Juletane

by Myriam Warner-Vieyra, Betty Wilson (Editor)

In this powerful and moving novel, Myriam Warner-Vieyra sensitively portrays the complexities of cross-cultural relationships and, in particular, the female predicament. When Helene, a self-reliant career woman, is packing her belongings for a move and imminent marriage for which she is reluctant, she unearths a faded old book. It is the diary of young Juletane, a confused, sheltered West Indian woman struggling to find herself. Written over three weeks, it records her short childhood in France, marriage to an African student, and an eager return with him to Africa, the land of her ancestors. It is Juletane's diary that brings her and Helene together. Juletane does not fit into her husband's traditional African family, especially the Muslim cultural demands of polygamy. Full of gentle ironies, Juletane is a story about alienation, madness, shattered the disillusioned West Indian outsider's disenchantment with Africa. Myriam Warner-Vieyra looks at women's lives, at the paths they have taken, at the possibilities open to women in the Caribbean, in Africa, in life. She forces readers, through the double narrative of Juletane and Helene, to reexamine easy assumptions, to look again at safe generalizations. Includes valuable Introduction 2014 by the translator. Other titles by African and Caribbean writers from Waveland Ba (trans. Bodé-Thomas), So Long a Letter (ISBN 9781577668060); Brodber, Jane and Louisa Will Soon Come Home (ISBN 9781478622840); Brodber, Myal (ISBN 9781478623113); Hodge, Crick, Crack Monkey (ISBN 9781478606598); and Lovelace, The Wine of Astonishment (ISBN 9781478611271).

Genres: Feminism, Africa, France, Fiction, Womens, African Literature, Literary Fiction

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Myriam Warner-Vieyra (born March 25, 1939) is a Guadeloupean-born writer.

The daughter of Caribbean parents, she was born Myriam Warner in Pointe-à-Pitre. She completed secondary school in Europe and moved to Dakar in Senegal. She earned a diploma in library science at Cheikh Anta Diop University and has worked for several years as a librarian. In 1961, she married the film director Paulin Soumanou Vieyra.

Several of her poems were published in the literary magazine Présence Africaine in 1976. Her first novel, written in 1980, was Le Quimboiseur l'avait dit (As The Sorcerer Said), which is set in the Caribbean. Her second novel Juletane, published in 1982, is the story of a Caribbean woman who married a Senegalese man who, she discovers, is already married. This was followed by a collection of stories, Femmes échouées (Fallen women), in 1988.

(from Wikpedia)

Reviews

[Tonysha · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your trust of men is already on shaky ground, don't read this book ... yet. Then, when you do pick it up, be prepared for a psychological roller coaster.

[Maria reads SFF]

Part of my around the World in books challenge, a work by a Guadeloupean author.
I can say I appreciated it.

[Freddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it's a nice story about how dealing with other people's blindness to culturally ingrained problems can lead to one going crazy.

[Isla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3🌟

[Sophie Maselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. J’ai aimé l’histoire de Juletane plus de l’histoire d’Hélène.

[Carla (literary.infatuation) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of Juletane, an orphan from a #Caribbean island who is sent to Paris to live with a relative when she’s 10 years old. In university, she meets this handsome and charming Senegalese man and marries him. They return to Senegal together and only then she finds out she’s not the only (or the first) wife. What follows is a terrible journey that rips apart her soul. This book is so good you’ll want to read it in one sitting, and probably could since it’s under 200 pages. It has a bit of everything, a bit of psychological thriller, crime and intrigue, romance, subtle feminism, discussion on race and a free-of-charge trip to Senegal. I cannot recommend it enough.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read and a great book. The story is told by both Juletane in her diary and by Hélène as she reads the diary. It's a frightening look at the mental decline of a woman who moves to her husband's African homeland following their marriage. Definitely eye-opening to those of us who live complacent American lives.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second time reading this book. It is one of my favorites. I think I will continue coming back to it. The story will engulf you. Reading this book will allow you to feel empathy for a woman whose world gets flipped upside down as she tries to love a man who unfortunately disregards her. I was hoping for a happy ending for Juletane. She almost gets it in the end as she starts to engage with a community around her. But ultimately despair becomes her.

[Kateri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots to be said on this one in regards to feminism, colonialism, and mental health. If any of those things interest you you should pick this one up! Unfortunately I was too overwhelmed with end of quarter reading and writing to sink my teeth too deeply into it enough to give a full review, but it's short enough that it could be re-read easily!

[Pearlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three starts for the portrayl of sheer madness. But one star for Juletane's representation of women.

[ERI · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a tragic, but beautiful book.

[Emmanuel]

This was required reading for one of my college courses. I couldn't get into it. DNF.

[Nicole Kroger Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

#readtheworld Guadeloupe

[Aswa Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Men spoil everything.

[Shatterlings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that was bleak, is that what makes it feminist? It reminded me a bit of The Yellow wallpaper, women in rooms going mad and being not entirely sure what’s real.

[ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

broke my heart

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful, and I must recommend the french addition if you read french because the flow of the writing comes across so much more in the french addition.

[Maheen Masroor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The passivity of Juletane was frustrating and endlessly saddening but when she finally snapped, you kinda get a sense of how madness really starts from. She's directionless, ignored, hopeless, jealous, bitter, disappointed and for that to go on for years, something has really gotta tick. It just reminds you that no matter how vulnerable or defenseless a creature may seem, never underestimate the resentment that can brew beneath the surface.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many reasons why this book was amazing... Generational, multi-cultural.... Both are a great draw for me. Not just the focus on blackness but the nuances in black cultural around the world..a French/Christian-esque woman marrying an African/Muslim man (potentially Senegalese) and learning too late that or skin cannot be the only commonality.... Recommend this book to all people. Couldn't put it down....

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for my Institute of Adult Learning French Novels in Translation class, so of course it was depressing and dreary. However, it had a plot, a beginning, a middle and an end, and many women's issues, so it will make for a good discussion.

[Chinook · Rating 4 out of 5]

A interesting read. Multiple levels of exploring what it means to be an outsider and what it means to marry. It was a really quick read, which was for the best because the passivity of Juletane might have proved frustrating over a longer novel.

[Mercy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I haven’t read a book in one sitting in a very long time. This was a great read. Getting into the mind of Juletane is probably the highlight of reading this book.
Highly recommend!

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A look into trauma and mental illness stemmed from the challenges of polygamy! This was my introductory novel to African literature...Made me order more books from african writers