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Black Shack Alley
Black Shack Alley
Nov 21, 2024 2:35 AM

Author:Joseph Zobel

Black Shack Alley

Following in the tradition of Richard Wright's Black Boy, Joseph Zobel's semi-autobiographical 1950 novel Black Shack Alley chronicles the coming-of-age of José, a young boy grappling with his identity in colonial Martinique.

As José transitions from childhood to young adulthood and from rural plantations to urban Fort-de-France on a quest for upward mobility, he bears witness to and struggles against the various manifestations of white supremacy, both subtle and overt, that will alter the course of his life. Zobel's masterpiece, the basis for the award-winning film Sugar Cane Alley, is a powerful testament to twentieth-century life in Martinique, with a foreword by award-winning Martinican author Patrick Chamoiseau.

Reviews

Enthralling... A spectacular tale told with spectacular accomplishment

—— Peter Kemp , Sunday Times, *Books of the Year*

[An] astonishing tale… The main narrative is told in a pressing, insistent present tense and Hertmans conjures up the medieval world with the same sensuous detailing that was so effective in War and Turpentine… tense and compelling… The Covert is…extraordinarily good

—— David Mills , Sunday Times

An imaginative flight, full of darkness and light, lively characters, life-altering conflicts, violence and kindness

—— Valerie Martin , New York Times

Written in an often breathless, continuous present tense, Hamoutal’s experiences are visualised following Herman’s own groudbreaking researches… David McKay’s translation is as brilliant as it is frequently brutal, and intermittently lyrical

—— Amanda Hopkinson , Jewish Chronicle

Nearly a millennium later, Hamoutal has been remembered and honored

—— Sam Sacks , Wall Street Journal

A gripping read

—— Kirkus

A superbly compelling novel... As menacing and engrossing as the best McEwan

—— Robert Collins , Sunday Times

Osborne brings together all his authorial talents in this gripping and sophisticated thriller

—— Emma Hagestadt , Independent

Stylish, somehow both lavish and muscular at the same time

—— David Evans , Independent on Sunday

Utterly compelling; at the risk of trotting out a cliché, I couldn't put the book down

—— Justin Cartwright , Observer

A brilliantly observed tale of class and hedonism

—— The Times, *Summer Reads of 2023*

Perhaps neither science nor religion alone could capture transcendence, but Gyasi has proved, once again, that a novel can

—— Guardian

A book of blazing brilliance . . . A double helix of wisdom and rage twists through the quiet lines of this novel. Yaa Gyasi is one of the most enlightening novelists writing today

—— Washington Post

A compelling look at a woman's struggle to move on from the devastating effects of her family falling apart in front of her eyes

—— Stylist

The must-read book of the year so far

—— Elle

A powerful, wholly unsentimental novel about family love, loss, belonging and belief that is more focused but just as daring as its predecessor, and to my mind even more successful

—— Wall Street Journal

Gyasi's second novel, Transcendent Kingdom, is a very different book, and, I think, a better one - contemporary, personal, acutely focused on a single family, and intensely felt

—— New Yorker

Exquisitely written with a lightness of touch despite its difficult themes; this novel is a triumph

—— Red

Raw, powerful storytelling that tackles race, religion, addiction and grief in a thoughtful way

—— Good Housekeeping

With deft agility and undeniable artistry, Gyasi's latest is an eloquent examination of resilient survival

—— Booklist

The Ghanaian-American has become a firm literary favour...Transcendent Kingdom is sure to cement her spot further

—— Stylist

Meticulous, psychologically complex ... At once a vivid evocation of the immigrant experience and a sharp delineation of an individual's inner struggle, the novel brilliantly succeeds on both counts

—— Publishers Weekly, starred review

Transcendent Kingdom is quiet in the way a wise soul will sit in the corner, clear their throat and when they speak, everyone listens...Transcendent Kingdom is a book always asking this question: how did we get here?

—— Bad Form Review

The range Gyasi displays in just two books is staggering

—— USA Today

Remarkable, a devastating account of America . . . explores horror without ever losing sight of humanity or hope

—— Sunday Times on 'Homegoing'

A stirringly gifted writer. It's impossible not to admire the ambition and scope of Homegoing

—— New York Times

If you want to know why the world is this way, try this book for starters

—— Naomi Alderman, author of The Power

I need a book like this to remember what is possible

—— Ta-Nehisi Coates on 'Homegoing'

Beautifully written . . . a raw look at the personal destruction caused by the opioid crisis

—— Scotsman

A poignant story of family love, loss and ambition

—— Radio Times

Yaa Gyasi's writing is shining even as the tangled traumas of the past come to the surface

—— Sainsbury's Magazine

'Yaa's depiction of these illnesses; substance addiction and depression and the family's deep-rooted tangled traumas, is skilful . . . Transcendent Kingdom is a story of love, loss and redemption, and holds a mirror up to one version of the first-generation immigrant experience that will sadly seem familiar to many of us

—— Melan Mag

This is a captivating, spellbinding evocation of how your nearest and not-so-dearest can wreak emotional havoc.

