Bitter Chocolate

I heard about it on Noleen (South Africa's Oprah), so was pleased to get my hands on it.

3 women connected in different ways, survivors in different ways. I would love to have known more about Haiti, but the parts set in Haiti and Ghana were fascinating. Haitian race 'rules', the Ghanaian textile industry and women trying to gain control over their own lives.

Enjoyable read.

Not at all the kind of book I usually pick up, but I was pleasantly surprised. It takes about 100 pages to really get into it, but once you do you genuinely care about Laure, Ameline, and Melanie. I did get frustrated with Melanie after a while and began to wonder why she was one of the focal points of the narrative, since Laure's and Ameline's were so much stronger and they know each other, but she comes into Laure's life in the end and it's interesting to know where she came from and why she is the way she is. But her story doesn't really get much closure. Overall though, a good read.

I sometimes found the three separate strands of the story tripped over each other - I wanted to know more of the one I had been following and not change to a different strand. However with three strands to plait into one whole it is tricky to make that suit every part of the story and every reader ...

I loved the characters of the three women and enjoyed the diversity of the locations too ...

This book was very entertaining. It was well written and kept me enthralled.

aiti, 1985. A diciassette anni, tutto ciò che Laure St Lazâre desidera è fuggire lontano dall'atmosfera soffocante della casa di famiglia. Dopo essere stata abbandonata a soli due anni da sua madre, l'affascinante e impulsiva Belle, è difficile per lei vivere con una nonna severa e intransigente con cui non è possibile alcun dialogo. Per fortuna c'è Améline, l'unica vera amica di Laure. Servetta e confidente, senza una famiglia propria, senza un passato, Améline è da sempre alle dipendenze dei St Lazâre, ma anche lei sogna una vita diversa. Quello che le due ragazze non sanno è che presto saranno costrette a separarsi.

Mielenkiintoinen viihdekirja erilaisista naisista elämän kohtaloissa eri maissa ja maanosissa.