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Loading... Black Danceby Nancy Huston
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  Wushogun | Nov 30, 2016 |  no reviews | add a review
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"Screenwriter Milo Noirlac is dying. As he lies in the dark of his hospital bed, voices from Milo's past and present--real and imagined--swirl about his head, each taking on the rhythm of his favorite Brazilian fight-dance, the capoiera. Seated next to him, Milo's partner, bumptious director Paul Schwartz, coaxes Milo through his life story, from the abuse he suffered as a foster child to his lost heritage--his beloved grandfather's priceless library. As Milo narrates, his story becomes the pair's final screenplay, the movie that will be their masterpiece. With Milo's imagination in full flight, several generations of Noirlac ancestors--voices in French and English, German and Dutch, Cree and Gaelic--come to life. There's Neil Kerrigan, his Irish grandfather, classmate of 'Jimmy' Joyce, would-be poet and aspiring activist in the fight against British occupation, crushed by his exile in Quebec; Awinita, Milo's biological mother, an Indian teen prostitute; Eugénio, a street child whom Milo finds and fosters; and Marie-Thérèse, Milo's tough-as-nails aunt. As each voice cascades through Milo's memory, an important piece of family, and world, history is formed."-- No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)843.92Literature French and related languages French fiction Modern Period 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.63)
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Wikipedia in English
1
Each chapter is divided into three parts, each part follows a different character (Milo, Milo's grandfather Neil, and Milo's mother Awinita... did I spell Awinita right? Let me check... Yes, yes I did, awesome). Every one of these characters has a pretty intense story, Awinita is a prostitute dealing with two pregnancies and her leech of a boyfriend (Declan), Neil the lawyer and political activist who can't seem to write his "classic", and the main main (super main if you will) character Milo who is just hit with every tragedy life can throw at him. I think the author does an amazing job not only telling each individual's story but connecting them at various points.
All this is being told from Milo's lover's/friend's point of view, who is telling the story like he is directing a movie, mentioning camera angles and how the scene is set up. I've seen in the reviews a couple people didn't like that but I found it refreshing and creative.
I don't really have an negatives for this book, the only thing I can think of is that there is some French that is sometimes translated (two or three times) but for the most part isn't translated, personally I'm currently trying to learn French so I can just add this to my daily practice but for other people I can see that being a bit frustrating. Also, if you get uncomfortable with reading about child abuse, rape, incest, and homosexuality then I wouldn't recommend this for you, since they do go into some detail with each of those.
I absolutely love this book and I am very interested in reading more from this author. I received this book from a Good Reads First Reads giveaway. (