads of the character and historical look at Britain at that time.

I do believe the book could have benefitted from a stronger edit, somethings were a bit over the place and at times I couldn’t place exactly where we were. I also think the plot was fast and then slow in some areas and then wrapped so quickly. I wanted a lot more from the character perspective, each seem to be so unique and I felt we didn’t dive into William’s character enough.

Overall, it is a solid read, just a few missing things which would have made it amazing.

theshiftyshadow's review against another edition

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dark informative tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I can't say I really enjoyed the story that unfolded here. The characters were interesting enough but I felt I wanted to know more about them, spend more time with them, not just skip from moment to moment. Although, to give the author his deserved credit, he does do a lot with relatively little exposition.

I did find the setting really interesting. Black Britain pre Windrush is a whole new area of history I've never seen explored before. The similarities in how the black community in London a) came to be there, and b) were then treated, while not surprising, is interesting to read about. And I'm sure if nothing else reading this book will send me down a history rabbit hole for a few weeks.

suniba's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I found it a really interesting book - it was cool to get an insight into the London of the past, especially the more seedy side of it. I liked how many street names were mentioned and famous people from the time. It was interesting knowing that although the story was fictional it was based around real historical events and almost could have happened. Although it was set in such a different time, the characters and story were still relatable, although it did take me a while to have a clear picture of who was who at the beginning. I listened to the audiobook and thought the reader was great! He read it so well and could also do so many accents!

I was satisfied that it had a semi-happy ending, but at the same time a little bit incredulous that it would work out so well for them