LE FRUIT LE PLUS RARE OU LA VIE D'EDMOND ALBIUS: Grands caractères, édition accessible pour les malvoyants

by Gaëlle Bélem

Au XIXᵉ siècle naît à l'île de La Réunion un garçon créole : Edmond. Ses parents aimeraient que leur fils grandisse aux abords des champs de canne à sucre, des rires plein le coeur, l'esprit entièrement libre. Le malheur en décide autrement. D'abord, il fait d'Edmond un esclave. Dans la foulée, un orphelin. Après, un garçonnet analphabète. La vie s'annonce infernale, mais l'enfant a un talent sans pareil : celui de déjouer les pronostics. Recueilli et élevé par un botaniste amoureux d'orchidées, Edmond est un prodige dès qu'il met les pieds dans un jardin. 1841. Âgé de douze ans, vif et rusé comme quatre, Edmond fait l'une des plus extraordinaires découvertes du monde : un nouveau fruit, un nouvel arôme, le plus savoureux, le plus connu, le plus aimé qui soit au XXIᵉ siècle encore ! Le fruit le plus rare raconte les aventures rocambolesques d'Edmond, maillon d'une chaîne qui unit le Mexique, l'Espagne, la France et La Réunion, autour d'un petit fruit pas comme les autres. Et voici donc une histoire vraie, amère, délicieuse et envoûtante.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Nature, Africa, France, Book Club, Historical

432 pages, Paperback

Published November 24, 2023

Reviews

[Olive Fellows (abookolive) · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's this joke I sometimes tell about how odd it is that "vanilla" has become a synonym for boring, when the delicate flavor comes from a fickle orchid. 🤔

The Rarest Fruit, a gorgeous novel translated from French, will give you an idea of what I mean by that, if you don't already. It's the short and tragic tale of Edmond Albius, a young Black slave on the isle of Bourbon who discovers the secret of pollinating vanilla orchids, thus unlocking a flavor treasured by the Aztecs. The writing (and translating) are exquisite. Highly recommend this one if you want a short work of historical fiction to close out your summer (or whatever season you're in).

This was one of my favorite novels of the year ❤️

Click here to hear more of my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!

[Jodi]

DNF'd @ 21% on 26 Dec 2025—This just wasn't what I needed right now. An interesting storyline, but the text was a convoluted mess of Old English, French, Creole, and a few others mixed in. No. Just no.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5) A fictionalized biography, from infancy to deathbed, of the Black botanist who introduced the world to vanilla – then a rare and expensive flavour – by discovering that the plant can be hand-pollinated in the same way as pumpkins. In 1829, the island colony of Bourbon (now the French overseas department Réunion) has just been devastated by a cyclone when widowed landowner Ferréol Bellier-Beaumont is brought the seven-week-old orphaned son of one of his sister’s enslaved women. Ferréol, who once hunted rare orchids, raises the boy as his ward. From the start, Edmond is most at home in the garden and swears he will follow in his guardian’s footsteps as a botanist. Bélem also traces Ferréol’s history and the origins of vanilla in Mexico. The inclusion of Creole phrases and the various uses of plants, including for traditional healing, chimed with Jason Allen-Paisant’s Jamaica-set The Possibility of Tenderness, and I was reminded somewhat of the historical picaresque style of Slave Old Man and The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho. The writing is solid but the subject matter niche.

Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do enjoy a bit of historical fiction.

The Rarest Fruit tells the true story of Edmond Albius who was born a slave in Bourbon (now Réunion), a French colony in the Indian Ocean.

Edmond is orphaned at birth but he becomes almost a ward of a local landowner and botanist, Ferréol Bellier-Beaumont. As he grows up Edmond proves a very willing and talented student who finally proves his worth by discovering the secret of pollinating the vanilla orchid to produce pods.

Gaëlle Bélem fills in the extensively missing history of Edmond with an entertaining history of the slave whose endeavours made a lot of vanilla growers extremely wealthy in the 1800s. Of course, being a slave Edmond sees none of the profits and the story is necessarily one of inequality.

