Elizabeth NunezRecensioni

4.5 rounded up. I loved this mature exploration of a marriage at a cross-roads. The additional elements of an immigrant story and some academic politics put it right in my reading wheelhouse. Will definitely read more by this author. Note: The author narrates the audio version and it is lovely.

I requested this because the themes of racism and social justice sounded intriguing, however I found the story lacked nuance and subtlety. I felt as though I were being hit in the head with the moral lessons and wasn't up for a concussion.

I feel like this book was extremly slow pace until the last 10 or so chapters. It was not a bad book but definantly more dificult to stay interested in. I did like the ending though.

This story follows the socio-political awakening of a young professor from the Caribbean when she takes a teaching position at a New England college. When the title character witnesses the murder of a black professor by the police, she ends up on a journey to better understand post-colonial racial dynamics from a North American perspective. The writing, though a little repetitive at times, was thoughtful and introspective, revealing to the reader multiple perspectives from the various people Lila interacts with as she tries to solve a mystery and make a couple of critical decisions.½

Dr. Lila Bonnard leaves her Caribbean home to join the faculty as a visiting professor at a college in Vermont. On her way to Mayfield, she witnesses a fatal shooting of a black man by a white cop. She later learns that the black man was a professor at the college and he was giving CPR to a white woman who had overdosed. When fellow faculty members learn that Lila witnessed the shooting, Lila has a tough decision to make. Should she get involved? Should she report what she saw? Would it even matter? Through her skillful character development, Ms. Nunez takes the reader through Lila's dilemma. As the reader follows the journey of Lila's growth, the reader is pleasantly surprised with Lila choices. Although some events are expected and predictable, Lila's awareness of her identity and responsibility are a welcomed expectation.A good read.

I received this book as an advance reader copy. I enjoyed this book. It covers a lot of what is unfortunately occurring in our county. It seemed to cover a lot of topics at once though and I felt that there was some disconnect as far as the book flowing. It is a good book to make people more aware of issues that have been and are occurring in society. Hopefully, some day soon that can change.

Now Lila Knows is a beautifully written novel on small town politics, racism in America seen through a Caribbean immigrant.
Lila is offered a position as a visiting professor in a small Vermont town. When she arrives she sees a black man giving CPR to a white woman. This black man is shot and killed by the police when he doesn’t stop.
This man was a professor at the college Lila will be teaching at. It is a very white college with only 3 remaining black faculty and administrators.
They want Lila to report what she has seen while her fiancé on the island wants her to not say anything as it is an American problem and doesn’t want her involved.
Lila sees a difference between blackness in the Caribbean and America.
Lila does report what she saw.
During the year, Lila has changed and this change impacts all aspects of her life.
A wonderful novel of racism, inequalities in America.
I received this book in exchange for a review.

This one was total page turner. It starts with Lila arriving in Mayfield, Vermont to begin her year as a guest professor at Mayfield College. On her way to her new lodgings traffic stops, and Lila has to walk the final few blocks. Someone has collapsed on the street and another person is trying to help her. The person trying to administer CPR is a black college professor in what is a predominately white community. The police end up shooting and killing the good samaritan, totally misinterpreting his attempt to rescue the woman. Lila is a witness to this incident of police brutality and blatant racism. The question of what Lila will do in response to this is central to the development of the plot and her own evolution. The novel deals with the topic of racism on many levels, both here in the US and in the Caribbean. The author handles this topic so well. I found the book so enlightening. The characters are real and engaging. In her interaction with the African American teaching staff at Mayfield College Lila comes to broaden her understanding of how racism in the US differs from her experience of it in the Caribbean. She also realizes how important it is for her personally to take a stand. I highly recommend this book!

Lila Bonnard is from a fictional Caribbean island. She is a literature professor and receives a yearlong appointment at a small, elite liberal arts college in Vermont. On her arrival, she witnesses the shooting of a black man by the police. She later discovers that the dead man, Ron Brown, was a professor at the college, and Lila is drawn into the protests surrounding the shooting.

