The Long Song: Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2010: Shortlisted for the Booker Prize

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After the book was released, research by a family member proved just how personal The Long Song truly was. “It was all done and then my niece found out a lot about our own family history,” Levy explained. “She found out that my great grandfather was born a slave. His mother was a housekeeper on a plantation called Mesopotamia and her mother was a field slave called Minnie. We found out that my great, great-grandfather was from Gainsborough in Britain, his name was William Ridsguard and he was the attorney on the plantation, and he had a child with his house keeper…that child, Richard Ridsguard was my great grandfather.” Ms. Levy's talent shined with regard to her descriptive language. I could picture everything she described and felt as though I was recalling my last visit on the property of Amity, the plantation, where July is born in Jamaica in the earlier 1800's. At first, we are unclear, who is narrating the story or even their name (which the author did very intentionally, although her purpose for doing so, wasn't achieved in full). Perspective in narration shifted frequently, which frankly I felt was not essential to the story being told. Primarily, so the reader could realize that July's experiences had caused trauma on the level of possibly disassociation, where the injured party disconnects with their emotional response because it is either unsafe (physically and/or emotionally) for the victim to process the trauma as it is happening. Levy may have achieved that with some readers, who have experienced dissociation or know someone who has. Her delivery may be to subtle for those unfamiliar or confusing to others. I think this would have been more powerful, had she been directing that information to someone other than whom she has chosen in the story, although her choice was logical. mp_sf_list_1_description: Based on the award-winning novel by the late Andrea Levy (Small Island), the fictional story is inspired by Levy’s family history. Levy was born in England to Jamaican parents who arrived in Britain in 1948. “I’ve always used my books as a personal journey to understand my Caribbean heritage – and with that sooner or later you have to confront slavery,” Levy said. Based on the award-winning novel by the late Andrea Levy ( Small Island), the fictional story is inspired by Levy’s family history. Levy was born in England to Jamaican parents who arrived in Britain in 1948. “I’ve always used my books as a personal journey to understand my Caribbean heritage – and with that sooner or later you have to confront slavery,” Levy said.

Long Song review – a sharp, painful look at the last days The Long Song review – a sharp, painful look at the last days

