Leave Taking

by Winsome Pinnock

Leave Taking, first produced in 1987 at the Liverpool Playhouse, is a play about relationships, identity and the role of the past in the present. It won Pinnock the George Devine Award in 1991.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama, Contemporary

Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Kevin Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in preparation for next week’s faculty meeting to discuss different possibilities for the modern text on the AQA GCSE syllabus.

Really powerful short play - still incredibly relevant today and I can see why it was put on stage again in 2018.

I think there are some really interesting parallels for the student body at my school that would be interesting to explore. Certainly more hooks than Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’ - despite the regionality and connections to the rest of the Humanities curriculum.

[Elysa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It must be some kinda curse that condemn our people to wander the earth like ghost who can't find rest."

This was an incredible take on the struggles of identity and immigration. The conflict and relationships within the family felt natural and the flow of the story was beautifully executed.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give it 6 stars if I could. This is underrated it hurts. I could relate so deeply, this is the first time I have ever been able to relate to a play before.
It was so perfectly written, the idea so simple but well executed.
The pain each character has so palpable.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

cried a bit icl

[Henry Hood · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the plays I’ll be teaching next year and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s an important reminder about so many things that are left unsaid, felt but not expressed aloud about racial identity, class relations, parenting and the feeling of ‘home’.

[Irati Agirrezabalaga · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Hilda Moreno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it for the NHB Playgroup. Pinnock explores the idea of nationality and identity of the second generation of immigrants. The family of this play portrays the generational conflict that arises when the mother works hard so her daughters can live like English girls while they want to explore her Caribbean roots due to the racism experienced in England.

[Jemima · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing debut. Telling the political through the personal.

[Meri Monfort · Rating 5 out of 5]

tracta la força de les tres dones de la familia Enid, Del i Viv posades en relleu en diferents plànols. La obeah woman Mai representa els orígenes i les tradicions en les que Del comença sense creure. Els orígens de l'illa de les dones negres. "What they know about a black woman soul?"

Del la meua fav. Winsome Pinnock m'ha transportat a l'essència d'Alice Walker, Toni Morrison i Jamaica Kincaid.

aquesta història acaba representant la dificultat de canviar de terra, de tindre's que adaptar-se a un altre país i a un altre imperi, el donar gràcies pel que tens quan realment els que et controlen són els que t'ho han llevat. tracta dels problemes de la mare amb les filles per educar-les i tractar-les per que sobrevivixquen.

m'han encantat els depats sobre pertenença, com es perd el sentit de pertànyer a la terra materna i a una terra aliena a una mateixa on els "natius" et discriminen i mai t'arribaran a acceptar. els diàlegs són preciosos i l'obra acaba tenint un missatge optimista: en el futur haurà valgut la pena volar del niu i buscar noves oportunitats a Anglaterra.

la reconciliació entre Enid i Del, després de conèixer-se gràcies a saber la història de la mare i els seus motius, gràcies a que realment comprenen el que senten, és preciosa.

"-How can you love yourself when you're always bottom of the pile?
-I was saying that hate destroys...
-At least hate heeps you fighting?
-But who are you fighting?"

"Nobody see you, nobody hear you. You could work fifty years with people and they still don't know your name. [...] All the time you screaming, you screaming inside but nobody come. You don't exist. How you going to teach tou children that they don't exist? [...] You say I don't see how them treat you out there. I see it. I see it and it make me want to tear the place down. I would chop off my hand if it would help you. But now is up to you. I been fighting too long".

[Kat Thorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful play exploring ideas of identity, generational divides and relationships between a mother and her daughters.

Enid has emigrated from Jamaica and is bringing up her two daughters on her own in a hostile Britain for a black woman. She keeps her history, past and hurt from her daughters in an attempt to protect them and ensure their survival in this country. However, her daughters both struggle to find their place and identity in different ways. Even help from the local obeah woman doesn’t seem to work.

This play explores the struggles in their relationship as they try to find their way and come to terms with being who they are in a country that’s not their own. I think this would have been better seen on stage, but certainly has lots to think about and explore.

[Danni · Rating 4 out of 5]

**uni read - britain modern stage**
I enjoyed this play, and remained captivated by it until I finished it. The relationships expressed and the struggles the characters go through are those that are easily recognisable in society, but further expounded by the racial identities of the characters. many of the speeches feel as though they could have been written today, which makes them even more relatable for audiences.

[Amanda Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this prior to marking GCSE lit and I think it would make an interesting text to study. On a practical note it is incredibly short compared to the other texts which would lead to different opportunities of taught- eg I read it in 35 minutes. I far preferred it to The Princess and the Hustler, another new play in the spec.
It is powerful and effective and I could see it working well in some schools.

[alia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never giggled so much at a play (especially with Uncle Broderick’s one liners!). The fact I could hear the women in my family while reading is heartwarming indeed. I can’t believe I went 21 years without knowing Winsome Pinnock but I am glad I’ve had a lovely introduction to her now ! Hopefully I can see this play in person one day.

I’m Viv and Viv is me.

I love being Black British, but nothing makes me feel prouder than the Jamaican heritage I was born from. :)

[Elizabeth Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read a play in years. This came up as a recommendation on my Libby app.

Set in 1980s London at a time when the children of the Windrush generation were becoming teenagers. The play examines the difficulties of those early years. Parents disillusioned with life in the UK. Children rebelling against the hopes and dreams that Parents were trying to achieve through them. Whilst trying to find their own identities.

[Mike Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

It felt like an accurate snapshot of life and I'm sure that the characters will truly resonate with some people. I liked it to start with and was interested, yet I was slightly disappointed that not a lot really happens.

[Giovanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pinnock explores the pain of diaspora, that ever-felt twoness, the aching pull towards origin and future. Themes of immigration, assimilation and expectation will be familiar to any child of immigrants. I'm glad it's entered the GCSE curriculum.

[Aaron Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early Winsome Pinnock. This was written before A Hero's Welcome but was produced after it. It's very strong. The kind of play about mothers and daughters and immigration to the UK. Pinnock did it first (and best). This is a classic in the British theatre, and rightly so.

[Megan Huggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a poignant and raw look at settling somewhere new and trying to make a home there.

[Taiwo · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a debut !

[lauren crish · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked it, it felt short though and not much of the “great plot-twisted ending” i was expecting. i enjoyed it though

[Alessia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The messages from the book were important and valuable, but I’m not really into plays, so 3.5 stars

[Frederike · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short play in which leave taking and reconnecting are inherently intertwined, a bit too cursory to my liking

[jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

i kinda loved it idk

[Malika Sahonta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful poignant story of generational trauma. Subtle, nuanced yet evocative.

[Remi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars- very quick read, not sure how I felt about it (also read it while I had COVID so not sure if that affected my opinion)

[lina · Rating 4 out of 5]

love and relate to the representation of what is home across borders and a dual identity

[Kirpa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even as a third generation immigrant I can still find a way to relate all of the characters to the people around me, and most importantly, me.

[Megan McElhone · Rating 3 out of 5]

tutoring read given the fact his GCSE is pretty soon!

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great contribution to my uni’s ‘World Drama’ course. Pinnock’s expertise as a playwright really pops out. Only issue is it wasn’t longer but it still ended with good pacing and storytelling.

[Belisarius Carstairs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leave Taking is a fantastic story with some relevant themes and some strong characters - none of whom find themselves on any moral high or low ground by the end of the play.

As grizzled and tragic story with no real winners.