The novel has a great premise, but the story suffers from being too didactic. Too often, as I read, I felt I was being lectured about the differences in racism in the States and in the various Caribbean islands. We learn about colorism and the effects of colonialism in the islands. I would have liked to see more in-depth characterization. Even Lila, the protagonist seems flat.

Maybe my expectations were too high -- I've loved the other books by Nunez that I've read.

Now Lila Knows is the story of a Caribbean woman (Lila) who is invited to teach at a small New England town as a visiting professor for one year. On her first day in the predominately white town, Lila witnesses the murder a black man by the local police. The novel explores racism and the cultural differences between African Americans and people of color from the West Indies. Elizabeth Nunez's prose is easy to read and engaging. All in all, however, i found the story and characters to be a little too simplistic to be memorable for me.

Though this is a review of Elizabeth Nunez's Now Lila Knows, I want to briefly mention her superb novel, Prospero's Daughter. As in Now Lila Knows, in Prospero's Daughter, Nunez uses Shakespeare's The Tempest to structure her story, retelling the Tempest in a modern setting from Caliban & Miranda's points of view. It's a stunning, smart, lyrical book that's impossible for me to put down each time I pick it up. I highly recommend it.

In Now Lila Knows, Nunez's protagonist, Lila, writes an essay on Caliban and literary appropriation that garners enough attention to gain her a visiting professorship in Vermont. The parts of the book that discuss the essay's ideas are interesting and make me wish Nunez had made this a nonfiction work instead -- because as fiction this is just a mess. I won't go into plot, which is full of actions without motivations, improbable characters, and unlikely occurrences. I will say that the English and Humanities faculties portrayed in the book are politically disengaged to the point of ridiculousness. The students who support Black Lives Matter are unthinking, menacing thugs. Lila is so self-absorbed that she (SPOILER AHEAD) witnesses an unarmed man get shot by police and spends the book worrying about how it affects her.

Bad novels happen. As an English professor, though, I was disgusted by Nunez's fast and loose use of English texts within the novel. Her protagonist brings Derek Walcott's Omeros to class. Remember, Lila is at the college in the first place because she's written about Caribbean representation and literary appropriation. A student asks if Walcott hasn't appropriated Homer's work in writing Omeros and Lila is stumped, silenced. Walcott has written extensively on why his work draws from European classics. Those texts, Walcott has argued, having been taught in colonial schools to the exclusion of more local literature, are his literary inheritance as much as they are anyone else's; it is the right of colonial and postcolonial writers to use them in their work. Lila, though, who has written on this very subject, is completely unaware of Walcott's comments, which are shared by other writers, most famously by Achebe and Cesaire. The improbability of a scholar's not knowing this basic argument made an already painful read even more excruciating.

Technically, Nunez is a good writer. Her sentences flow; she has lovely phrasing. That kept me reading. The rest of it, though, was just bad. I can't recommend Prospero's Daughter highly enough. It's beautiful, smart, moving -- everything this book is not.

Elizabeth Nunez’s book, Now Lila Knows, was aptly named and I think its content will hopefully open the eyes to those who read it. It is timely and the message important and educational. There are far too many George Floyds and Tamir Rices. There are not enough Elaine McLeans, Terrence Carters, and Gail Coopers. And soothing consciences by hiring visiting professors from outside the United States is not the answer. Lila’s epiphany, if one may call it that, at the end, was well done. The dissimilarities between African Americans and those born in the Caribbean were very enlightening and a subject I’ve not come across in any other book.

That said, I found the writing and the characters to be rather flat and disappointing. For such a demanding subject I could only wish for stronger voices to transmit Nunez’s message. I also was distracted by the Clive/Lila insertion into the story. I found it not only unnecessary, but disturbingly sexist and racist on Clive’s part to consistently comment on Lila’s appearance. He’s supposedly an enlightened white lawyer. I didn’t find him so. For the most part, everything felt rushed. Perhaps if the book had been longer, there would have been more depth and more time for things to be developed. I would have liked more conversations and interactions between the characters both in Vermont and in the Caribbean. More introspection. I’m not questioning the message. I’m commenting on the delivery.

