Tamara Lawrance ( King Charles III, On Chesil Beach, Kindred) delivers a fierce and unforgettable performance as July. Lawrance was able to discuss the character with author Andrea Levy. “Andrea said that what she didn’t want was an encumbered, hard done-by victim, woe-is-me character,” Lawrance noted. “She said July is flawed, July is manipulative, July is a survivor and July is rebellious…July is always this indominable spirit.”

The Long Song by Andrea Levy: Summary and reviews - BookBrowse

Jones, Tayari. "Book review: 'The Long Song,' by Andrea Levy". Washington Post . Retrieved 12 March 2015. Andrea Levy’s bittersweet novel about the last days of slavery in Jamaica is powerful and intimate - and full of mischievous surprise. But she does permit herself to describe the symbolic funeral that marked the end of slavery on 31 July 1838, only then to admit that she was not actually present. She was still cooped up with her white mistress, Caroline Mortimer, owner of the sugar plantation.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. ... Levy’s aim, she says, was to write a book that instilled pride in anyone with slave ancestors and The Long Song, though 'its load may prove to be unsettling', is surely that book. This is a terrific book: beautifully written and imagined, and full of surprises… A brilliant historical novel.” The writing is wordy and convoluted. Get to the point. I do not want to wade through all these words to get the gist of the story.

The Long Song by Andrea Levy | Fiction | The Guardian

I wonder if I should read Small Island now (*spoiler* I did; I didn't like it either). I would hate to take another tepid bath in the Jamaican waters. I don't recommend this one with any vigor. Sure, if you can get it free, don't hesitate to accept it and read it. BUY it?! Oh hell no. Too many exciting books out there. I didn't connect with it, and I've read it twice now, so I think it's fair to say I've given the book a chance to make its mark on me.The Long Song is a historical novel by Andrea Levy published in 2010 that was the recipient of the Walter Scott Prize. It was Levy's fifth and final novel, following the 2004 publication of Small Island. In December 2018, a three-part television adaptation of the same name was broadcast on BBC One; The Long Song was aired on PBS in February 2021. 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. Jan 21 news There is a three-part PBS Masterpiece adaptation premiering tonight and going on through 14 Feb. Your tax-deductible contribution is essential to the nonprofit Foundation's preservation efforts and educational programming.

The Long Song - Wikipedia

The book covers significant periods in history, including the 1831-1832 Baptist Wars and the 1838 abolition of slavery. Discuss the portrayal of resistance and rebellion in the novel across these periods and the impact on the characters and their quest for freedom. Which brings me to the next concern, frankly, I didn't connect with any of the characters in the story. I truly wanted to do so. Though July tries to make lemonade out her life's worth of lemons. Her spin doesn't feel true. She has suffered greatly, yet, she doesn't seem impacted. Following on from Small Island; this is another historical novel and this time Levy looks at her Jamaican roots charting the last days of slavery on the island. It is narrated by July, a former slave, and starts about 1831 the time of what was known as the Baptist revolt and goes to the end of slavery in the late 1830s. July is telling her story in old age whilst she is living with her son Thomas. The novel is the story of her early life on a plantation called Amity. Although narrated by July, it is edited by Thomas and there is a periodic interplay between the two which sometimes gives the story a slightly odd feel. Hall of Fame inductees are chosen based on factors including musical influence on other artists, length and depth of career, superiority in style and ...

Dowell, Ben. "Hayley Atwell, Lenny Henry and Tamara Lawrance cast in new BBC period drama The Long Song". Radio Times. 13 July 2018. Self-appointed as the “Queen of the Blues,” Dinah Washington is known for her incredible musical ability that spanned a variety of genres . . . It depends on whom you ask, as the term is somewhat slippery, meaning that various authors and literary critics define it differently. William H. Gass coined the term in 1970 in an essay entitled "Philosophy and the Form of Fiction". Commenting on American fiction of the 1960s, Gass pointed out that a new term was needed for the emerging genre of experimental texts that openly broke with the tradition of literary realism still dominant in post-WW II American literature. Metafiction is thus an elastic concept covering a wide range of fictions. Household slaves were better off than the field workers, who are treated with contemptuous brutality. While Levy vividly conveys the horrors of slavery, she lightens the tone as her house slave characters act out complex rivalries and exploit their owners when they can.