Seasons of Beento Blackbird, The (edition 2008)

A children's author, Solomon loves his women and loves love. One of his wives lives on a lush island in the Carribbean. She is an easy-going and sensitive soul, a very likable character though very little is said of her. His other, younger and shy wife lives in Ghana. He also has a potential love interest, his agent/publicist in America. The women are the seasons of Solomon. The writing was beautiful at times with the scenic depiction and the description of the culture, but the dialogue was painfully improbable at times. Personally, I think she could have done without Solomon's girlfriend/publicist in America. Though his trips to America were very interesting, with the racism that he experiences, I just don't think it was entirely necessary. ( )

This is a beautifully crafted debut novel that transports the reader from the breathtaking Caribbean islands, to the outskirts of a village and its people in Ghana, and then off to the lofty publishing houses in New York, and back. The writing is lyrical, the characterisation rich and the story compelling. It contains elements of magic, and deals with the phenomenal power of love within marriage, and the ability of books to move and uplift people.

This book made me want to read more books from Africa because I so enjoyed its rich, resonant culture; but also because it made me want to know more about Africa's valuable and moving history. This book would make an excellent book club read that's sure to fuel a whole lot of discussion! This was an absolute treat. ( )

Audiobook..................First of all, the narrator's voice was so lovely that the book was worth reading for that alone! However, this was a very good story about searching for identity, personally, culturally, historically, and geographically. The story was set in Ghana, an island in the Caribbean, and New York City. Solomon Wilberforce, the protagonist, is an unusual man with great talents who searches for himself amidst confusing psychological and cultural expectations. The writing style is very sensual and poetic.
The main characters are deeply engaging, as is the plot. An excellent read. ( )

one of my favorite books - a page-turner that combines a love triangle and pan african black culture

I read this book several years ago and enjoyed it. It was a pick for our book discussion group and was as enjoyable the second time around.

Busia's writing is descriptive and vivid as you can see the beautiful colors of the island, taste the rich ethnic foods, hear the ocean, smell the rain, and feel the anger, pain, tension, sadness, joy and love of the characters. The author wrote a great story, it gives love lessons, history lessons, self-awareness lessons. She took the complexity of this book and made it simple to understand. Her prose is very lyrical and descriptive, educational, picturesque and sensuous.. The love scenes were tasteful and beautiful. I highly recommend this book. ( )