Never Far from Nowhere

by Andrea Levy

A passionate and perceptive story full of the pain and the humour of growing up, from Andrea Levy, author of the Orange Prize winning SMALL ISLAND and the Man Booker shortlisted THE LONG SONG.

'NEVER FAR FROM NOWHERE' is the story of two sisters, Olive and Vivien, born in London to Jamaican parents and brought up on a council estate. They go to the same grammar school, but while Vivien's life becomes a chaotic mix of friendships, youth clubs, skinhead violence, A-levels, discos and college, Olive, three years older and a skin shade darker, has a very different tale to tell...

Genres: Fiction, British Literature, Race, Coming Of Age, Historical Fiction, Book Club, Literary Fiction

282 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Andrea Levy was an English novelist, born in London to Jamaican parents. Her novels chronicled the experiences of the post-World War II generation of Jamaican immigrants in Britain. She was one of the first black British authors to achieve both critical and commercial success. Her novel Small Island won several major literary prizes: the Orange Prize for women's fiction, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Whitbread Book of the Year award.

Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Amena · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last read for #BlackHistoryMonth was quite a bleak novel. It follows two black Jamaican sister's living in London in the 60s and 70s both of whom struggle with their identity growing up. They feel the need to conform, their is a constant need to find themselves. Their father dies and they both live with their mother who feeds this struggle and adamantly refuses the girls are black, especially to the fair skinned sister, Vivien. She would actually talk about black people in front of her but say nothing positive to Vivien about them, point blank refusing to be black herself or for her children to be either. *

I wish there were more happier moments for both the sisters rather than the sense of foreboding that permeates throughout. The Police plant Cannabis on the older sister, Olive, who is dark skinned compared to Vivien. These are her thoughts after her solicitor tells her to plead guilty: "She didn't understand, the little white woman in her white blouse, sitting in an office with a coffee machine bubbling and her university certificates on the wall. Her England is a nice place where people are polite to her, smile at her - ask for directions in the street, sit next to her on buses and trains and comment about the weather. But my England shakes underneath me with every step I take. She didn't understand that I could be innocent. Oh no. I was born a criminal in this country and everyone can see my crime. I can't hide it no matter what I do. It turns heads and takes smiles from faces. I'm black." *

I have heard a lot about 'Small Island' and will pick that up if I see it around.
3.5🌟

[Kiwiflora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Andrea Levy's second book, written way back in 1996 and before the success of 'Small Island'. The themes are very similar - immigrants from Jamaica trying to find their feet in an alien society, and yet also trying to maintain their own cultural identity amidst prejudice and the struggle to make a living. This very insightful novel is set in 1970s London on a council estate, and revolves around the lives of two teenage sisters, Olive and Vivien. The girls are first generation English-born, of Carribean descent. Their parents migrated from Jamaica to London in the hope of improving their lives and and that of their children. But like many migrant families to England, the transition is not easy, the desired standard of living is never really achieved, and surrounded by prejudice many people are made to feel like second class citizens. For the girls there is the added complication of being teenagers with the pressures that brings on schooling, parent expectations and peer pressure.

So far so good, and plenty of rich material for a writer to work with. The story becomes that much edgier with the revelation on page two that the sisters are as different as they could possibly be and these differences really dictate how the lives of the girls turn out, or could turn out. Olive is the elder of the two by three years, but is a shade or two darker in colour, and with frizzier hair than her sister having inherited more of the African gene from her father. Vivien has inherited less of the African gene, and more of the Spanish/Indian features of her mother: so fairer complexion and wavy black hair. This is all complicated by the fact that the mother has never really seen herself as a 'black' person and consequently passes this very mixed message onto her two girls with the result that the girls don't really know what they are, but know that being black is not as desirable in their world as being less black. Hence Vivien has a much easier passage through the teen years than her sister does.

The author uses these essential differences between the two girls as the driver of her story and very effective it is. Olive is smart, feisty, independent and wants to leave the apron strings as soon as possible. Vivien on the other hand, also a smart girl is more interested in fitting in with the white crowd she finds herself in, to the extent that she refuses to admit she is of Jamaican descent, telling people she is from Mauritius. It all falls apart of course when her friends finally meet Olive! Vivien realises fairly early on that to get ahead and get on in the English world, she has to do well at school and go to university which she does. Although according to Olive, her sister will never be fully accepted by the white world, simply because she is not white, and thus she will end up 'Never Far from Nowhere'.

