Patricia Powell (1)

Anyone with a love of West Indian literature should real ME DYING TRIAL. Likewise, those with an interest in the gay and lesbian literature that has been coming from Caribbean writers over the past decade. ME DYING TRIAL is the first novel of Jamaican-born Patricia Powell who was only in her 20s when the book was published. It is an amazing accomplishment for a young writer. ME DYING TRIAL traces the life of Gwennie, a bright but unhappy Jamaican woman who has many children, an abusive show more husband, and a great deal of ambition. We feel we know her intimately and two of her children - Rudi and Peppy - are certainly memorable long after the book is finished as is Ma Cora, the woman who helps to raise Peppy. This is a novel about survival, about the complexities of family, about expectations, about hurt and loss. For those reading of the Caribbean for the first time, it gives a real flavor and feeling for the West Indies. And for those interested in finding characters to identify with in literature who feel slightly out of step with their families, ME DYING TRIAL has a lot to offer. The book may never be a classic, but it is well-written in gorgeously rendered dialect, and it was written by a brave and intelligent young woman. show less

THE PAGODA was a bizarre delivery of a horrifying history when Chinese men
were enslaved to Jamaica.

The main character, Lowe, encounters far too many contradictory secrets,
ending by embracing the murderer of the father of his daughter - a man who has brutally killed his dogs and burned
down his grocery.

Well-written, yet way too repetitive...

A difficult, well written and heart rending story of a forgotton population; Chinese indentured servants in post colonial Jamaica. I had trouble finishing this book, it was emotionally relentless and brutal.

Flipping through the pages, I see numerous hostile response notes in the margins.....I remember. At this time, I was still completely opposed to the idea of myself being a mother, but I can see that I must have had the same beliefs about parenting in general that I have today.
I recall really disliking and harshly judging the protagonist, as I believe that the traditional responsibility she has for her children outweighs any personal desires she may have. I don't recall if I ever sympathized show more with her at the end or not.... I'll be interested in reading someone else's interpretation of her character. show less