I knew nothing of Edmond Albius before I read this but it's a fascinating story. I'd definitely recommend it for fans of historical fiction or anyone who enjoys an interesting story.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Europa Editions for the advance review copy.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very quick read and overall pretty interesting- Edmond, orphaned son of two slaves in 19th Century Reunion, discovers at twelve how to pollinate the vanilla plant… I know right, what a random topic for me to read about! But also kind of bizarre timing because my previous book was about the young boy from the slums who, in 19th century London, discovered how to read the ancient tablets of Mesopotamia. So many diamonds in the rough!

But I digress. This book felt like it wasn’t sure whether it wanted to be strictly non-fiction, or to read more like a novel. At times it was a bit dry and just felt like it was stating the facts, and it was often a bit meandering and difficult to follow within this. I received a copy from NetGalley and in all honesty if it wasn’t a review copy, I probably would have put it down after a few pages.

[Ellinor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esst ihr gerne Vanille? Ich mag den Geschmack ja nicht so gerne. Ein Buch über diese seltenste Frucht habe ich trotzdem gelesen und auch sehr gemocht.
Die seltenste Frucht spielt auf der kleinen Insel Réunion im Indischen Ozean. Diese trug früher den Namen Bourbon, den heutzutage jeder in Verbindung mit Vanille kennt. Ursprünglich stammt die Gewürzvanille aus Mexiko, wo sie auch Früchte trug. Baute man sie sonst irgendwo an, schlugen alle Befruchtungsversuche fehl, da nur bestimmte, ausschließlich in Mexiko beheimatete Bienen und Kolibris die Pflanze bestäuben.
Hier kommt nun Edmond Albius ins Spiel. Er wird als Sohn einer Sklavin geboren, die jedoch bei seiner Geburt stirbt. Sein Besitzer, der verwitwete und kinderlose Féréol Beaumont, adoptiert ihn. Letzterer ist Botaniker und hatte eine große Leidenschaft: Orchideen und insbesondere Vanille. Seinem Ziehsohn bringt er alles bei, doch für die Bestäubung der Vanille hat auch er keine Lösung. Doch mit gerade einmal zwölf Jahren gelingt es Edmond, ein Verfahren der manuellen Befruchtung zu entwickeln. Bourbon wird daraufhin zum größten Vanilleproduzenten der Welt.
Gaëlle Bélem stammt selbst aus La Réunion. Ihr Schreibstil gefällt mir sehr. In ihrem Buch steckt viel Liebe zum Detail. Sie liefert die nötigen historischen Hintergründe und Erklärungen. Dabei gelingt es ihr, diese so in die Geschichte einzubauen, dass sie sich absolut fließend in jene einfügen. Wie nebenbei beschreibt sie die Schwierigkeiten, denen Edmond im Laufe seines Lebens begegnet. Obwohl er adoptiert wurde, wird er von seinem Vater dennoch nicht als voll- bzw. gleichwertig angesehen, da er schwarz ist. Aufgrund dieser Tatsache wird ihm auch weitere Bildung verwehrt. Als er später wegen Diebstahls verhaftet wird, dauert es auch sehr lange, bis Féréol beginnt, sich für ihn einzusetzen.
Für mich ist Die seltenste Frucht eine ganz wunderbare Entdeckung. Ich freue mich darauf, das Werk der Autorin noch genauer anzuschauen.

[Madeline Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow this was a beautiful and haunting book. I learned a lot about La Reunion and reflected much on what it means to leave a legacy.

[Ruben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a bit spoiled when it comes to historical fiction. I want something more than just a good story set in the past... to be surprised by a twist, a daring move or an unexpected new perspective by the author.

The Rarest Fruit has a great subject matter, tells a very original story and is set in a time and place about which I knew little and enjoyed learning more.

But it doesn't have that little something extra.

