Your basket is empty.
-
- Books
The Book of Negroes (Paperback)
Lawrence Hill (author)Published: 01/04/2010
'A beautiful, compelling artifice, spun from unspeakably savage facts . . . a fiction that faces the terrible truth about slavery' The Times
WINNER OF THE COMMONWEALTH PRIZE FOR FICTION
Based on a true story, Lawrence Hill's epic novel spans three continents and six decades to bring to life a dark and shameful chapter in our history through the story of one brave and resourceful woman.
Abducted from her West African village at the age of eleven and sold as a slave in the American South, Aminata Diallo thinks only of freedom - and of finding her way home again.
After escaping the plantation, torn from her husband and child, she passes through Manhattan in the chaos of the Revolutionary War, is shipped to Nova Scotia, and then joins a group of freed slaves on a harrowing return odyssey to Africa.
What readers are saying:
***** 'Beautifully written ... an enlightening read'
***** 'Since reading, this has become my favourite book ever'
***** 'A powerful historical account of an incredible woman's journey'
Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 9780552775489
Number of pages: 512
Weight: 344 g
Dimensions: 198 x 128 x 32 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
Hill's novel is a beautiful, compelling artifice, spun from unspeakably savage facts.... a fiction that faces the terrible truth about slavery - The Times
A colossal achievement... heartrending yet inspiring - Independent on Sunday
The ebb and flow of Aminata's fortunes is gripping stuff, with the horrors inflicted upon her and her people brought to life almost matter-of-factly - and all the more enraging for that - Daily Mail
Richly meticulous recreation of late 18th century slave life... in its grand historical sweep, The Book of Negroes succeeds admirably in giving voice to a captive people who were for so long kept mute - Stephen Amidon, The Sunday Times
Wears its thorough research lightly... fitting that this ambitious revision of slave narratives should have won the overall Commonwealth Writers' Prize in the year that the American electorate demolished one of its most persistent categories of exclusion - Independent
You may also be interested in...
“Well worth a read”
This is the tale of Aminata, a young, black Muslim girl taken from her villiage at the tender age of 11 and sold into slavery. Although Aminata's experiences are horrific, she is a resourceful and intelligent... More
“Loved it”
This was a fantastic read. Gripping, heart-wrenching, inspiring and in some places, brutal. Hill has employed that fantastic gift for storytelling in that I felt as though I was really there. I witnessed the horror... More
“A wonderful read!”
Beautiful, well-written and incredibly sad! Heart-breaching and inspiring. And definitely interesting. It is impossible not to be impressed by the knowledge displayed by the writer, and also the way he draws you into... More
Please sign in to write a review
Sign In / Register
Sign In
Download the Waterstones App
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?