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Africville
Africville: A Novel | Jeffrey Colvin
2 posts | 3 read | 1 reading | 4 to read
For readers of Lawrence Hill and George Elliott Clarke, a ferociously talented writer makes his stunning debut with this richly woven tapestry. Set in the small Nova Scotia town of Africville, settled by former slaves, Jeffrey Colvin depicts several generations of one family bound together and torn apart by blood, faith, time and fate. A richly woven story, structured as a triptych, Africville chronicles the lives of three generations of the Sebolt familyKath Ella, her son, Omar/Etienne, and her grandson Warnerwhose lives unfold against the tumultuous events of the twentieth century, from the Great Depression of the 1930s, through the social protests of the 1960s, to the economic upheavals of the 1980s. A century earlier, Kath Ellas ancestors established a new home in Nova Scotia. Like the lives of her ancestors, Kath Ellas is shaped by hardship as she struggles to conceive and to provide for her family during the long, bitter Canadian winters. She must also contend with the locals lingering suspicions about the dark-skinned outsiders who live in their midst. Kath Ellas fierce love for her son, Omar, cannot help her overcome the racial prejudices that linger in this remote, tight-knit place. As he grows up, the rebellious Omar refutes the past and decides to break from the family, threatening to upend all that Kath Ella and her people have tried to build. Over the decades, each successive generation drifts farther from Africville, yet they take a piece of this indelible place with them as they make their way to Montreal, Vermont and beyond, to the deep South of America. As it explores notions of identity, passing, cross-racial relationships, the importance of place and the meaning of home, Africville tells the larger story of the black experience in parts of Canada and the United States. Vibrant and lyrical, filled with colourful details and told in a powerful, haunting voice, this extraordinary novelas atmospheric and steeped in history as Any Known Blood, The Known World, George & Rue, The Underground Railroad, Homegoing and The Book of Negroesis a landmark work from a sure-to-be major literary talent.
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review
Singout
Africville: A Novel | Jeffrey Colvin
Bailedbailed

I‘m disappointed to say that I just couldn‘t get into this one: a novel based on the real story of the Black community in Nova Scotia that goes back centuries and is an important part of Canadian history. However, the characters just fell flat for me and the narrative felt rushed, so while there were snippets of learning I couldn‘t stay with it.
#bookspin

TheAromaofBooks Always a bummer when a book has a great premise & no follow-through 😕 3y
3 likes1 comment
blurb
ShyBookOwl
Africville: A Novel | Jeffrey Colvin
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My hold finally came in!! 🤓 So excited to read this novel set against a part of black history AND Canadian history that is also part of my family history. My own ancestors arrived in NS as black loyalists in 1783. In the 50s, my white grandmother ran away with my black grandfather and lived with him in Africville. Growing up, she always told me stories about it. I'm thrilled to have found a book with this setting!
#blackvoices

rsteve388 I am looking forward to reading this. I hear it's excellent as an audiobook. 4y
ShyBookOwl @rsteve388 I can agree so far! 4y
DAB 👏Thanks for sharing. I am going to add to my to read list. 👏 4y
ShyBookOwl @DAB my pleasure! 😊 4y
MsMelissa Looking forward to your review! I have this on my Chapters wish list 😊 4y
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