Unburnable audiobook

there are some problems with this book.(besides a few distracting typos - and i usually don't mind, but these changed meanings too much to be acceptable) it's the same problems that books like the eight and the ghost of hannah mendes suffer from. all of these books split the narrative between a modern-day and a historical plot but the modern plot always suffers and devolves into a stock romance-type plot. it's a shame because the "other" plot is so compelling. but it was really good despite my gripes.

This is an outstanding piece of literary fiction. Set in Dominica, Marie-Elena John tells the harrowing story of three generations of Dominican women spanning from the 1940s to the early 2000s. The storyline takes the reader into the Dominican past highlighting its pre-Columbian past, its African past and present, and its Creoleness (in language and religion, especially). All of these co-exist sometimes uncomfortably. At points the text reads like historical anthropology by giving the reader details of Dominican culture. As John locates the main characters into that tapestry of Domicanness that's where the reader sees aspects of the culture bump against itself. This is no spoiler, but I strongly sensed that John drew from Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon. I would love to chat about this with readers. I respect that about the book.As a historian reading, I appreciate that one of the main characters was an African American historian. But in bringing his backstory I feel that John left it flat. That's disappointing. I also found a glaring mistake (for me as an historian of Africa) in the use of one term. Without those two drawbacks this book would have been five stars for me.

Decades ago, in the 1940s, a woman by the name of Matilda was hung for murder on the lush, green island of Dominica. Her story became the stuff of chante mas songs, songs sung during the pre-Lenten Masquerade and known to everyone. Now, her grand-daughter, born in Dominica but partially raised in the United States, is back to discover the real story behind Matilda’s execution. Was Matilda really an Obeah woman with the power to heal as well as to kill? How did Matilda’s daughter, Lillian’s own mother, the beautiful Iris, lose her mind? To whom did the bones hidden in the forested mountains really belong?Unburnable weaves together the lives of three women, Matilda, Iris and Lillian, into one amazing story of love, betrayal, murder, madness and loss, all against the background of the rich cultural history of Dominica. The vivid descriptions of the dresses, the costumes, the masquerades and the customs of the island make Unburnable a rich feast for the senses.

I highly recommend joining a book club because it challenges you to read books outside your preferred genre and/or comfort zone. I would have never read Unburnable if it wasn't for my work book club. I am glad I read this book. It is an interesting story about three generations of women living or growing up on the island of Dominica. It is hard to believe that this was John's first novel. It is a wonderful exploration of the African Diaspora contrasting, celebrating and critiquing the differences between African-Americans, Afro-Caribbeans and Africans. John tells the story of Matilda, Iris and Lillian and how the songs and legends told about Lillian's mother and grandmother are not what they seem. Teddy, Lillian's lover, is a controversial figure. I initially hated him although it is apparent that his presence in the book is important. On the surface, his character represents the requisite love interest. However, it becomes clear that Teddy is the eyes and ears of the African-American (or American) reader. His ignorance and arrogance is a key plot point for the conclusion of the story. John uses her knowledge of Caribbean, African-American and African culture to educate the reader on the many traditions of the Diaspora. One criticism, the "romance" between Teddy and Lillian seems forced. Nothing is what it seems in this book until the very end, which made this novel a unexpected thriller to read. I highly recommend.

This is a difficult book to review. I feel certain that it's better than the average read, but what exactly to say about it afterwards?Currently I am living on the island of Dominica, where the story takes place, and I was told that it would help me understand the culture of the people here. That set up a framework for reading it, of course.The novel is structured so that the lives of three women are intertwined; those of a grandmother, a mother and a daughter. The latter is suffering from her traumatic childhood and she is trying to resolve those issues.Since the content was too intense for me to take except in small doses, I found this type of structuring confusing. The intensity came from the repeated acts of brutality that occasionally erupted from under the apparently thin skin of civility which the characters exhibited toward one another. I found myself hoping again and again that Dominicans were not as depicted in the book; that events were exaggerated for effect.I'm afraid it isn't so, however. I have heard accounts here that are close to the same...things that indicate a strong sense of superstition leading people to treat one another cruelly and shamefully in my view.On the credit side, the author came out with some penetrating insights into human nature that I appreciated.I think overall it did give me insights into the culture here, but I am not sure I am happy I've eaten this fruit.

