There’s probably a reason this book shows up in a lot of early college class, high school reading lists, and the AP exam. It’s a good book to be sure, but it’s kind of a book’s book. The story of a family, the story of a set of experiences, and the story of a voice, but it could so easily be mashed into a mold of “Haitian-American Immigrant Novel” and feel like it covers a lot of ground. The story itself is about a young […]
Worth the Read
Claire of the Sea Light is altogether a successful and enchanting story, well worth the read, not only because of the beauty and richness of Danticat’s use of language but also because her story gives insight into a people and culture not so well-known or represented in western literature. Compared to its predecessors from the author, however, Claire of the Sea Light falls slightly short of expectations. Read the full review.
Mothers and Daughters
I’m back! I had an accidental reviewing hiatus (by which, I mean that I have been reading my books but letting the reviews pile up), which should be over now. I have a whole bunch of reviews written and am ready to pretend that I will never procrastinate my reviewing ever again. First up is Edwidge Danticat’s Breath, Eyes, Memory, which I liked quite a bit, though not as well as her short story collection, Krik? Krak! (reviewed for CBR7). I did find the mother-daughter […]
The light surrounding Claire
Because I decided that All the Danticat needed to be read, I went with Claire of the Sea Light next. I also have checked it out from the library twice, and have no more renewals left. It feels like defeat to check a book back in from the library without having read it–silly, I know. None of you feel this way, I’m sure. But I had to make some choices before going on vacation. Consequently, I packed more books than clothes or shoes. My parents […]
When I ask “Krik?” you answer “Krak!”
I’ve been in the process of reading short story collections to piece together some units for my fall course. I’ve got another collection in the wings, because diversity of texts and ideas is always a great thing. I did not expect to fall so deeply in love with Edwidge Danticat’s Krik? Krak! that I would consider bumping one of my texts to make room for this. And yet here we are. In Haitian tradition, when someone asks “Krik?” you respond, “Krak!” It’s an invocation to […]
Hope Against All Hope in Haiti
Set in a small village in Haiti, Claire of the Sea Light is a novel about loss and hope. Ville Rose has a long history of poverty and hardship. A few prominent families run the town, the school and local businesses, but the vast majority of its inhabitants are poor. The novel begins and ends with a poor widowed fisherman named Nozias and his seven-year-old daughter Claire Limye Lanme — Claire of the Sea Light. Nozias’ wife Claire died giving birth, and Nozias has struggled […]