"It's not about resentments. It's about righting a wrong that people have been forced to suffer for hundreds of years. It's about justice."

Now Lila Knows by Elizabeth Nunez was a compelling and timely read. It was a reflective read that interrogated accountability, racism in academia and social justice, the disconnect between American Blacks and the Caribbean and the power dynamics at play when someone chooses to speak up. The core of the plot revolves around Lila, a Caribbean immigrant who witnessed police murder a Black professor who they perceived as harming a white woman when he was in fact performing CPR and saving her life. Lila, has to reckon with her own ideas about race, identity and race relations in the U.S. as she ponders whether she should disclose to police what she witnessed.

I really enjoyed this one because of how relevant it is. Nunez asks us to reckon with ourselves when we see injustices happen. Who is harmed and benefits when we are silent about injustices that happen to Black people? Who speaks for the victim when witnesses stay silent? Are we willing to risk it all for equity and justice? How do we live with ourselves when we allow people to continue to be killed without calling for accountability?

Nunez also illuminates the way the institution of academia is a reflection of greater U.S. society in the ways that it calls for diversity but in reality just wants to fulfill quotas and check boxes but doesn't care about leveling the playing field or about social justice. Academia is also a place where white supremacy goes unchecked and becomes a vehicle of oppression for BIPOC professors and students. Only when systems are challenged, can seeds of change be planted and bloom.

Another great point that Nunez made is that all Black people of the diaspora need to be a united front in social justice movements. Decolonization is the first step to unlearning the falsehoods we've internalized. White people who call themselves "allies" need to take the lead & be responsible for cleaning up the mess that they made & not expect Black people to do the work for them. Black lives are being lost while too many remain silent. The time for action is now.

I highly recommend this one because it was such a solid read from start to finish. The writing was thoughtful and beautiful. The multiple perspectives were illuminating. Nunez is a voice that is relevant, propulsive and necessary. Everything she writes, I will read.

This is a retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear set in the Caribbean. Peter Duckworth is a Trinidadian and proud of it, but after his wife dies he decides to move to Barbados where he builds a magnificent house, high on a hill, surrounded by considerable property and with stunning views of the sea. His youngest daughter, Corrine, continues to live with him, while his older daughters are at university and about to be married.

What a wonderful character study! Nunez had me on the edge of my seat a few times, even though I knew the basic story line already. I liked how she wove in current issues of race and class and history of colonialism (and slavery) in the Caribbean.

Her narrator is Emile, the son of a prominent black doctor who once saved Peter Duckworth’s life. He first meets Duckworth and Corrine at the racetrack stables in Trinidad, when Corrine is just a child, 9 or 10 years old. He later reconnects with the family when they’ve moved to Barbados and he is a university student. His best friend, Albert Glazal, has fallen in love with Glynnis and he’s invited Emile to come along when he’s to meet Mr Duckworth for the first time.

The tragic event is shrouded in further mystery, and I’m glad that Nunez leaves so much to the imagination. What IS clear is the motivation of Glynnis. Poor Albert. But I’m reminded of the parable of the little girl who picks up a half-dead rattlesnake …. He knew what he was getting into.

Thirty-nine year old Anna returns to her parents' home in the Caribbean islands. Anna has been in New York City as an in-demand editor for almost eighteen years, returning to her Caribbean home periodically for short visits. She returns, not because of a longing for her country, but only to check in on her aging parents. They appreciate the visits but feel Anna has lost touch with her roots. It is as if Anna cannot wait to bolt from her childhood memories, the color of her mixed-race skin, and her emotional parents.
On this particular trip, Anna discovers her mother has advanced stage breast cancer and is appalled her parents have been aware of the growing tumors all along. It is inconceivable they chose not to do anything about the disease growing in Beatrice's breast. With Anna's insistence of medical care ever increasing, Anna's parents finally visit a doctor to begin treating the disease with chemotherapy. Anna's mother, however, draws the line at traveling to the United States for necessary-for-survival surgery, strongly believing her dark skin will warrant sub par treatment.
Mother and daughter are locked in a cultural battle; mother accusing daughter of becoming too Americanized as if it were akin to catching a different debilitating disease. Anna In-Between is the dance of expectation. Mothers want so much for their daughters that reality seems like a constant disappointment, an "you can never do anything right" attitude.Beatrice is not entirely to blame in all this. Anna has her assumptions, too. She has so much pent up resentment towards her mother she thinks Beatrice blames her for a failed marriage, is disappointed in Anna's less than impressive career, and is embarrassed by Anna's less than impeccable appearance. It is hard for Anna to empathize; to see Beatrice as human when she feels like such a failure herself. I won't spoil the plot, but I can say Nunez's gift is a satisfactory non-ending with a healthy dose of hope. For Anna and Beatrice.
Interestingly enough, Nunez refers to the locale of Anna In-Between as "the island" as if she doesn't want to put a pin the map of where the story actually takes place.

