What a wonderful book! And this kind of praise doesn't come out of my keyboard often. I picked this novel as my vacation read due to its setting on St. Thomas island, but it has far surpassed my expectations. It made the already beautiful destination alive with local folklore and history.

When it comes to the Caribbean, what most people would associate with historical fiction set in those parts would probably be pirates, plantations and slavery. This book takes a fresher approach as this is a family saga about a Jewish family who came to the island that used to be a Danish colony at the time in search of a refuge. Their destinies are intertwined with the black people on the island while existing in apparently separate worlds.

I find it very interesting that the family in question is the one of Camille Pissarro, the father of impressionism. I wasn't aware he was from St.Thomas and the book describes in a wonderful way how a childhood on the island might have sparked a different kind of vision needed to create a new artistic movement.

The book is centred mostly around Rachel, the mother of Camille Pissarro and the first part of the book that describes her childhood and coming of age is the strongest, truly magical. The book is very sensual and haunting at times. I did find a slight disconnect between the character of Rachel as a young woman and later on, when she was more mature, esp. as the later years were more rushed in the novel, but it didn't disturb me so much.

I cannot say enough about the writing in this book. There are great characters, an interesting story and a very vivid description of the setting. The magical realism in this book is extremely subtle, but magic permeates the whole book which makes it hard to put it down and impossible to forget.

10/10 from me. ( )

This book was a little slow to start but I loved the story and the writing. Magical. ( )

I thought it was a bit slow to start but loved it
Audio book, listened Jan 2024 ( )

This beautifully written historical fiction by Alice Hoffman tells the story of Jews in the island of St. Thomas in the early 1800’s. Sprinkled with mystical and religious customs; this richly evocative novel is mostly a rewarding read. The story revolves around Rachel and her marriages along with her children during the first half of the book. Her son Jacobo/Camille becomes more a focus in the second half. He talks about going to a non-Jewish school with children of color. Jacobo is introduced to the concept of Jesus. The idea of God having a son made God seemed more human. He talks about being a disbeliever surrounded by believers.
Another major part of the novel is the story of Rachel’s black friend Jestine. Justine falls in love with a cousin of Rachel named Aaron and due to their interracial status cannot marry. Their out of wedlock daughter Lydia is kidnapped by Aaron and taken to Paris where he marries a Jewish woman. Lydia is never told of her adoption status. Lydia marries a Jewish man and has many children. When her mother’s identity is revealed she becomes distraught. She tells her husband and he is unaffected by the revelation that his wife is of mixed race and not officially Jewish. It is odd that Lydia isn’t concerned that her children wouldn’t be considered Jewish. To be Jewish your mother must of the Jewish faith. It’s odd that the author only deals with the implication of the children’s religious much later in the novel.
Towards the last 1/3 of the book there is an episodic quality that dilutes some of the goodwill that Alice Hoffman had previously brought to the book. Yet just when you feel the mojo is gone, there will be the inclusion of a fascinating custom. When one of Rachel’s daughters dies, they have to pay for mourners since they don’t have the required ten men. After the funeral, the daughter’s linens were burned. They also burned herbs in an earthenware dish and three open all the windows to let the spirit of the daughter go.
The afterward provides an additional ending for those looking for further historical context.

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fiction, historical fiction, dnf, ( )