The Hills Were Joyful Together

by Roger Mais

This novel, set in a yard which is a microcosm of Kingston slum life, sets out as Mais himself said to give "a true picture of the real Jamaica and the dreadful condition of the working classes."

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

Reviews

[Shanae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmmm...where to begin? I kind of enjoyed The Hills Were Joyful Together. I understand Roger Mais' decision to write a text that accurately depicted the poor of Jamaica and I think he did an amazing job. I'd recommend this book to anyone on that basis alone. However, I don't believe Mais was effective at depicting the Black female plight in the novel. I wish I had something positive to say about the novel as a depiction of women's life but I just cannot. Mais is very unsympathetic to women in the novel, so if you're looking for a kind text - look at Herbert De Lisser's "Jane's Career."

Additionally I disliked the fact that there were so many characters in the novel. It was bizarre. Oftentimes, I had to flip back several pages to keep up with the past episode of one set of characters.

[Dragoș · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant foray into the late-colonial lives of Jamaican yard-dwellers The Hills Were Joyful Together is narrated in an austere realist style, almost drama-like that slowly, across the length of the novel drifts into ever more imaginative psychedelic narrative-flow storytelling that at times resembles the lovechild of Lawrence Durrell and HP Lovecraft. The Hills Were Joyful together is a painful glance into the joys, the sorrows and the horrors of slum life and a great book to wrap your head around pre-independence, pre-Marley Jamaican life.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel did something to me...It kept me up at night wondering what was coming next, captivated me to the point that I could not put it down. Mais' use of various literary devices and in-depth descriptions meshed together and created a poignant masterpiece that made me feel as though I was there in the novel myself beside the various characters. This was without a doubt one of the top 5 books I've read in my life and would stay plastered in my memory for a long time if not forever....

[Alex Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part the dialogue was amazing, would flow very well, however there were times that the dialogue felt extremely repetitive. I had moments while reading where I felt some lines where unnecessary and perhaps could have been cut to make the dialogue more natural.

It seemed that each chapter began with poetic passages describing the current atmosphere/scene. Certain chapters this worked and really supported the feeling I felt reading the previous chapter, other times it felt tedious. Not because of any lack of poetic skill at all, in fact I think it may just be because of how I like books to be written. Sometimes in a new chapter I felt extremely lost. I don’t know where I am, how much time has skipped since the last chapter?and what character am I currently following? This wasn’t helped by Mais’ propensity to have time jump chapter to chapter and when following a new character he never makes it clear straight away. He will refer to the character by their pronouns and give hints to which character we are seeing the world through at this moment in time. I found it quite daunting, there are so many characters in this book that I would have preferred to know straight away rather than it being hinted to me slowly. Again I must make clear this very well could just be down to how I like to read.

The book started very strong. Made me love some characters, how they spoke, how they interacted with people and the world around them. The story isn’t obvious where it is going at the start, which I liked. It centred more towards the characters interactions and dropping in those sparks of tension.

The ending last few chapters were amazing, definitely worth the slow burn. Could practically hear the kettle whistling the whole way through the final act.

I think a mixture of less characters, shorter time jumps and less leaving me to guess the character I am following would have made the book a five star in my eyes. Would definitely recommend this book.

[Johnpaul Itodo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to read for free

[Matthijs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't feel drawn to any of the characters. Predictable and boring in its mundanity.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took a while to get into. Set in Jamaica the story is of the underprivileged .... The last pages really brought it to life for me!

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read, but left a bitter taste in my mouth. Took a LONG time to get going, and a lot of characters to keep in my head.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roger Mais writes of poor people in Jamaica. His tales are moving and unforgettable. Don’t miss THE HILLS WERE JOYFUL TOGETHER, his 1st novel.

[Harley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamaican author. Read a hardback edition published in London in 1966. The novel give s great insight in to life in Jamaica.