Absolutely beautiful re-telling of Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

Lean into the narrative of Bruised Hibiscus lest you might miss something important or more likely, something sensuous. The lyrical language is like two songs being sung at the same time. Two love songs in different languages. First, there is the language of the Trinidad village of Otahiti, abuzz with the news of a mysterious white woman pulled from the sea, her eyes and lips eaten away by sea life. An evil has come into their community. Then there is the culture of sexuality, both good and bad, which circles two marriages. Two women share a dark secret from childhood; forever linked after witnessing the brutal violation of a young girl. Zuela is the mother of ten children and runs a grocery shop with her husband in Port-of-Spain. Rosa lives on the other side of town in a two-story house in Taccarigua. As adults Zuela and Rosa are mired in loveless and cruel marriages. When the body of the white woman was first discovered, each woman reacted differently but both shared the sensation of memories of the young girl's violation flooding back.½

Hugely disappointing. "King Lear" is one of the most majestic and challenging works ever penned, plumbing the depths of human cruelty and depravity, precariously balancing against those forces our capacity for love, loyalty, and forgiveness, doing so in language that pushes the very limits of what words can express. What's the point of writing a contemporary novel based on such a tragic monument if you're not going to at least take a stab at some of that? Elizabeth Nunez's "Even in Paradise" settles for just cribbing its plot and its character list (going so far as to have the narrator comment on the parallels several times, even grad-studentsplaining them to other characters), in language that barely ever rises above the pedestrian. Even where the novel does something interesting and original — transposing the story to modern-day Trinidad, Barbados, and Jamaica, with their varied and troubling legacies of colonial exploitation and the persistence of white privilege — it doesn't so much explore those themes as tentatively allude to them, then back away to focus more on the soap-opera of the plot's domestic conflicts. That plot unfolds so ploddingly that it never gains momentum (in contrast with its source, which plunges us into the disastrous division of Lear's estate, his rejection of Cordelia, and the machinations of Goneril, Regan, and Edmund within the first scene, the novel doesn't get around to that plot point till about 2/3 of the way through), and caps it off with a meek little plot twist that you can spot a mile away. I sure hope I'll be more impressed by Edward St. Aubyn's and Preti Taneja's takes on the material.

Sharing some of the same elements of Shakespeare's King Lear, Elizabeth Nunez enhances the story line using a different setting and different culture. Trinidadian Peter Duckworth decides to divide his land among his three daughters. He thought this idea would prevent future strife; unfortunately it created strife in the present. Nunez writing is rich in language, plot, character development, culture, and setting while integrating universal themes of greed, family, love, and loss. A good story to read and discuss.

This book does a great job with naturally and meaningfully introducing issues of race, land use, colonial legacy, and national identity in its lushly developed Caribbean setting. In contrast, most of the characters were very flat, with little understandable motivation beyond their actions. The plot felt plodding, and in the end the climax left me wanting and also left some hefty loose ends in what otherwise seemed to be a standalone novel. The dialogue felt sometimes overly formal. I do wish Nunez had spent more time on the conflicts arising from race, identity, and colonial legacy and less on the evil sisters/inheritance Lear plot, because her writing was at its most compelling and engaging when addressing those, and she had powerful things to say. An enjoyable read in a well-developed setting that taught me a lot about the Caribbean, Even in Paradise falls a little flat in its characters and the actions driving the plot.½

