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A review by bahareads
Book of the Little Axe by Lauren Francis-Sharma
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
<i> “Beginning with breath,” Ma had said. “Listen for it, capture it, fight to control it; direct Breath, and the heart and mind will follow.” </i>
I cried.
Multiple people recommended this book to me at the start of my being on bookstagram (I think @herewereadforfun was the main one who put me on.) I finally decided that now is the time to pick it up. It was mind-blowing. Francis-Sharma bends a beautiful multi-timeline and narrative that is so incredible. It is slow, yet so tense. The ending was something.
The narrative spans around 30 years from the 1796 to 1830s. We start in Trinidad and Tobago and end in Montana. Rosa nee Rendon and her son Victor are the main characters, through readers get other POVs, in the story. Race and colourism are expertly played into the story as each character's awareness, or lack thereof, pulls the narrative along.
I LOVED seeing a free Black family in the Caribbean that owned land. Readers see the struggles of being a land and business owner during the 790s-1810s. I have never read anything about Trinidad switching hands from Spanish to British so that was by far the most interesting thing about this book. Under Spanish rule, it seems like the Rendon family lives a relatively comfortable life with less tension than under British rule. It made me wonder about the flexibility of life under the Spanish legal and social system versus the British. I also thought about the fluidity of family life back then, as Rosa's mama is originally from Martinique and Rosa's papa is originally African (?), making the family multi-cultural and multi-lingual.
I enjoyed seeing indigenous representation through the Apsáalooke tribe. I wondered how a Black Caribbean woman ended up amongst natives. I thought about the slave trade and native participation. It was interesting to see the story unfold as we see Rosa blend in with the Crow Nation and how she originally came to them. The historical research alone makes me give HIGH praise to Francis-Sharma, I aspire.
None of the characters are perfect, and I believe that is what makes this book extra special. Everyone is so real. Rosa, Victor, and the other POVs are flawed in their own way.
I cried.
Multiple people recommended this book to me at the start of my being on bookstagram (I think @herewereadforfun was the main one who put me on.) I finally decided that now is the time to pick it up. It was mind-blowing. Francis-Sharma bends a beautiful multi-timeline and narrative that is so incredible. It is slow, yet so tense. The ending was something.
The narrative spans around 30 years from the 1796 to 1830s. We start in Trinidad and Tobago and end in Montana. Rosa nee Rendon and her son Victor are the main characters, through readers get other POVs, in the story. Race and colourism are expertly played into the story as each character's awareness, or lack thereof, pulls the narrative along.
I LOVED seeing a free Black family in the Caribbean that owned land. Readers see the struggles of being a land and business owner during the 790s-1810s. I have never read anything about Trinidad switching hands from Spanish to British so that was by far the most interesting thing about this book. Under Spanish rule, it seems like the Rendon family lives a relatively comfortable life with less tension than under British rule. It made me wonder about the flexibility of life under the Spanish legal and social system versus the British. I also thought about the fluidity of family life back then, as Rosa's mama is originally from Martinique and Rosa's papa is originally African (?), making the family multi-cultural and multi-lingual.
I enjoyed seeing indigenous representation through the Apsáalooke tribe. I wondered how a Black Caribbean woman ended up amongst natives. I thought about the slave trade and native participation. It was interesting to see the story unfold as we see Rosa blend in with the Crow Nation and how she originally came to them. The historical research alone makes me give HIGH praise to Francis-Sharma, I aspire.
None of the characters are perfect, and I believe that is what makes this book extra special. Everyone is so real. Rosa, Victor, and the other POVs are flawed in their own way.