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Black Rock (Paperback)

by Amanda Smyth (Author) "I knew about my parents from the things I was told, I had never seen a photograph of either of them because there weren't any..." (more)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
RRP: £10.99
Price: £7.68 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Serpent's Tail (26 Feb 2009)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1846686962
  • ISBN-13: 978-1846686962
  • Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 13.4 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 119,928 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

`Smyth vividly and empathetically re-creates the gender and racial tensions in a culture's past, making them newly relevant.'
-- Elle USA


Review

`A powerful cocktail of heat and beautiful coolness' - Ali Smith

'Smyth's story is a powerful, authentic one and Celia is an appealing, earthy, yet spiritual heroine' - Lesley McDowell, Independent on Sunday
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Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
I knew about my parents from the things I was told, I had never seen a photograph of either of them because there weren't any. Read the first page
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

31 Reviews
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 (15)
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 (12)
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 (3)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating and evocative, 24 Feb 2009
By kehs (Hertfordshire, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
Smyth pulled me into Celia's story from the very first page and I could not put it down. I read it in one sitting. Her writing is so captivating and evocative. The characters are bought to life on the pages and I was drawn into their lives. When Celia runs away and tries to make a new beginning for herself things soon become complicated. She gets herself involved with 2 men, one who loves her with his whole heart and the other who fills her life with passion. Soon her life becomes filled with confusion as she tries to choose between the two of them. On top of that she is also trying to find her father of whom she knows very little. I have to say that I did guess the final scenes but even so, this didn't detract from my enjoyment of this fabulous novel that is the author's first novel. If this is the standard of her first book then I cannot wait to read her future works because Black Rock is a superb read that left my head filled with wonderful imagery due to the lushness of Smyth's writing style. This is a poignant novel that is full of warmth, sorrow, hope and includes hints of the supernatural. Apparently, the story was inspired by an event from Smyth's own family's past. It's certainly a vividly told tale and the film rights have already been sold so I recommend you get a copy of the book to read first!

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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I've read in a long time ..., 23 Feb 2009
By Cee-Gee (Northants, UK) - See all my reviews
  
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
I could not put this down, even while I was sat on the train and it was making my head ache to read, I had to keep turning the pages.

Celia is a poor girl living in Tobago with her Aunt because her mother died in child birth. She can't stay because her Aunt's husband is an evil man. She runs away to Trinidad in search of a better life, and seems to land on her feet...

I chose this novel because of the comparison with Jean Rhys. Although the women in the two novels face different struggles, the same lush environment is described and the same sort of dialect is used to tell the story. I would certainly read Black Rock if you enjoyed Wide Sargasso Sea.

But even if you haven't read Wide Sargasso Sea, I would still recommend Black Rock. The characters are so well written and you are totally immersed in such a different world. Really amazing for a first novel, I hope there's another one soon!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Totally captiviating, 26 Jun 2009
By J. Turvey "teen literature fan" (Midlands, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
This is a wonderfully poignant novel about a young woman's journey of self-discovery, as she sets out of find her father and becomes embroilled in love affairs along the way.

Excellently written, Smythe has a wonderful writing voice and makes the novel come to life on the page until you feel yourself completely immersed in the colourful tale. I would recommend it for the fantastic writing alone: you know it is a great book when you feel yourself there with the main character.

An interesting plotline, with well developed characters and written in a wonderful way: I would definitely recommend this for your reading list.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent First Novel
Amanda Smyth was awarded an Arts Council Grant for this, her first novel.
'Black Rock' is set in Trinidad in the 1950s and the details of life on the island which has just... Read more
Published 5 days ago by Lincs Reader

4.0 out of 5 stars A Holiday Read
When Celia is born her Tobagan mother dies in childbirth and her English father is long gone. Raised by her Aunt Tassi in the quiet backwater of Black Rock along with her own two... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Sue at home

3.0 out of 5 stars Foundering on Black Rock
Smyth can undoubtedly write. She has certainly created a powerful sense of atmosphere and place in this novel, and some interesting characters. Read more
Published 3 months ago by EmmaH

4.0 out of 5 stars Lush, tropical tale
Black Rock is a colourful novel that reads like a tourist advert for Trinidad and Tobago- but with dark undertones. Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. Charlesworth

3.0 out of 5 stars Vivid and colourful
This is a well-written and vivid story on a familiar theme: the daily sexual exploitation of black women by white colonialists in the Carribbean islands in 1950's. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mrs. PJ Taylor

4.0 out of 5 stars Black Rock
This is the story of Celia, a young black girl growing up in Tobago after the end of WWII. Desperate to escape from he aunt's abusive husband, she flees to Trinidad where she is... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Tealady2000

4.0 out of 5 stars Finding your own rock
I had a wobbly start with this novel. Convinced it was my sort of book I found the first few pages rather protracted. Then it happened! Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jane Baker

4.0 out of 5 stars A poignant and thoughtful read
I was unsure of what this book was going to be like and thought it would be difficult to get into after reading the blurb. Read more
Published 4 months ago by roddersallmighty

5.0 out of 5 stars a haunting tale
Right from the opening pages, this book seemed reminiscent of 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' by Maya Angelou and 'The Color Purple' by Alice Walker. Read more
Published 4 months ago by cheryl pasquier

5.0 out of 5 stars An Atmospheric Debut
Often, when I read that an author has undertaken a creative writing degree course and/or received a grant to complete a novel, I fear the result will be unreadably intellectual... Read more
Published 5 months ago by S. Zigmond

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