It is the story of the young slave Edmond Albius who is adopted by a French botanist on the island of Reunion (then Bourbon) and invents a new technique to pollinate vanilla much faster than before. After this invention, Réunion became the world's largest supplier of vanilla (I have a bottle of vanilla extract from the island at home and the difference with the store bought stuff is unbelievable).

3,5 rounded up for the good true story

[Isabelle Millan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Objectively I want to give this 5 stars because of its importance and generally the incredible writing style — it reminds me of the sentence I quoted in my review of The Kites, where the author inhabits every word. That rings true for this novel too, props to the translator for carrying the full weight into English as well.

My biggest gripe was that it’s told from a third person perspective and I don’t just mean he said she said. It’s because this is a true story so some of it is speculation which I get, but I never FELT like Edmond did. There was an emotional disconnect of sorts.

Otherwise, very well written, sometimes funny even in such a grim story! Interesting, important, informative. Makes you think about race, class, and colonization. Should be a required read! Thank you Edmond Albius for vanilla ice cream 🙏

[Stanzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Point positif : j'ai appris quelque chose.
Point négatif : je me suis fait chier comme une ratte morte.

[H.A. Leuschel · Rating 5 out of 5]

´L'arôme vanille part à la conquête de la planète entière après celle de la France. Partout dans le monde, un vent de vanille souffle; les gousses circulent, se vendent, s´achètent, se consomment sans qu´on sache qu'un esclave de douze ans qui n'a jamais vu de planisphère en a percé le secret pour les siècles à venir et ce, d'un simple geste de la main.'

[Salomé · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m absolutely devastated.

This novel tells the story of Edmond Albius, a 12-year-old slave from Réunion Island, as he discovers how to pollinate the vanilla flower. An ancient pre-Columbian science, that had been lost due to the massacre of its people by Hernán Cortés. You see how everyone profited from this discovery except Edmond himself.

As a Reunionese, this novel deeply touched me. Gaëlle was able to weave this biographical historical fiction with so much of our culture, our way of life, and our language. It makes me so happy to see this novel being translated into English so more people can discover this important piece of history that changed the face of the world’s economy.

[Buchdoktor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Der bereits jung verwitwete Ferréol Bellier Beaumont (1792-1872) erhielt von seiner Schwester ein Schwarzes Baby zur Adoption, dessen Mutter bei der Geburt verstorben war. Vermutlich stammten die Eltern des Kindes aus Mosambik. Bellier war Plantagenbesitzer auf Reúnion/Île Bourbon und beschäftigte versklavte Arbeiter. Auch wenn Beaumont, ganz der Landwirt, wie bei einer Pflanze zunächst die Ansehnlichkeit des kleinen Edmond zur Kenntnis nimmt, kann er später nicht übersehen, dass der Junge ein ungewöhnlich gutes Gedächtnis für Planzennamen zeigt – ohne je zur Schule gegangen zu sein. Dass Beaumont sich eher als Botaniker denn als Plantagenbesitzer sieht und Edmond bereits mit 5 Jahren zur Gartenarbeit anleitet, kann das Talent nur gefördert haben. Eher zufällig entdeckt der Zwölfjährige, der die Pflanzen der Insel jahrelang erforschen, sammeln und kartieren wird, dass die kapriziösen Blüten der rankenden Vanille sorgfältig von Hand bestäubt werden müssen. Die Blüten erblühen nur einen Tag lang und nach der Bestäubung liegt noch ein komplizierter Fermentierungsprozess vor den Züchtern. Diese Entdeckung hätte allen Inselbewohnern märchenhaften Reichtum bescheren können, wäre nicht der rassistische Blick des 18./19. Jahrhunderts gewesen, der eine ungewöhnliche Begabung eines Versklavten grundsätzlich ausschließt. Am Ende wird sich Beaumont sogar einbilden, in Wirklichkeit hätte er die Bestäubung der Vanilleblüte entdeckt. Edmond selbst stellt dagegen nüchtern fest, dass er als Forscher die falsche Hautfarbe hat, da nach ihm sicher keine Pflanzenart genannt werden wird. Mit eingeschobenen Rückblicken, die durch Jahreszahl und Alter von Ferréol und Edmond eindeutig zuzuordnen sind, entsteht ein Fluss der Ereignisse, der zum Ende zunehmend grotesker wirkt.

