The story is rendered in a series of 8 chapters that effectively amount to a sequence of interrelated short stories each of which highlights and incident and/or event that stands as a critical turning point in the mother-daughter relationship.
The story is set in Antigua. This, along with the prosaic quality of Annie's narrative voice, add an element of the exotic to the story. It also provides the basis for the inflexible social structure that locks the combatants into rigid stances from which, ultimately, they cannot extricate themselves.
The book is well written and progresses in a stately and unrushed manner. It's not the sort of book you pick up and can't put down. In point of fact, I found I tended to put it down after every chapter-the short story effect lent itself to such a reading style and, as each chapter amounts to a major point in the story, that gave me a chance to assimilate and assess the story tot hat point. I found the book intellectually stimulating but I can easily see how someone not really gripped by the story could call this work boring, as quite a few previous reviewers have.
On the whole I found it a unique and interesting reading experience that, in retrospect, ought to have been somewhat depressing, yet wasn't.
On the whole, an intriguing book.
The life of this girl was so much different that anyone I know. It was very interesting to learn about another persons lifestyle and culture which had so many different aspects. This family also had very little money and had no technology in their life. The author really got you into this familys life.
The book also focuses on the relationship between this little girl and her mother. Her mother affects a lot of the decisions the little girl makes in life. It also takes you through the relationships with her father and her peers at school.
Overall, I thought the book made you appreciate what you have in life and also give you the reality of how people were living back in the past and a completly different country and community.
