The Long Song

A former slave on a Jamaican sugar plantation writes the story of a former slave on a Jamaican sugar plantation. While the story is autobiographical, it's also clear that the writer is an unreliable narrator. She confesses to exaggeration at several points in her story. This is an exceptional book as far as technique goes, but I found it difficult to connect with the characters on an emotional level except for the field slave, Kitty, in her grief at the forced separation from her child. A strong undercurrent of anger runs throughout the book, and perhaps that accounts for my inability to connect with the characters. I felt angry on their behalf, but I didn't experience the empathy that occurs when a book's characters inhabit my heart show more and mind. show less

Miss July was born a slave on a Jamaican sugar plantation. When she was a child, the English mistress took a liking to her and brought her from the fields into the house, forcibly separating July from her mother and insisting on calling her "Marguerite." July came of age serving the mistress, and made it through some very tumultuous times, including the Baptist Rebellion and later, the abolition of slavery. Now an old woman, July is living with her son and his family and sets to writing her story. That sentence alone tells you her life was an unusual one, and there are many details and plot twists the reader can look forward to in this novel.

I loved this book, and I loved July and her strong personality. Her survival was mostly due to show more pure cunning, mixed with a bit of luck. The people in her life -- both slaves and whites -- were well drawn, and Andrea Levy didn't shy away from the violent realities of slave treatment, the consequences of rebellion, and the tension once slaves were free but still expected to work on plantations.

This novel was shortlisted for the 2010 Booker Prize and is a worthy contender for that honor. show less

The Long Song is the story of July, a woman born into slavery in 19th century Jamaica.

As an old woman at the end of the century, July is writing the story of her early life, and the narrative switches between the present day of the novel (1898), in the first person, and the past.

Slavery officially ended in Jamaica in 1838, but of course the former slave owners still controlled the plantations and the economy, and the former slaves still needed to work in exploitative conditions for the white people who all too obviously regarded them as an inferior race.

The Long Song is beautifully written and I found it a very readable novel, perhaps deceptively so. Thinking about it again for review purposes makes me want to reread it again more show more carefully. I was carried along by the story, or stories, July tells – frequently she offers several different versions of what happened, usually a more romantic account followed by one which seems more rooted in the realities of the day.

July is separated from her mother, Kitty, as a child by a white woman who thinks she is cute but is repelled by Kitty. She is not the most obedient or loyal slave (or servant) – at first, she hopes that if she gets things wrong she will be returned to her mother, but she grows up into a woman who tries to stand up for herself. But in this time and place black women have very little power over their lives and her very entertaining attempts at self-assertion often have quite unpleasant results for July.

Some readers may find it hard to like any of the characters, even July – I liked her a lot sometimes and felt some sympathy for her anger at other times.

This is not a feelgood novel about black and white characters getting together to challenge racism. A lot of potential happy endings are briefly dangled in front of the reader before being snatched away. That made me feel angrier as a reader when bad things happened.

The shifts in narrative, tone and style of the book, and the alternative stories offered, make reading this novel a bit more challenging but I would argue that it rewards careful reading.

Recommended. show less

Such a magnificent piece of storytelling by gifted author, Andrea Levy. It speaks of the abuse and cruelty leading up to, through and after The Baptist War of Jamaica (1831/1832). But it also shares the tenderest of moments, shared sorrows and and dreams of hope. Levy's scene settings are cinematic as an aged woman (once a slave) recalls her life on that island. Her educated son struggles to keep a handle on her telling. So there are snippets of story which contradict (depending on whose telling you wish to believe). Levy has adopted Jamaican nomenclature which does take a bit of getting used to. But all in all, this was an excellent read and quite informative.

This month’s book The Long Song by Andrea Levy has started us off in great style with a stimulating discussion, on the book itself and the many issues found within.

We could all be forgiven for our first reaction, ‘another story of slavery’. We have read plenty covering this topic over the years, but as all good book clubs do, we uncovered more than the usual heartbreak and injustice … humour being a major contributor to our club’s enjoyment.

This is not to say we felt the author took her theme lightly. It is more the narrative approach, that of July, in her impatient, slightly defiant senior’s voice that had us chuckling through this biographical memoir that her son has persuaded her to write. The tricks and antics of her show more forbearers revealed comic insubordination and rebelliousness that is rare in a slavery novel.

However, we did have some conflicting opinions. Nancy read on only through a feeling of guilt, … she should feel empathy and remorse, yet the book left her with no such feelings, and she found the narrative tiresome. Tera could remember little about the story, yet she did remember enjoying the subtle humour, and Anne again was left with nothing more than a few notes that she jotted down simply to keep track of who was who, and what was what.

But overall the comments were positive. It was thought to be a well researched and beautifully told novel. Clever and possibly written for the screen. Viti and a few others would have liked a little more historical background of the place and time, but we all agreed the purpose of the story was more in the form of a personal account of native Jamaicans and plantation slavery.

Regardless which view point you took, we ended up discussing social and economic wealth and distribution, historical and contemporary injustices and what they all mean today. Not bad for the start of a new year.

Levy’s previous books have all been noted down for further reading. Always a good indication with our group! show less

I have to say that I liked her first ending a lot. It pleased me to think that is the way it was. I do Like July. I was, in the end, nearly as pleased with the final pages, the end of the story, and the closing of a circle.

This is not a happy story. It is a tale of slavery and abuse and ugliness. Even in slavery though, there will be love. There will be devotion, and there will be selflessness. And of course, there is hope. Hope for something better to come, perhaps for the children.

July was born to a slave and lived many years as a slave. She was a mother, a lover, and a maid.
She was a woman of strength and endurance, and finally of great wit. Her history was grim, but she made me smile. I could hear the cadence of her words, her saucy show more ways were the mark of strength as well .

Thomas Kinsman was an important part of her story, perhaps the most important part. And you need to read this compelling story to find out why. You won't regret a moment spent within these pages... show less

Darker than Small Island but still with powerful characters (few of whom are entirely sympathetic) and flashes of humour, particularly in the interactions between the novel's narrator, July, and her son Thomas Kinsman.

July is born into slavery on a Jamaican plantation in the 19th century. During her lifetime upheaval is followed by, and follows, the process of emancipation. The premise of the book is that she is writing down her life story at the urging of her son, now in the printing trade. The story is intermingled with her observations on the writing process, her son;'s observations on what she writes, and her opinions of her son's opinions. It's thus both her life story and the story of the telling of it, and this combination makes show more the novel special.

A great read, well-researched with sources cited in the afterword. It portrays the complexity of human relationships in this tragic and unfortunate period of history and shows how discrimination operates at many levels.

On writing this review, I was moved to read the 'foreword' (by Thomas, the son of the narrator) again. I recomend you do the same after reading the book. It makes so much more sense then. show less