Marina Maxwell
  • Home
  • MMMusings
  • Blogs
  • About Me
  • My Books
  • Book Reviews
  • FAMILY TALES

Reviews

Categories

All


I read and review both historical fiction and non-fiction, but also enjoy biographies, crime and some contemporary fiction.
​ 

Please note that unless stated that I have received these books directly from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review, I either purchase my own copies or source them from my local library service. 

​Links to Amazon, Book Depository or Dymocks Australia are only for the reader's reference.
(Due to some poor experiences recently with Booktopia, from 2023 I will no longer link to them.)

My reviews for Historical Novels Review, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society, can be found online here
​

"Someone Knows My Name" Lawrence Hill

31/5/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
This exceptional novel by Canadian author Lawrence Hill has two titles. In the United States, Australia and New Zealand, it is known as "Someone Knows my Name", yet it won the Commonwealth Writers Prize in 2008 under its original name, "The Book of Negroes", so it couldn't have offended the judges, some of whom may have hailed from African countries. Trying to whitewash genuine historical terms can often turn into a disadvantage with a book and cause confusion amongst readers, so it will be interesting to see what happens with the international release of the mini-series that is a South African/Canadian co-production. Read about it here.

But, no matter its title, this is a truly magnificent story about a young African woman taken into slavery who ends up in Canada. It is packed with all the conflicting aspects of humanity, both evil and good, and it ultimately carries a strong message of courage, love and hope - all the essential ingredients that make for classic fiction. There is no point summarising the plot here, as the book has been well-covered in many other reviews since it was first published in 2007. See Wikipedia for the plot and history, also comments from the author on difficulties with the title.

For anyone looking for a really rewarding work of historical fiction, this is very highly recommended.

Amazon Canada

Amazon USA

Booktopia Australia

Bookdepository (a book club discussion with both titles!)










0 Comments

    Categories

    All

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    See
    Historical Novel Society
    ​
    for my reviews of historical fiction
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • MMMusings
  • Blogs
  • About Me
  • My Books
  • Book Reviews
  • FAMILY TALES