Gaëlle Bélem zeichnet sich durch eine augenzwinkernde, mäandernde Erzählweise aus, durch die die Tatsache der Versklavung ihrer Figuren etwas erträglicher wird. Das tragisch-märchenhafte Schicksal des realen Edmond, der anlässlich seiner Freilassung den Familiennamen Albius annimmt, kann als Gleichnis dienen, wie europäische Eroberer durch rassistische Einstellungen dem eigenen Erfolg im Weg standen. Da der heranwachsende Edmond eine ideale Identifikationsfigur liefert, finde ich seine Geschichte passend zum Einstieg in einen Black History Month.

[Sandra The Old Woman in a Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think your enjoyment of this book may rest on why you want to read it.

I read partly to explore other worlds. I’m working my way around the world and have almost finished reading a book from every country. Reunion Island is under French rule, but I’m also interested in territories and colonies, so this book stood out as a an opportunity to explore this culture lying in the southern Indian Ocean not far from Madagascar. From this perspective the short novel is a 5-star read. The vanilla story is fascinating and the cultural history of the island pulled me in. Edward’s story is tragic and not unexpected, but still full of interesting details.

The style of the writing wasn’t my favorite. While a novel and telling a story set along a linear timeline, each chapter felt distinct from the adjacent ones. Thar created a choppy flow, and the feel of a nonfiction text more than a novel. Sometimes the prose was beautiful and worthy of rereading and reflection. Sometimes sentences were lost to translation. I suspect the style was intentional as the printing and formatting also resembled old nonfiction.

Overall, I give the book 4 stars; 5 for content and 3 for style.

[2TReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

I loved the richness of the prose and the injection of dark humour in certain parts that had me laughing. Belem's fictionalization of Edmond Albius' life is taken from research, letters, and other documents that aided in her building this portrayal. However, anything invented by her is probably not far off the mark as the time will be reflected in both behaviour and recognition that would have been extended to Edmond. You cannot help but feel empathy for this orphan boy who learned so much and was not encouraged or widely acknowledged for his contributions to Botany and Horticulture. But he was a slave, so are we surprised.

[Stacey D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Once upon a time, there was a young orphan slave who discovered how to transform vanilla flowers into pods at the end of a winter that would never end. He spread the flavour throughout the world and then died in utter destitution.”

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adesso ogni volta che mangerò un dolce alla vaniglia penserò al povero e caro Edmond...

[jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

vanilla borbonica edmundii fan club <33

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

bellissimo, bella rappresentazione, no a piccole cose personali di scrittura

[Sohan · Rating 2 out of 5]

lecture pour mon book club.
j'ai eu l'impression de lire une lecture obligatoire du lycée. les personnages sont, selon moi, pas assez développés pour qu'on s'y attache, leurs relations peu voire pas approfondies. beaucoup de descriptions qui n'avaient que peu d'intérêt au récit, on ne passe finalement que très peu de temps sur la découverte de la vanille. point positif, je sais plus de choses sur cette fleur/épice désormais.
j'ai également trouvé que cette sorte de fiction historique/non-fiction ne fonctionnait franchement pas très bien.
cela dit, les notes de bas de page citant les sources de certaines informations étaient, je pense, une bonne idée.