—— Psychologies

Glitteringly good.

—— Kerry Fowler , Sainsbury’s Magazine

The Green Road has been receiving glowing reviews and it's easy to see why. The story, set over four decades, gives us deep insights into the five main characters, all of whom tell us something about ourselves as Irish people, and all of whom you are sorry to leave as a reader.

—— Edel Coffey , Irish Independent

Enright is the most extraordinary writer – her style is simple and honest, no gimmicks, just straight to the heart.

—— Victoria Hislop , Sainsbury’s Magazine

A powerful evocation of leaving and returning home.

—— Ruth Scurr , Financial Times

Masterful.

—— Fiona Wilson , The Times

Watch out for it come Man Booker time.

—— Sunday Times

Enright captures beautifully the tensions of…forced festive gatherings, the sibling rivalry and the maternal melancholy of a woman who does not understand her feelings towards her own children.

—— Good Book Guide

Richly and sensuously realised, it’s vivid with the particularity of places and people and bruisingly intelligent.

—— Tessa Hadley , Guardian

Enright shows real insight and perception when it comes to family relationships. It’s a well-structured and well-paced narrative.

—— Mandy Jenkinson , Nudge

Written with raw and brutal honesty, this is one to savour.

—— Justine Carbery , Irish Independent

Enright’s writing is sharp and lucid and full of beautiful phrases and descriptions.

—— Reading Matters

I love Enright’s style and the spidering out of the siblings’ lives.

—— Claire Skinner , Daily Express

There is beauty and darkness, hypocrisy and humility; it wouldn’t be an Irish novel without them.

—— Sarah Churchwell , New Statesman

The Green Road, about one Irish family, confronts all that is essential: love, death, mothers and our own flawed selves. It is written with a kind of tenderness, beauty and insight that transmogrifies humdrum experience into the epiphanic and back again.

—— Arifa Akbar , Independent

Blisteringly funny and keenly perceptive.

—— Peter Kemp , Sunday Times

Deeply affecting, crackling with wit, and consistently magnificent.

—— Stephanie Cross , Daily Mail

A globe-trotting, kaleidoscopic portrait of Irish siblings and their difficult mother.

—— Justine Jordan , Guardian

A magnificent novel about family and belonging told in stark yet sparkling prose.

—— Stylist

A fierce, funny, loosely woven family saga.

—— Alex Preston , Observer

[A] darkly glinting novel of family life.

—— Ruth Scurr , The Spectator

A bravura example of shifting voices and perspectives, all of which benefit from Enright’s splendid prose and careful restraint.

—— Sarah Churchwell , New Statesman

Enright dissects [her character’s] foibles with warmth, wit and a bracing lack of sentimentality.

—— Simon Kuper , Financial Times

A book you don’t put down until it is finished, dragging you right into the heart of another Irish family as only Anne Enright can.

—— Keelin Shanley , Irish Times

A family saga, beginning with intense and beautifully detailed character studies.

—— Mark O'Halloran , Irish Times

I... enjoyed The Green Road for the dialogue, the clever narrative structure, and the gnarled, contemporary sense of family values.

—— Paul Durcan , Irish Times

I could not put it down. Chapter two is a masterpiece.

—— Edna O'Brien , Irish Times

Stylish prose that charts the fortunes and misfortunes of this family over a period of 25 years.

—— Anne O'Neill , Irish Times

In this brilliant, captivating novel, the poised, impossible and always disappointed matriarch Rosaleen Madigan makes life difficult for her children at a Christmas gathering.

—— Charlotte Heathcote , Sunday Express

Few Novelists pick apart domestic relationships with the poetry and precision of Anne Enright.

—— Claire Allfree , Metro

Sharp yet oh so subtle storytelling […] this is an author at the height of her formidable powers.

—— Stephen Meyler , RTE Guide

An exquisitely written portrait of a family, and a country, on the cusp of enormous change.

—— Paul Nolan , Hot Press

Exquisitely written and hugely enjoyable.

—— National

A brilliant approach to the sadness of a disconnected family, who are like satellites out of sync.