This book took me much longer than I expected, but certainly not because it was short on content or quality. This book is culturally-rich, multi-generational and certainly stereotype-challenging. This is the author's debut (and only?) novel, and it definitely packs a punch in 292 pages, covering so many aspects of Caribbean culture, with a very specific focus on Dominica and Creole culture. I absolutely enjoyed it and do expect that in the future I will read it in one sitting. I loved the twists, turns and surprises.

Marie-Elena John uses the Caribbean carnival as the stage where native custom, family history, and West African culture collide forever changing the celebration of carnival for the people of Roseau in Dominica. In the freshman novel Unburnable John uses the celebration of carnival and carnival songs to reveal a unique history of West Indians in general while spanning the three generations of one family. This story weaves together the history of Africans, Caribs, and Americans. The three women of Unburnable African grandmother Matilda, African-Carib daughter Iris and African-Carib-American Lillian provide a window through which history, inheritance, revenge, murder and alienation is created. Unburnable forces us to confront ourselves as part of a larger history, one of family, community, country and race. Sprinkled throughout the story is: a white Rastafarian woman, obeah practitioners, Catholic nuns and African American man. After all the questions have been answered, Lillian has to choose to embrace or reject her inheritance. What carnival song will they sing about her, to know what she decides to do you have to read - Unburnable

A great debut novel! There were a lot of descriptions and background in the beginning. For me, the plot didn't get going until about chapter 11. Since I have an undergraduate degree in history, I appreciated the historical connections and foundations in African tradition. The book touches on traditions carried to the Carribean by African slaves and how hard they fought to maintain their culture. It made me think about as an African-American in the United States, the cultural tradtions and conncetions to Africa since slavery have been lost. Marie-Elena used French Creole sporadically throughout the novel, just enough to help me understand culture. The storyline was engaging. Each chapter highlights a different generation, until everything comes together. Lillian is inspired to return to Dominica to prove that her grandmother was not a murdering Obeahwoman. There was a lot more to get out of this book than the historical connections, such as religion, racism, hereditary mental health issues, and the power of love. I'm interested to read whatever else Marie-Elena John writes, and I definitely recommend this book.

I learned a few new things about Carib culture in this book, and I always love it when a book teaches me a few things! :D The shifting storylines between Lillian and her mother/grandmother were easy enough to follow and entertaining as bits of the whole story are revealed.Some people here say they don't like the ending or found it confusing. Personally, I feel that a concrete and happy ending would have spoiled the story. Legends and magic were a big part of this story, and while I do feel that some parts could have been more fleshed-out or clarified, this story was still very good. The ending of this book added to the general feel of the story, with Lillian becoming part of the legend/magic herself, and you can decide for yourself whether she does live or not. Overall a good story.

What the hell was that ending?! Talk about a cliffhanger. Listened to the book, which was certainly a different experience than reading it would've been. Learned quite a bit about the African Diaspora in the West Indies and the struggles in blending and interacting with different cultures, races, and religions. The different eras provided a brief history of Dominica, and the stories were told with smooth transitions. Although I didn't like the ending because I wanted just a little more, I liked the way it ended from a narrative and stylistic point of view.

Loved everything about this debut novel. Well researched The way the author ties in the characters, as well as the geographical and cultural references almost make this novel seem like a recap of Dominican oral histories. Maroons, Caribs, and Igbo cultures, the History of Ash Wednesday, Masquerades, Jacko's Flat, the boiling lake, etc....all things that I had no or limited knowledge about before reading this book.

The beginning of this story draws you in quickly with a bit of a lag in the middle. The end overwhelms you with information in a never ending explosion of new possible answers for the main character. I enjoyed the majority of the book but I think the obscure ending took away from the feeling of conclusion in the characters lives. - Katie

I enjoyed it. However, honestly I rushed through the modern part of the story because I found it a bit slow in the beginning. The chapters about the past were enthralling from the start. Good first book for the author