I think Even in Paradise found a good way to bring King Lear into a modern setting while keeping the spirit of the play. I also liked the setting. I have not read much (if anything) set in the Caribbean and it was interesting to see these popular vacation destinations from the point of view of the people who live there and have to deal with the fact that it is not always paradise. It deals with the divide between races, classes and religions. It did draw me in and make me want to know what was going to happen. I got invested in the story. I just wish that King Lear had not been referenced in the story directly. The play is embedded in the story so well that the name of the play never had to come up. I wish I was left to make those connections myself.½

The story revolves around a rich Trinidadian man of British descent who retires to Barbados and becomes the owner of some beautiful beachfront property. While he is still living, he decides to gift his property to his daughters - - the two married/almost married daughter will receive their land immediately; the younger unmarried daughter will receive the house and the land it is built on after he dies. But, even though the father thought he was doing the right thing, the two oldest daughters felt they had not been treated fairly and their greed consumed them. In my opinion, this rang true to life. I have witnessed first hand how an expected inheritance and the entitlement mentality that some children have can tear a family apart.

An underlying theme of the story revolved around the complex race relations and the cultural divides between the haves and the have-nots. To me, this was an even more important part of the story, showing how deep prejudices lie even in these modern times.

Set in Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica, this novel is not only a retelling of [King Lear], but also a view of the complexities of the Caribbean societies that result from slavery and colonialism. Èmile Baxter, the narrator, is a black Trinidadian. His best friend, Albert Glazal is Trinidadian of Lebanese descent. When Albert becomes engaged to Glynis Duckworth, we are introduced to another group of Trinidadians, those of British descent. As in [Lear] there are three sisters, but theirs wasn't the most compelling story.

As the story progresses, we see how slavery and colonialism still affect society in the islands. The Syrian-Lebanese community usually marries within itself, and whites and blacks don't date. Glynis voices the unspoken rule when she says that Èmile is an unsuitable boyfriend for her sister Corinne because he is black. Whites are privileged, while blacks live in poor, underserved neighborhoods like the Tivoli Gardens.

Èmile, who aspires to be a poet, becomes involved in the literary scene, and we see the importance of art to a culture: "Stories, poems connect with people emotionally, make them feel. It's the heart, not the head that causes people to take to the streets, that sets off revolutions when you feel other people's pain -- and stories and poetry make you feel other people's pain -- you can't just sit back and do nothing. You have to demand change."

And perhaps this also speaks to the enduring power of the story of [King Lear]. Art allows people to express themselves: no matter the race, class or ethnicity.

Nunez has written a wonderful, thoughtful novel, that makes us look at how the past influences our lives today. This is my first novel by her, but it won't be the last.½

I won this through a librarything giveaway and was very happy to have the chance to read and review it. This story takes place in present day Barbados, Trinidad, and Jamaica and is a modern retelling of King Lear. It follows the play to a degree, but I was surprised and delighted by the deviations it took from the plot. Ducksworth, a rich white man, and his three daughters live on Barbados. The story is about the relationship of the daughters with their father. It is told from Emile's pov. He is a poet from Trinidad and he falls for Corrine, the youngest of Ducksworth daughters. The story deals with cultural divides, prejudices, and the lingering effects of colonialism. The conflict results from Ducksworth fighting to hold onto his power and the struggle to divide his land between his three daughters as well as the respective relationships his three daughter encounter with their soon to be husbands. Overall an interesting read. I especially enjoyed the evocation of the island through the luscious details given in the prose.

This was the first book I read by this highly regarded author and I look forward to reading more of her work. I loved the comfortable and engaging writing style that pulled one into this story of greed, racism, classicism, Islamophobia, family disfunction and, yes, love and its of it. This is the King Lear drama played out in the paradise that is the Caribbean islands, with their beauty, history of oppression and slavery, multiculturalism and social issues. The island people, their culture and their history are as strongly and clearly presented as are the main characters, their backdrops and their strength and weaknesses. Really enjoyed this book.