mp_sf_list_0_description: Told through the eyes of July, a slave and spirited survivor, The Long Song is set in the 19^th century and explores the last days of slavery in British-ruled Jamaica. The story is about injustices humans inflict on each other and the unexpected ways in which people’s humanity can overcome harsh circumstances. After a new overseer arrives and a love triangle develops, lately followed my massacre and tragedy, July then skips forward twenty or so years and we never learn what happened to July through this period of time, though we can presume it wasn’t very pleasant. She doesn’t wish to talk about it after all. So we have a half story, a story of the injustice one woman felt in such a world. We see the end of slavery, and the real transition the slaves felt afterward. Although they had more freedom, the serfdom did not end overnight. Levy delves deep into the historical issues of the time, and makes this part of history, the history of the Caribbean slave, known. Funding for MASTERPIECE is provided by Viking and Raymond James, with additional support from public television viewers and contributors to The Masterpiece Trust, created to help ensure the series' future. We have 9 read-alikes for The Long Song, but non-members are limited to two results. To see the complete list of this book's read-alikes, you need to be a member. Levy admits in her own notes on writing the novel to the anticipated difficulty of writing about slavery "without it turning into a harrowing tale of violence and misery". July arose from that anxiety as the answer to it. As a narrator she is unreliable, one-eyed and sometimes mendacious, which is paradoxically why we trust her version of events above the orthodox white historian's view. She is not overly interested in the historical details (though the author has clever devices to give us just as much as we need) preferring to let the story unfold for us through her experiences and her relationships. She is often self-deluded, succeeds in fooling us too at times, and we love her for it.The Jamaican setting gives a rather different feel to the American novels about slavery. In Jamaica the white population was very small and relative newcomers. This led to relationships on the plantations shifting in different ways; with both sides having the ability to harm each other. July describes herself as a mulatto; her father was white, an overseer and raped her mother. She was taken from her mother whilst still young to become the pet and then lady’s maid to Caroline Mortimer, the vapid and foolish sister of the plantation owner. A new overseer, Robert Goodwin, arrives with good intentions and a Christian upbringing. He intends to show that following slavery the plantation can be managed on humane lines. The charting of his downfall on several levels is fascinating. He ends up being just as cruel as his predecessors. The story is weaved around actual historical events. Algo que casa bien con esta historia conmovedora, humorística y triste a partes iguales. Si hay algo que no puede hacer “Una Larga Canción” es dejar indiferente al lector pese a la sencillez de su historia. La historia de July impacta precisamente porque puede haberle ocurrido a cualquier esclava negra del siglo XIX, y porque el lector la siente cruelmente cercana. La situación de esclavitud y la lucha por la libertad y la emancipación están detalladamente narradas, de forma que uno se siente arrastrado hacia esta lucha y hacía todas las injusticias que el pueblo jamaicano vivió y padeció de la mano de los ingleses y los blancos, y ante el enfrentamiento entre los dos mundos y las dos formas de entender la situación. Además, quedan muchas cosas en el aire, como si la historia no estuviera narrada del todo, faltan episodios por ser contados. La vida rara vez es un camino redondo en el que todo quede bien cerrado y todo sea comprensible. De ahí que cerremos el libro con una sensación agridulce en el pecho, sabiendo que hay cosas en la vida de July que están bien, pero otras que es imposible que lo estén nunca hasta que las viejas heridas puedan cerrar del todo de una forma u otra. Así que en ese sentido creo que esto aporta mucha autenticidad y frescura a la novela. Todos los personajes que acompañan a July están también nítidamente trazados, de una forma sencilla pero efectiva. Me gustaría poner destacar el personaje de Caroline Mortimer, ama de July y su opuesto en todo, hasta convertirse prácticamente en la persona que acaba por influir en toda su vida. Caroline, desde el principio, se nos presenta como el prototipo incuestionable de ama blanca de la época, siendo una mujer llena de prejuicios, un tanto inútil, caprichosa y muy bobalicona. Pero Andrea Levy no se corta a la hora de darle ciertos matices que permiten al lector comprender bien su personalidad y, en ciertos momentos, sentir atisbos de simpatía por ella. En esta historia nada es totalmente blanco o negro, sus personajes son grises. Son las circunstancias de la vida los que hacen que viren de uno a otro lado. As slavery comes to an end in Jamaica after an inconceivable 300 years, we learn about the life and times of July. House-slave on a sugar plantation with a fat and useless mistress, July overcomes a painful separation from her formidable field-slave mother, Kitty to somehow survive the brutality and injustice. As the tide of slavery turns, we see the white plantation owners struggle to keep their prosperity. We see 'good' Christian men bring their own insidious brand of racism in sheep's clothing. I liked the mother-daughter story about two women who grow up as slaves, and the cruel things they had to endure. In fact the first scene with Kitty, is what really drew me to the book. Later, Kitty's daughter, July (the main character) is introduced, along with Caroline (her mistress). The use of dialect added just enough spice to the book. Part of the book also captures the Emancipation Proclamation--a nicely added twist.

The Long Song by Andrea Levy | Goodreads

Kellaway, Kate (7 February 2010). "The Long Song by Andrea Levy". The Observer. London . Retrieved 12 March 2015.While The Long Song depicts a dark period of history, the author’s use of language and tone is often distinctly humorous, which can, at times, feel disconcerting given the subject matter is so harrowing. How does this use of levity help readers navigate material relating to this period?

