This novel really bought Jamaica alive for me. The views, the food, the plants and the people are here and I feel as if I have dipped my toes into this country without visiting. This is a joyful read that has its ups and downs. It is interesting for the world events and local politics of Jamaica. This is an ambitious novel and there are lots of characters here, some more convincing than others but the main character is May, the daughter of Ida and of Errol Flynn, who she only meets once. The brutal reality of parents going away to America to work and make money is covered here and the violence of the post independence years. The years when May is left without a parent are sad but on the whole, as I said, it is a joyful read full of sunshine and beauty and love. ( )

Birthday gift from my Mom-In-Law!

This was an odd read. The premise is that Errol Flynn, after building a house for himself in Jamaica, gets involved with a very young wman who ends up having his child - a daughter named May. May grows to adulthood on the island at the same time that Jamaica itself is going through political turmoil - some kind of parallel there, I guess. The book is so stuffed with characters and events - some more interesting than others - that ultimately, the Flynn connection was the least meaningful thing about it.

( )

What if......?

I listened to the abridged audio-book version of this novel and, judging by other people's comments about the book being too long and dragging, that was probably a good choice. I really enjoyed my version and was quickly immersed in the relationship between sixteen-year-old Ida and the charismatic Errol Flynn. (I had to Google him, just to see if he was as good looking as everyone made out.) I also benefited from having the Jamaican dialect read to me correctly, which was much more seamless than trying to read it colloquially.

This is one of those books where a real life character is involved, living on an Island where he landed after his boat was washed ashore in 1946. However, he did not meet a coloured Jamaican girl named Ida and they did not have a daughter (May). Sort of like a 'what-if' tale. But it was a good basis for a story about glamour, aspirations for something better and the fall-out. It also covered an interesting period of Jamaica's history.

Ida is the daughter of a mixed marriage and her father, Eli, becomes indispensable to Errol when he arrives on the island. He tells her about this character from Hollywood and she can't wait to meet him. Errol is in trouble back home, for dallying with under-age girls, so he is in no hurry to return. It is not hard to imagine that Ida might have caught his eye.

Their daughter May, however, only meets her father once, and she is raised partly by Ida and partly by foster parents while Ida works away from home. This book is her retelling of her life story - daughter of the swashbuckling pirate, Errol Flynn. ( )

I loved this book. It was beautfully written, the description of the scenery was eloquent. You could close your eyes and imagine you were there. The portrayal of the characters was wonderful and so intriguing. This is not the usual type of book I'd read, but it was recommended to me and I'm glad it was. ( )