2,50 ou 2,75. je n'étais sûrement pas la cible pour cet ouvrage.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The New York Times has a wonderful series of obituaries called "Overlooked" about accomplished people who nevertheless did not have a NYT obituary published at the time of their death. The excellent book reminded me of that series. It takes place on Bourbon Island (now Reunion Island), an overseas colony and later a Department of France located in the Indian Ocean. It was there in the early 1840s that a bright but uneducated slave boy learned how to pollinate the vanilla orchids and grow pods, resulting in the vanilla trade that took off within 10 years to be quite a lucrative industry. The slave boy was named Edmund and he took the last name of Albius upon being set free, a number years after his vanilla pollination succeeded. Without spoilers, his life was indeed tragic and he never got any recognition in his lifetime. This excellent book reconstructs his life, studies, relationships and accomplishments using first hand records from where he lived. I found this to be a fascinating with detours into native, botany, politics, cooking and island life. Just a superb read of an exotic place and person.

[ALESSANDRA ESPOSITO · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Fiorirò ovunque sarò portato"

Una fantastica storia romanzata su un ragazzino appassionato di botanica, che scopre e replica la modalità in cui l'orchidea Bourbon produce i suoi famosi baccelli di vaniglia, bistrattato e dimenticato, la cui unica colpa è essere nato nero in un prevaricante mondo di maschi bianchi, per di più in un periodo brutale quale fu il colonialismo francese, nello specifico nel mezzo dell'Oceano Indiano. Le fonti citate sono sapientemente indicate nelle note a piè di pagina e non disturbano la lettura, anzi. L'affetto che ho provato per Edmond è stato totale. Nota buffa: la storia sembra narrata fuori campo da uno spettatore appassionato, un po' come nel film "Il favoloso mondo di Amelie", bell'espediente. Scrittura molto bella e coinvolgente.

[Elo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saviez-vous que nous avons bel et bien failli ne jamais connaître la saveur de la vanille ? Une épice que l’on considère comme un ingrédient de base en cuisine et surtout en pâtisserie !
Si nous pouvons déguster nos desserts préférés à la vanille c’est grâce à Edmond Albius, je vous invite à découvrir comment à l’âge de 12 ans et alors esclave il est parvenu à percer à jour le secret de la pollinisation de la vanille.
C’est aussi un bout de l’Histoire de l’île de la Réunion, alors appelée île Bourbon (fin de l’esclavage notamment) que j’ai découvert avec cette lecture !

[Lida · Rating 3 out of 5]

an important story to be told but I can't decide how I feel about the style. It was very in between historical fiction and nonfiction. I appreciated the direct quotes from letters and documents, but sometimes the writing just felt like exposition and I wasn't quite immersed in the characters and their world.

[victoria marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

currently reading; my third book for August’s celebration month of Women in Translation!

(& loving the beautiful print book by Bullaun Press, not on kindle as is the only option on GR for this edition with these two translators… & very lucky & grateful for it!)

[Dominique · Rating 5 out of 5]

L’action se situe au XIXᵉ siècle sur l’île de La Réunion, alors colonie esclavagiste.
• Edmond, enfant esclave orphelin, est recueilli par un colon botaniste, Ferréol, qui devient son mentor tout en restant propriétaire d’esclaves.
• À 12 ans, Edmond découvre le procédé de pollinisation manuelle de la vanille, découverte décisive pour l’économie de l’île et, plus largement, pour le monde.
• Malgré l’importance de son geste, il reste un homme noir, pauvre, marginalisé, dont l’histoire a été presque effacée des archives, ce que le roman cherche précisément à réparer.
Personnages principaux
• Edmond Albius : jeune esclave, orphelin, analphabète, mais doté d’une intelligence intuitive et d’une sensibilité aiguë au monde végétal.
Il incarne le « génie » invisibilisé des dominés : inventeur de la pollinisation de la vanille, il change le destin économique de l’île sans recevoir la reconnaissance à la hauteur de sa découverte.
• Ferréol (le botaniste) : maître blanc, savant, figure profondément ambivalente.
Il élève Edmond comme un fils tout en restant pris dans la logique de l’esclavage ; il est à la fois père adoptif, éducateur, et représentant d’un système violent, ce qui en fait une sorte d’anti‑héros, partagé entre tendresse et culpabilité.
Ce duo met en miroir deux solitudes et deux enfermements : celui d’un enfant noir dont le corps appartient légalement à un autre, et celui d’un homme blanc prisonnier d’un ordre social qu’il ne parvient pas à rompre.
Thèmes majeurs
• Esclavage et hiérarchie raciale : le roman montre la brutalité structurelle du système esclavagiste, mais en s’attachant surtout à ses paradoxes intimes (amour paternel impossible, reconnaissance refusée, culpabilité des maîtres).
• Mémoire et réparation : Gaëlle Bélem redonne chair à une figure réelle, Edmond Albius, souvent réduit à un simple nom dans les livres, voire oublié.
En comblant les silences des archives par la fiction, elle propose une « œuvre de mémoire » qui restitue à Edmond une histoire, une voix et une dignité.
• Science, nature et colonialisme : la découverte de la vanille n’est pas seulement un fait botanique ; elle symbolise la manière dont le savoir des esclaves et colonisés a été exploité puis effacé par les sociétés coloniales.
• Identité, courage et volonté d’être soi : le « fruit le plus rare » n’est pas que la vanille, mais aussi la capacité d’un individu à rester fidèle à lui‑même dans un monde qui le nie.

