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, Africa, Nature, France, Plants, 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% — 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. Maybe someday...

[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.

[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

[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.'

[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.

[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.

[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...

[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.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[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 !

[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.

[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.

[Mario Mirabelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a breathtaking story of a child born of slave parents in the 1840's and is given to a plantation owner from his sister who eventually discovers how to pollinate vanilla. Edmond's slave parents are dead soon after he is born and his chance of survival is slim. Ferreol is a plantation owner who is suffering from the death of his wife two years ago when his sister decides to give a barely three month old Edmond to him to raise. Ferreol takes on the task and raises Edmond as his own.
As time goes on, Edmond learns about the working of the plantation and especially the orchids in Ferreol's gardens. As Ferreol and Edmund work the orchids, they are stumped by the vanilla plant and how it pollinates. After multiple attempts, they fail but Edmond continues on his own. When Edmond finally discovers how it is done, Ferreol is thrilled and the world goes crazy for Vanilla. Edmond, who is twelve at the time, teaches other plantation owners how the pollination works but the world and fame pass Edmond by.
The book is loosely based on the true story of Edmond Albius who did discover this process at the age of twelve. The story itself fills in the blanks of Edmonds life as it probably was which based on public records does not turn out spectacular. READ THIS BOOK.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Europa Editions for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have to admit that when books are translated from a different language, it’s hit-or-miss for me. The Rarest Fruit is based upon a real person, Edmond Albius, who was born a slave in a French colony. He’s orphaned at birth but is taken under the wing of a local botanist. As he grows up, he really takes to the subject of botany and discovers a game-changing secret: how to pollinate orchids so they produce vanilla beans.

The mood of this story is pretty dark, we are talking slavery here, but the richly detailed narrative kept drawing me in. Because not much is known about the real-life Albius, Gaëlle Bélem creates a story that shows how a smart slave could make a lot of white landowners a lot of money in the 1800s. Since he was enslaved, Edmond sees none of the riches.

Literary fiction is not my jam, but I wanted to read something about the enslaved people of other countries. This is a beautifully translated text that will resonate for a long time.

[Jenny Dunning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gem of a historical novel. Written in the style of the early 19th century--short chapters with descriptive titles, old fashioned prose studded with bits of Creole and French--the novel tells the story of Edward Albius, a slave on a plantation on the Indian Ocean island Réunion who discovered how to pollinate vanilla flowers at age 12. As Bélem imagines Edward, he was raised by a landowner with an interest in botany, treated almost like a son. His real-life discovery made the commercial production of vanilla outside of its native habitat (Mexico). However, he reaped little benefit from his discovery, dying in poverty despite having been freed as a young man. Like the best historical fiction, Bélem's narrative fills in the gaps in what we know about Albius, creating a compelling portrait of the life of a 19th century slave and the unfair labor practices that followed the abolition of slavery on the island. Bélem is a native of Réunion. Anyone who maintains that the life of slaves was not brutal needs to read this tragic story.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who knew that a 12 year old enslaved boy, on the island of La Reunion, figured out something that had stumped fancy European botanists for hundreds of years? When the first European explorers returned from South America in the 1500s, they brought back vanilla beans which were a huge hit, but no one was able to cultivate them because South American vanilla was pollenated by a specific bee that doesn't exist in Europe. This was like the Holy Grail of Botany that no one could find. Then a botanist in La Reunion was given an African baby boy to cheer him up after his wife died, and as the child grew they became inseparable. The botanist taught the child everything he knew, but wouldn't allow him to study to be a botanist since he was enslaved and black. In 1841, when he was 12, the boy determined to solve the problem himself and experimented on vanilla plants , which apparently are a type of orchid, and figured out how to manually pollinate the plants. Due to racism, he never benefited from his discovery and was not acknowledged during his lifetime. This novel is a fictionalized account of his life and achievement and it's a really good read, though sad.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful, tragic, laced with hope.
to start with, I was googling all the plants mentioned, and I was surprised and in awe at how diverse and wonderful orchids can be: they can look like spiders, monkey faces, bugs, and beautiful flying egrets, while also offering vanilla? I was as mesmerized by orchids as I was by nudibranchs a few years ago.
but then the flavour of his story, Edmond Albius', became stronger and stronger, bitter injustice laced with sweet and mellow hope.
I am so glad I got a chance to read this book, and know this story, even with the blanks filled in by the author. this story broke my heart a little, and nestled itself in the crack it created, and will sit there. my world is a little different after this, since vanilla is more than just a flavor now.

