Marie-Elena John

A riveting story with ideas so strong and interesting that I readily forgave some flaws in the writing. Can't say I understand others' shock at the depictions or disappointment with the 'magical realism'; if anything, I appreciate the purposeful rejection of magical realism for something powerful, tracing a line through broken stories to connect a truth with history. (Not because I don't love magical realism, but because there is merit in any honest challenge.) Likewise I've no problem with show more the detached tone (although it wanders). Wonderful female characters who will stay with me for a long time. 4 stars for the occasionally stilted exposition and the lack of resolution in the ending, which felt less like intentional ambiguity and more like the author couldn't figure out how to leave the characters. show less

I learned a few new things about Carib culture in this book, and I always love it when a book teaches me a few things! :D The shifting storylines between Lillian and her mother/grandmother were easy enough to follow and entertaining as bits of the whole story are revealed.

Some people here say they don't like the ending or found it confusing. Personally, I feel that a concrete and happy ending would have spoiled the story. Legends and magic were a big part of this story, and while I do feel show more that some parts could have been more fleshed-out or clarified, this story was still very good. The ending of this book added to the general feel of the story, with Lillian becoming part of the legend/magic herself, and you can decide for yourself whether she does live or not. Overall a good story. show less

More history than anything else... I am not a fan of history books.I was searching for an entertainign read, which it was, but the overload of historical facts bored me. BUT the book was still a good read.

My review is here:
http://moosplace.blogspot.com/2010/04/unburnable.html