And this is probably the essential theme of this book - even though we always deny how much we judge by initial appearances and impressions, the author is very firmly in the camp that actually this is exactly what we do - first impressions count big time.

For this reason it is a very bitter sweet story. The girls are both great characters and it is the mark of a good writer that she can make the reader feel empathy for the girls and frustration over some of the things they end up doing. The differences between the two and the paths their lives take is accentuated by Olive and Vivien narrating alternate chapters. The chapters are also kept very short so the reader does not really have time to get into Olive's world before turning the page into Vivien's world. The one thing I did notice is that the only black people in the whole story are the girls and their parents. Living on a London council estate, I would have thought there would be neighbours, school mates, teachers, shop owners, and so on also of Carribean descent. But no, this family operates entirely in a white man's world. A little strange I think.

Anyway a great story, beautifully told, with much feeling and poignancy. It is easy to see how the threads of 'Small Island' came out of this story. I really enjoyed it, and will make an effort to read Ms Levy's earlier books both written either side of this one.

[Khrys · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author always takes me to a place I don't necessarily want to go because of the anger and prejudice I find there but I still love the way she tells stories... fiction maybe but truth none the less. The characters are very real and the stories are no fairy tale. It's in your face and refreshing.

[HadiDee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Andrea Levy is a great writer and I've really enjoyed her other books, especially Small Island and Fruit of the Lemon, but I didn't care as much for this book. Partly I think because the chapters are so short that I never entered deep enough into the world of either sister. Mostly because there is no subtlety here: there's no love in this family or community; there no let up in the racism and foul language - the foul language at home is different at home than outside but it's all relentless.

I skipped over the morass of names/characters in Vivien's chapters - I don't want to read pages about 'x facies you, and y fancies x, and z fancies etc etc). Olive's downward slide was sad and unnecessary (esp. the incident with the police at the end).

I didn't like the people here except maybe Eddie and right at the end, Vivien. The end was really abrupt but I was glad to leave this world.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is the second book i've read by this author. i didn't enjoy this one as much as the other one - 'small island', but i love her writing style, so i definitely want to read more of her books.

this book alternates between two characters and i found it slightly boring at times, but maybe other people will enjoy it.

[Julie Carratt · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are mixed ratings for this book. For me, having lived my childhood in England during the 70s, I could remember people's attitudes towards people from other cultures. The author captures the grittiness of people's behaviour and I love the way she shows how the two sisters are affected by this in their own way. It is a Kes or Billy Elliot novel of the South.

[Charlotte · Rating 1 out of 5]

Never Far From Nowhere

I have just inaugurated a new goodreads bookshelf, abandoned. I got to page 90 and decided that that was enough.

It’s the story of two sisters, one slightly darker skinned, and the choices they make, how they fight to be accepted. The language put me off from the very start. I suppose it could be called realistic, but I just found it downright depressing. A little foul language will take you a long way, but here you never seem to get beyond it. Never Far From Nowhere, the title says it all, you have a sense of utter hopelessness.

I wonder how I got as far as I did. Well, I liked the alternating voices – the two sisters, Vivien & Olive, tell their stories in alternating chapters; the last paragraph at the end of the first chapter, told by Vivien (lighter skinned), seemed full of promise:

When I was young I used to look at my parents as they sat exhausted in chairs, watching On the Buses, straight-faced but saying how funny it was, and I used to think how lucky this country was to have them. How grateful people should be that they came here and did such responsible jobs. And how if they went back – if they went back to Jamaica – well, who knows what would happen to the buses, to the children or the new hospital wings. My parents helped this country, I thought. I thought it as I lay in bed at night. I thought it as school. I thought it walking down the street or playing in the flats. But even when I was young, when I was still having my cheek pulled by passers-by and people winked at me on the tube, even then I knew that English people hated us.(p.5)

But that's as far as it went... or at least, until p.90:-(

[Kizzylu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book hits hard. Real hard. The realism in it is so amazing that I felt like I was simply recalling old memories instead of reading a book. But there is also something else in it, an experience of living a life that, hopefully, most people wouldn't live altogether. Being poor. Coming from a far away country. Early pregnancy. Cheating. Politics getting in the way of friendships, and so, so, so much more. This should be a mandatory read for everyone, to understand how much life can bring you down, to the point where the reader themselves started to question the smallest sliver of happiness any of the characters had felt.