"Perhaps Pamphile and Mélise had finally come to terms with the idea that the flames of this purgatory would never be extinguished, that they would have to learn to walk on embers - a baby in their arms"

[Phillip Pless · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Review: 4.25/5 stars

This slim novel recalls the life of the Edmund Albius, who discovered how to pollinate the vanilla pod by hand. It’s quite an extraordinary story of an impoverished slave who singlehandedly revolutionized the vanilla production process. It’s also the story of his life and the relationship between him and his former owner.

I learned so much by reading this book and I think the writing by Gaëlle Bélem is gorgeous and evokes a very lush, verdant environment. The translator did an amazing job rendering this very poetic and pensive story. I highly recommend this story to anyone that enjoys historical fiction. I also recommend any book that Europa Editions is publishing.

[John Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Gaelle Belem is the only author from the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean who has had a book published in English. In this historical novel, she tells the story of the slave, Edmond Albius, who as a 12-year old in the mid-1800s, helped develop a technique to propagate vanilla. He had been adopted by a French botanist and was able to develop his own garden. Before slavery was abolished on the island, he led a more privileged life, but after emancipation took place, his life became more tragic. Gaelle Belem brings out the life of this real person from archival material. I found it to be a fascinating book. While I also grew up near the Indian Ocean in Tanzania, I really knew very little about this island and nothing about this person. Well worth reading.

[Paul-Tristan Auguin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je ne savais pas grand chose de la vanille ou de la Réunion, et encore moins de la vie d’Edmond Albius, le livre a remédié à cela. Un long article de magazine aurait pu être plus efficace par moments, mais les derniers chapitres sur la l’oubli d’Edmond et la réécriture de l’histoire sont touchants; lire une page Wikipedia n’aurait pas été aussi marquant.

Le chapitre dédié au photographe et graveur Antoine Louis Roussin expose l’importance des images pour se représenter ce passé pas si lointain: la lithographie d’Edmond est une clé qui éclaire nombre de ses traits de caractère, fantasmés ou non. J’aimerais beaucoup feuilleter son album de la Réunion.

[Cecile Louchard-De Barsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

L’intéressante histoire d’Edmond Albius, un esclave adopté par un botaniste de l’île de la Réunion (Bourbon en cette fin de 19ème siècle). Ayant appris la botanique en suivant son maître dans les allées du jardin, il devina seul comment polliniser la délicate orchidée blanche produisant la vanille, en l’absence de son pollinisateur naturel (resté au Mexique 😉). Si ni Edmond, ni son maître ne se sont enrichis suite à cette trouvaille, elle a néanmoins permis l’essor de la fameuse Vanille Bourbon, qui fit tourner la tête de tous les grands de ce monde-là 💛 Un peu longuet mais délicieusement créole par la langue et les saveurs…

[Sombre Grimoire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une lecture très prenante, alors que je n'étais pas réellement convaincu au départ.

J'ai adoré cette lecture et l'ai lu en une après-midi. On en apprend énormément sur la vanille mais aussi de surtout sur Edmond Albius, l'homme qui a trouve comment aider l'orchidée à créer son fruit.

Ce récit mêle l'évolution autour des connaissances sur ce produit rare mais aussi le parcours d'Edmond, qui a l'époque (XIXème siècle) était un esclave noire sans perspective d'avenir, si ce n'est suivre sa passion de la botanique.

Son parcours fut émouvant et le récit très bien mené