—— Anthony Cummins , Sunday Telegraph

Enright’s virtuosic tale of an Irish family- the Madigans- across continents and decades withholds closure but doesn’t skimp on pleasure

—— five stars , Daily Telegraph

A compelling novel, full of astute observations, beautifully written, sometimes stark and other times aching with longing

—— Collette Sheridan , Irish Examiner

The sweep of the book and Anne Enright's way fo pulling this global migratuon story together with such energy and detail puts her in somewhere beside Toni Morrison

—— Independent, Ireland

Heart-wrenching novel… The surgical precision of Enright’s writing makes you feel that she can, in Wordsworth’s words, “see into the life of things”. There is a singing simplicity to it that tugs at your heart…A masterly work.

—— Christina Patterson , Sunday Times

Beautifully observed. Enright is a great writer.

—— William Leith , Evening Standard

Bold and brilliant.

—— The Week

Incredible… I’m totally captivated.

—— Annie Mac , The Sunday Times

An evocative story about family ties and belonging.

—— Western Morning News

A brilliant read.

—— Western Morning News

A story of fracture and family, selfishness and compassion.

—— SheerLuxe.com

Sharply funny portrait of an Irish family meeting for a final Christmas.

—— Metro

Within pages I was wrapped in the warmth of Enright’s prose… This is a beautiful book… Enright is unquestionably a fantastic writer who, for me with this novel, conjured up the world of a family with all its highs and lows that felt like they might be having this reunion down the end of your road… Enright does two of my favourite things in fiction. She makes the ordinary, and everything we take for granted, seem extra ordinary. She also gives voices to those who have not been able to share their tales… The writing is stunning.

—— Simon Savidge , Savidge Reads

An evocative story about family ties and belonging. Anne Enright is deservedly a well-respected writer.

—— Western Morning News

Enright's novels are fantastically well-crafted, eloquent and funny… Each character is beautifully realized… She finds unexpected adjectives, brilliantly exact description, the spot-on emotion. Her writing is lyrical but always unsentimental. There is pleasure in reading every paragraph, and an enormous wisdom throughout the pages.

—— Mumsnet

Truly wonderful… The dialogue is particularly brilliant… It completely envelops you in the story and will leave you wanting more.

—— Belfast Telegraph Morning

Wonderful… The dialogue is particularly brilliant, capturing all the barbed snappiness of dinner with siblings.

—— Herald

I fell headfirst into the beautifully written prose of this novel, so authentic and charming in its telling of one Irish family over more than two decades. Each vibrant character gets a turn in almost short stories of their own that feel almost like entities in their own right. I adored it.

—— Cathy Levy , Red Online

A resonant, masterly work.

—— Sunday Times

[An] exceptional novel.

—— David Nicholls , Guardian

This is a flawless book, it’s utterly flawless… It has just touched so many other readers. This book is heartbreaking… A beautiful examination of unhappy families… The power of Anne’s writing is you all see a reflection of your own family…it’s tender and it’s beautiful and deserves to be widely read.

—— Victoria Sadler

Enright is undoubtedly one of our most prominent novelists

—— Elif Shafak , Week

A delicious page-turner

—— New Scientist

A gripping novel with a satisfying conclusion

—— Charlotte Heathcote , Daily Mirror

The Testamnets is a cracking sequel to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and a timely warning about the lengths to which a patriarchal culture will go to control female sexuality

—— Alison Flood , Sunday Telegraph

A superb and suspenseful expose of misogyny and the moral ambiguity at the heart of a fanatical regime

—— Martin Chilton, Olivia Petter and Ceri Radford , Independent, *Books of the Decade*

[A] rare combination of a rollicking thriller with major political nous told one of our greatest living writers. Essential

—— Den of Geek, *Books of the Year*

An era-defining masterpiece

—— Waterstones.com

The Testaments… lived up to the hype

—— Anne Carter , Daily Express, *Books of the Year*

Superbly written and masterfully constructs the regime of Gilead more than its predecessor was able to

—— Will Evans , Exepose

The extraordinary Margaret Atwood... she's fabulous'

—— Hillary Clinton , Stylist

[A] compelling story

—— Jane Shilling , Daily Mail

Atwood's sequel shines with all the acuity and brilliance of the original, whilst continuing the story with flair and modern insight

—— Alice Manning , Nouse

There is no language I could use to express the emotion and beauty behind Margaret Atwood's words. Her work takes you on a journey of emotion - whether you are ready to fight, be kind, be vulnerable, stay strong or simply be, she takes you there

—— Elisabeth Moss

Thrilling, a meditation on courage which asks us to consider what our own response might be were we forced to choose between meek complicity and rebellion at risk of death

—— Madeleine Davies, Church Times

She's taken our times and made us wise to them

—— Ali Smith

Inspiring and deeply disturbing

—— Nicola Sturgeon
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