This was a very fun collection to read and would have been something I'd like to have tackled in college. Many of the stories (both due to layered themes and heavy accents in the writing) require a real focus and some outside web-based help to really get into. That is not a detraction in any way. I have the same struggle when I pick up a Charles Dickens or H.P. Lovecraft book. Half my time is spent cross referencing a dictionary.

While I have no experience/background in reading Jamaican culture, the stories here flow very well and, especially the short ones, get emotion across in a highly enjoyable way. As dense as the reading can feel, you are still drawn in. One could easily lose themselves in the stories once you get a feel for that accent.

One of the standouts for me is the novella-length "Marguerite: A Story of the Earthquake". Its a story that weaves a plot around a historical event along with colonial society of 1907. Before reading the story, I knew nothing about either item, but I'd be interested to read it again after I learn a bit more about the time/events around it.

I highly recommend it for anyone that enjoys turn-of-the-century literature or with an interest in Jamaican literary culture. ( )

This book is a collection of short stories, novella and a novel published in the early 1900s by a native Jamaican publishing house.
The stories are all written by Jamaicans about Jamaica. Because they were written in the early 1900s, they are more "dense" than contemporary fiction, and take more time to read, although much less so than the short stories, which are mostly humorous. In addition, much of the conversation is in patois, which can be difficult to decipher at times, That being said, If you are interested in learning about Jamaica of that time, it will well repay your effort. ( )

I think this book has much merit, written well, although the written Jamaican dialect I had a difficult time with. Written in another era long past they are still filled with characters that are enjoyable as we get to know them. This is not a book to glide through, these are stories the writer has shown great love for and wanted to share with the people of this land. ( )