[liam rickard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book at a homestay in in Northern Thailand. The artwork on the cover was quite attractive and it felt good in the hand, these things matter when it comes to deciding to read a book you know nothing about.
I love history, can’t get enough of it, so this book tickled me the right way. I knew nothing about the island of Le Réunion, the history of Vanilla, nor who Edmond Albius was.
Firstly, the prose is beautiful and even if the subject matter is of no interest to you, the language should be. Gaëlle Bélem writes beautifully about the landscape of the island and strongly sets out the main characters of the story, chiefly Edmund Albius, an illiterate slave child who changed the world at the age of twelve.

Réunion island is a French colony built on the backs of slaves, its the 1850’s and slavery is coming to an end much to the dismay of the islands ruling class who consist of the grandsons and granddaughters of middle class French that left the continent to start a new life. Their grandchildren now consider themselves to be more Réunionites than French.
Into this resource driven young society is born Edmond, the son of black slaves. Both his parents died when he was a baby and he was adopted by Ferreol Beaumont. A white despairing divorced land owner whom’s botany dreams have never quite been fulfilled.
For many centuries has the mystery of vanilla been unsolved, since its method of reproduction was lost after the fall of the Aztecs, now Ferréol has one in his nursery though he sees it more as a weed than anything else. Vanilla hence can be seen as the third main character of the book, as for long it frustrates and captivates Edmond and Ferréol and the larger world.

Now leaving the rest of the story for you, the book is essentially a biography of Edmond Albius, but unlike what I was expecting, the story does not end after Edmond’s discovery. It continues to tell the story of Edmond long after the world at the time stopped caring about him, if they ever really did. The second half of the book hence is very sad and paints a harrowing picture of a society immediately after the end of slavery. How does Edmond, now a free man and a man of immense historical importance, find his freedom again and does he truly ever get the recognition he deserves.

Its a great book, I loved reading it and learning about this small in scale but long lasting moment in history.
Every time I eat a vanilla cake, I give a shout out to Edmond.

[Marvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first five-star book of the year is a magnificent fictionalized (or, rather, richly imagined, since so little is known aside from a few mentions in scattered documents) account, told in luminous prose that made me smile routinely, of the development of vanilla; of the man who, as a 12-year-old Black slave, developed the long-sought process for fertilizing the plant that, only if fertilized in the way he discovered, produces the vanilla bean; and of the small French-colonized island he inhabits in the Indian Ocean–and which is also the birthplace of the author. (According to Wikipedia, Madagascar, the much larger island about halfway between this island and the coast of Africa, now produces 80% of the world’s supply of vanilla.) It’s a delightful story, if often sad, told delightfully here with a sharp, often cynic wit but with serious commentary about the vicissitudes of life and about slavery and racial bias. (When Edmond is selecting a name for himself after emancipation, he thinks, “All that’s associated with success, with wealth, is white. The Governor, the priest, the members of the Compagnie des Indes, political power, religious influence, they’re all grafted onto a pyramid of colors, beneath which the Cafre lies ten feet under, in the sand. To succeed, you have to live white, think white, be White, have a white name” [125]). Foodies and plant enthusiasts (neither of which I am) might enjoy this even more than I did, if that’s possible. A charming device: the chapter heads include subheads, as in 19th-century biographies (and other books), briefly summarizing the contents of that chapter. Just one example of the wit, more sly than sharp in this instance: “Much as Edward searched [for love], all he ended up with was a reputation for being a rather odd, that’s to say, obsessive, loner, because fiddling only with vanilla, reading only one novel [repeatedly], waiting for only one woman doesn’t tend to make one appear normal, even in the 19th century” (169).My only complaint: too many typos.

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

"All we know of their story fits onto just one leaf. Not of paper, that's too big. The leaf of a vanilla plant." Yet Belem comes up with a wonderfully sensitive account of the life of a remarkable person, starting with the creation myth of plants told to Edmond by Ferreol, which I absolutely loved. Belem juxtaposes the Eurocentric, flawed understandings reflected in the primary sources with her Edmond-centered narrative. Her visualizations frequently begin with phrases like "we see him". At the moment Edmond makes his discovery about how to pollinate vanilla, he "understands Ferreol. His inability to doubt himself, his ability to doubt everyone else, his fear of losing status, of mutinies, of all the traps he's laid himself, which, gradually, are closing up on him." This is on the eve of a sea change in European sensibility that will result in the emancipation of slaves. And not only the ones the slaveholders don't want any more - the old, criminal, or injured - but all of them. Along with this history is some natural history, especially the fascinating voyage of the vanilla plant from its origins in the New World, captured and taken to Europe by conquistadors who, as with so many other things they stole, only knew how to exploit but not to nurture. Even Ferreol's story is told, from his ancestors' origins "on tenured land that would never belong to them" ending on Bourbon/Reunion. A craze grew up around vanilla once Edmond Albius figured out how to pollinate it and others learn how to make the pods into the delectable spice it becomes, used in every sort of foodstuff, as well as perfumes "in a France where, from dawn to dusk, the streets are littered with animal carcasses, vegetable peelings, tubercular spittle, and beggars' excrement". The story includes evocative snippets of Reunion Creole, a bit of poetry, snatches from contemporary writers like Victor Hugo, and lots of plants growing on a small island in the Indian Ocean.

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This historical novel presents an interesting topic: the vanilla plant (orchid), while able to grow vigorously, was very reluctant to provide vanilla pods. Edmund Albius, a young (12 years old) black slave on the island of Bourbon (later renamed Reunion) discovered the secret to hand pollination. The flower has an operculum, or lid, that blocks pollen from fertilizing the pistil. By lifting off the operculum, hand pollination could then occur. The resulting boom in the vanilla market was huge; vanilla was in big demand, and huge profits were made. Edmund did not benefit from the boom though. This is his story as pieced together and liberally enhanced by the author.

The book also covers the topic of French slavery and of the lives former slaves had after Liberation. It’s basically the same story of slavery and emancipation in this country, such a sordid and tragic plight.

I upgraded the rating because of the topics. The writing style (and/or its translation from the French) really irritated me, though. It was both too (suspiciously) precise and too loosy-goosy. The author couldn’t possibly have known, for instance, that Edmund was exactly 49 days old and had had a total of 150 feedings on the day he entered the Bellier-Beaumont house, especially since his birthdate is unknown. There were all sorts of digressions that dotted the book, very flowery, extravagant sidebars that went nowhere. I briefly considered abandoning the book because the style was not working for me.

I wouldn’t mind finding out more about Edmund and his phenomenal grasp of botany despite being illiterate. It’s fitting that we should know his name and contribution - how much duller this world would be without vanilla.