Juletane

by Myriam Warner-Vieyra, Betty Wilson (Translator)

When Hélène is packing up her belongings in readiness for her imminent move and marriage, she unearths a faded old exercise book. As she reads she cannot anticipate the effect it will have upon her own future. It is the diary of Juletane, a young West Indian woman. Written over three weeks, it records her short life; her lonely childhood in France, her marriage to an African student, and her eager return, with him, to Africa -- the land of her ancestors. In stark contrast to her naive illusions, the social realities of traditional Muslim life and their cultural demands on her as a woman threaten to drive her to unendurable extremes of loneliness and complete alienation. She is a foreigner, in spite of the color of her skin.

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]

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]

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]

3.3🌟

[Sophie Maselli]

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

[Carla (literary.infatuation)]

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]

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 ohome]

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]

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]

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

[Eri]

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]

#readtheworld Guadeloupe

[Aswa Khan]

Men spoil everything.

[Shatterlings]

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]

broke my heart

[Reader]

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.

[Brishti]

Terrifying. Heartbreaking. So quick

[Maheen Masroor]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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