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Levy’s handling of slavery is characteristically authentic, resonant and imaginative. She never sermonises. She doesn’t need to – the events and characters speak loud and clear for themselves… Slavery is a grim subject indeed, but the wonder of Levy’s writing is that she can confront such things and somehow derive deeply life-affirming entertainment from them.” Only she removed all the blinkers, and steps inside her characters and shows them warts and all, making this uncomfortable reading at times and yet more realistic than most. For even those well intended were a product of their time and of white privilege. The Long Song is a deeply moving story, but it’s not what is said that is most effective. Indeed, it’s about what isn’t said that is the most powerful and intensely thought provoking aspect of the book. After the book was released, research by a family member proved just how personal The Long Song truly was. “It was all done and then my niece found out a lot about our own family history,” Levy explained. “She found out that my great grandfather was born a slave. His mother was a housekeeper on a plantation called Mesopotamia and her mother was a field slave called Minnie. We found out that my great, great-grandfather was from Gainsborough in Britain, his name was William Ridsguard and he was the attorney on the plantation, and he had a child with his house keeper...that child, Richard Ridsguard was my great grandfather.” Andrea Levy's insightful and inspired fifth novel, "The Long Song," reminds us that she is one of the best historical novelists of her generation… Levy's previous novel, "Small Island," is rightly regarded as a masterpiece, and with "The Long Song" she has returned to the level of storytelling that earned her the Orange Prize in 2004.Self-appointed as the “Queen of the Blues,” Dinah Washington is known for her incredible musical ability that spanned a variety of genres . . . Jones, Tayari. "Book review: 'The Long Song,' by Andrea Levy". Washington Post . Retrieved 12 March 2015. There's three levels of storytelling, and sometimes four where July draws on the memories of other characters. To call this a book that tests the limits of unreliable narration would be to invoke an understatement. But memory can be self-serving, and July uses her imagination to fill in the gaps of the story-telling. She speaks of events she didn’t witness as if she was there. She is privy to facts she would never have known. So if she can do all this, how much of her own story can we actually trust to be accurate? This is a terrific book: beautifully written and imagined, and full of surprises… A brilliant historical novel.”

The Long Song - Extracts and reviews Andrea Levy - The Long Song - Extracts and reviews

Caroline is a white mistress at Amity and the plantation owner’s sister. She is responsible for taking July from the cotton fields (‘Look how cute the little one is’, she says before callously removing her from her mother). Caroline teaches July to read and write so she can help her run the business. She is deeply flawed and becomes unknowingly dependent on July. The Man Booker prize 2010 shortlist". The Guardian. 7 September 2010. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 7 July 2020.The new novel from the Orange Prize-winning author of Small Island tells the story of an unforgettable heroine during the last turbulent years of slavery and the early years of freedom following the Baptist War in Jamaica in 1831. But my mama began her life as a person for whom writing the letters ABC could have seen her put to the lash, for she was born a slave. The undertaking of committing her tale to words that might be read and set into printed form was, at first, quite alarming for her poor soul. She fretted, following me about the house and town to chatter at me of her anxiety of writing upon paper. She feared she would not have the skill to make herself understood in this form; and what if she were to make some mistake in its telling? Then surely it would be there, for ever and a day, for all to find amusement in her errors! beautifully written, intricately plotted, humorous and earthy… Those who enjoyed Small Island will love The Long Song, not just for the insights on the ‘wretched island’ , but as a marvel of luminous storytelling.” About: With a mission to inspire and educate by celebrating the music that many have now coined the “Great American Songbook”, The Great American Songbook Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is unique in its focus and ambitious in its efforts to become the authority in regards to the history, culture and continuing artistic legacy of America’s original popular song. Learn more. Andrea Levy's Small Island – her fourth novel – has had a glorious career: it not only won the Orange prize, but was voted "Best of the Best" novels ever to win that award. It was an adroit, funny, tender book about a Jamaican immigrant couple, their big-hearted white landlady and her bigoted husband in postwar London and it beautifully described the struggle to survive in a new country. A novel such as Small Island is a hard act to follow, but in her new book Levy has moved into top gear.