Small Island: Winner of the 'best of the best' Orange Prize
Set in post-war London and Jamaica, the novel follows Queenie, Gilbert, Hortense, and Bernard as their lives intersect around migration, race, and the uneasy promises of Britain after the war.
Work Information
A novel that weaves together empire, prejudice, war, and love to bring the realities of post-war Britain into sharp focus.
In 1948 London, the novel moves between the viewpoints of a Jamaican couple and the British family who takes them in, tracing migration, race, the memory of war, and the possibility of family renewal. It stands as one of Andrea Levy's defining novels and an important work of contemporary British fiction.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Tinder Press
- Published
- 2009-09-17
- Pages
- 560 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 12.8 x 4.2 x 19.6 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9780755307500
- ISBN-10
- 075530750X
- Price
- 3016 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Literature & Fiction/Genre Fiction/Historical
Small Island by bestselling author Andrea Levy won the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Orange Prize 'Best of the Best' as well as the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Whitbread. Possibly the definitive fictional account of the experiences of the Empire Windrush generation, it was selected by the BBC as one of its '100 Novels That Shaped Our World'. 'A great read... honest, skilful, thoughtful and important' Guardian It is 1948, and England is recovering from a war. But at 21 Nevern Street, London, the conflict has only just begun. Queenie Bligh's neighbours don't approve when she agrees to take in Jamaican lodgers, but with her husband, Bernard, not back from the war, she has little choice in the matter. Gilbert Joseph was one of the many Jamaican men who joined the RAF to fight Hitler. But when he returns to England as a civilian he doesn't receive the welcome he was expecting, and it's desperation that drives him to knock at Queenie's door. Gilbert's wife Hortense, who for years has longer for a better life in England, soon joins him. But London is far from the golden city of her dreams, and even Gilbert is not the man she thought he was. Small Island explores a point in England's past when the country began to change. In this delicately wrought and profoundly moving novel, Andrea Levy handles the weighty themes of empire, prejudice, war and love, with a superb lightness of touch and generosity of spirit. 'An engrossing read - slyly funny, passionately angry and wholly involving' Daily Mail 'Gives us a new urgent take on our past' Vogue
After she passed away on the 14th of February 2019, the Bookseller wrote: 'Andrea Levy will be remembered as a novelist who broke out of the confines assigned to her by prejudice to become a both a forerunner of Black British excellence and a great novelist by any standards.' Born in England to Jamaican parents who came to Britain in 1948, Andrea Levy wrote the novels that she had always wanted to read as a young woman, engaging books that reflect the experiences of black Britons and at the intimacies that bind British history with that of the Caribbean. She was described by BBC News as 'a writer who tackled important social issues . . . her writing . . . witty, humane and often moving, and full of richly drawn characters'. She was the author of six books, including SMALL ISLAND, which won the Orange Prize for Fiction, and the Whitbread book of the Year, and was adapted for TV and for the stage, by the National Theatre. It was selected by the BBC as one of its '100 Novels That Shaped Our World'. Her most recent novel, THE LONG SONG, won the Walter Scott Prize and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and was adapted for TV by the BBC.
Reviews
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Incredible Writing
Each character is written with incredible empathy and, above all, humour. Readers are immersed in the post WW2 era so completely.
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An enriching story
Small Island is the amazing story on the first wave of Jamaican immigrants who arrived in Britain after WWII. With beautifully grafted characters and a gripping story line, the narrative takes you through different cultures, people and life styles, and through the dialogue, we are given access to the souls of the characters in their moments of weakness, doubts, fears and dreams. The plot is fantastic and the pace of the novel is so fast and gripping that you will end up finishing the book before you realize it. If you are into Cosmopolitan or multi-cultural fiction, then get this novel. Also recommended: DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, THE UNION MOUJIK ,THE USURPER AND OTHER STORIES
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Dreaming of a better life ......
カリブ海に浮かぶ Small island, Jamaica からより良き生活を求めて、イギリスへ渡るGilbertとHortense、ロンドンに暮らすBurnerdとQuueenie、この二組の夫婦が様々に辿った人生の中でやがて交錯する。時は大戦後の1948年とそれ以前とが交互に設定されている。 まだイギリスの植民地であった時代のジャマイカ、「母国」イギリスで受ける容赦ない人種差別、ヒットラーとの戦いとロンドン大空襲の惨劇、生きていくためには愛さえ偽装されているかに見える。 しかし多くの苦難をのりこえつつ彼らが到達した心の動きはしみじみと胸をうつ。 今ロンドンの地下鉄に立つと、まさしくここは melting pot(人種の坩堝）だと実感させられる。それが1948年から現在までのイギリスの歴史の象徴であろうと思う。
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Read it for pleasure and satisfaction
Marvelous book --great story and , moves well, extremely well written, would recommend to everyone who likes reading good writing and potent story.
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Dense and Rewarding
I loved this book! It is so dense and so unbelievably full of human folly that I cannot recommend it highly enough. Andrea Levy obviously did much historical research concerning the Jamaicans that came to England in the 40's to fight in the war. Not only are there prejudices and atrocities, but also sincere endearment concerning the flawed humanity of ALL of the characters. Another thing that makes this book absolutely fantastic is that it is told by four different narrators, therefore, the perspectives are constantly changing and making the reader feel something new from chapter to chapter. Levy's writing is realistic and vividly descriptive. Events within the novel are both wildly humorous and impossibly sad. In other words, I think she's done a phenomenal job of making sure her characters are not two dimensional. They are real, and because of that, one is able to deeply care for (and sometimes hate) them, which is what a true fictional experience is about. I believe Levy is a true master of her craft and I would read further works without reservation. This is a truly rich and rewarding read. Enjoy!
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really stunning
I've enjoyed each page of this book, each story, each character, everything! A solid plot explained by 4 main characters and their particular point of view, while we realize how the living after the IIWW was, above all about racism. I strongly recommend this reading. Aconsejo a estudiantes de inglés a partir del First Certificate/Advanced.
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Excellent
Très bon livre retraçant l'intégration difficile des Caribéens en Grande Bretagne après la Seconde Guerre Mondiale durant laquelle beaucoup d'entre eux ont combattu auprès des Alliès à la demande de la "Mother Nation" qui malheureusement ne le leur rendra pas. C'est aussi une histoire humaine à travers les personnages de Gilbert, Hortense et Queenie. L'histoire est narrée tour à tour par chacun des personnages ce qui permet de rentrer dans l'esprit de chacun et de connaître ses motivations et ses attentes. Un belle histoire illustrant les difficultés de la Windrush Generation.
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Complex and rich in imagery
This book was a surprise to me. Once I was familiar with the Jamaican language style, it was easy to engage with the characters. Flashbacks to the past on the island with stories of childhood were beautifully written, with rich smells and images. Its moving plot was complex yet believable, with the weaknesses of characters forever shaping their lives. The Jamaicans' strengths were admirable, with generosity of spirit and adherence to culture and beliefs blending to create a sad but believable story. Anti-black feeling and complete ignorance about why black immigrants had come to England showed harsh English people who don't practice Christianity. Instead, their belief that white people are superior and black people only slaves and sub-human, was sad to behold. The moving and surprising conclusion to the book provided some hope this could change, as a result of the acceptance, energy and generosity of one Jamaican couple who would succeed despite all the odds.