Reviews

• Il venditore mi ha contattata appena ha ricevuto il mio ordine per informarmi che il libro usato , da me richiesto, NON rispondeva alla descrizione: in ottimo stato. Mi ha chiesto se preferivo un rimborso o volevo scegliere un altro titolo del loro catalogo . Alla mia richiesta di rimborso sono stati estremamente solleciti. Dispiaciuta per il libro ma contenta della loro serietà come rivenditori.

• I've been looking for this book for years, I read it as a youngster and couldn't remember the name of it, really engrossing and thought provoking, so well written, i'm enjoying re-immersing myself into it as an adult

• The Haitian slave revolt was both extremely violent and extremely inspiring. Bell does a fantastic job of representing both sides of this. He begins with painting a picture of what pre-revolt life was like in Haiti. We develop an understanding of the characters, and establish a relationship with them. And then all hell breaks loose! I cannot over-emphasize the violence of this book. It is not unnecessarily so, however. To do any less would be a disservice to the facts. In order to appreciate the events that took place, we need to understand what people were experiencing. But it is appreciated that the violence is mostly limited to the middle of the book. Once the initial rebellion settles into more of a resistance, we begin to move forward and follow the stories without fear of the gruesome. The relationships in this book are beautifully painted, showing the love between races and the difficult emotions associated with being the half-breed child of a cruel slave master and his slave-woman mistress. When you're running for your life because the other side wants to kill everyone who is of one race or the other, what happens when you're half of each? Who do you trust? Who can trust you? If you are interested in Haitian culture or history, African-American history, or just history in general, or if you like a really good book, this is an excellent read. It was helpful for me that I understood some of the French (although translations are provided for some of the longer phrases) and that I've been to several of the places mentioned in the book. Anyone can read the book and enjoy it, but if you understand a little bit about Haitian Vodou and/or the history and culture, you'll appreciate it even more. There is a helpful chronology of historical events at the back of the book, as well as a glossary of Haitian Kreyol terms which helps the reader. Again, the book is EXTREMELY violent. Do not under-estimate my warning if you cannot deal with vivid mental images.

• Excellent book

• A fabulous work of sustained imagination ... This is a superb re-creation of the lives of some white planters and some of their slaves at the time of the heroic and brutal uprising on Haiti in 1792, which led to freedom for the hundreds of thousands of slaves in the French colony, followed swiftly by the declaration of independence from Napoleonic France. The historical background is very much servant to the story and to the development of the various colourful characters. Toussaint, the charismatic, pragmatic and truly noble leader slowly emerges as a force to be reckoned with. The best parts, for me, were the scenes within the highly graded white and coloured French colonial society - and the parts of the story told from the point of view of a versatile ex-slave who is a voodoo follower. The machinations and complexities of the various factions amongst black, white and mulattoes as well as the Jacobin commissioners and Royalist army officer are rendered intelligible and critical to the narrative. A minor character, a priest who co-habits with his wife and children, is a beacon of hope in his remarkable humility and acceptance of death. The doctor who acts as the main protagonist becomes much more interesting as he stumbles into relations with an enticing black half-caste and as he learns herbal medicine from Toussaint. There are many remarkable personalities and some horrific scenes of both black and white violence. The tone of the book is coolly descriptive, with no hint of preaching, and all the more powerful for it. The historical detail is convincing and subtle while the evocation of the sweltering, insect-ridden landscape is masterly. A minor caveat is that the flash forward scenes to Toussaint's journey in French captivity appear unnecessary to me, and they lack the dramatic force of the rest of the book. I am surprised that this book is not still in print.

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