The ending, while nothing grandiose, is cathartic in its own way, giving just the smallest amount of closure.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVED this book. It was sad and my heart ached for them, especially Olive. Some of Vivian’s chapters made me laugh so much. I would like to know what (if anything) happened to Carol. Can’t wait to read the rest of AL’s books!

[Tawallah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a look at growing up as a first generation British immigrant. In alternate chapters we follow Vivien and Olivewhose parents migrated from Jamaica. Unbeknownst to the other, they face both micro aggression and overt racism. Yet Olive believes her younger sister is spoilt mainly because she is much more fair-skinned, to the point of possibly passing as Spanish or Italian. We follow these two sisters who navigate London in the 60s with divergent results. It is a fascinating character study that smashes the myth that those living overseas were living the sweet life.
Sadly, this book ends abruptly with no concrete resolution. A pity, this could have easily have been further fleshed out. This seemed almost like an incomplete book.

[Jess Duke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Andrea Levy's style of narration - it makes her plots fast-paced and her characters so lively. Although this is one of her earlier novels, the themes of home and identity are still central. I wish I'd written my dissertation about that! I liked this novel, but it hasn't displaced Small Island as my favourite from Levy (more history, more narrators, more nuance!).

My favourite line: 'I looked around me, but no one was taking any notice. It was like it was just me and him in the room. I kept thinking of all the things I should have said to him.' (p178)

[Katie Hull · Rating 4 out of 5]

I acc rly liked this book:) set in fins p! Loved knowing all the places/ road names and the class divide in the area was so well written and true. The accounts of racism in this made me like physically recoil in anger, it was so real and stark. So many facets of identity discussed. Quick read in terms of like readability, but covered some rly bleak and heavy themes which were hard to read at times.

[Moore Flannery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to read Small Island, so I thought I d start with this- and while it is evidently the more ‘junior’ work, it’s a cracking first go. It is entirely the corollary to the trope of ‘pregnant girl in unforgiving London’ -a theme dominated so far by white experience- ‘The L shaped room’ and others.

It’s really interesting to play the London I know so well - Finsbury Park, Highbury, the Angel, back to me through the eyes of Olive and Vivien. What feels ‘posh’ to them, where social, race barriers are suddenly drawn feels brutal, suddenly moving from a casual pint in the pub to real violence. The cavalier way teachers pegged students to their pigeon holes, the language, the shallow thought processes of young men. Levy’s writing is light, neat, describing fairly, sufficiently, never over doing it.

The suggestion is there that of the two sisters - Olive’s darker skin colour may have played a role in forcing her into a more frustrating, and difficult life circumstance- but that’s not a given, it didn’t have to play out like that. Equally, Vivien’s skin colour gives her access perhaps to more choices, but she mingles with some dubious company along the way, and is saved really by being bright enough not to settle for smaller, by knowing not to get pregnant, for reaching for the light, even though she’s not always as nice as she might be. It’s partly racism that fixes both of their trajectories, but also personality, intelligence, resilience.

This is a really compelling read - a picture of 70’s London that feels totally authentic. It’s not very satisfying in terms of the story- one might wish that ‘more’ happened- but god knows there’s enough books where nothing much happens about whites families- so it’s hard to hang this out to dry.

I’m a bit shocked that this convincing, but ‘normal’, pedestrian, articulation of mixed race childhood and teenage life wasn’t published until 1996 - long after it was needed, by which time several Windrush generations had run the gauntlet of developing a ‘British’ identity, separate to their parents, and often despite the hostility from sections of the UK community. But perhaps that was the point about why Andrea Levy, and I missed it. I’m sorry I missed it. I should have liked to know more about her, and this while she was alive.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed The Small Island.
It is too bleak and the characters are too shallow and unlikeable. Olive's character in particular is deeply unsympathetic. The relationship between the three central women also seemed shallow and unpleasant.
The ending was very abrupt too and didn't give me that satisfying understanding of what the point of it all was. Except that everyone is miserable and nobody belongs anywhere.

[Julia Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

totally excellent, my first andrea levy, will be on to the rest soon...

[R.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Κριτική στα Ελληνικά πιο κάτω...
3½/5

This was a quick read and interesting up to an extend. A take on the socio-cultural situation in Finsbury Park area and other areas of London around the late '70s/early'80s -if I got it right.

It provides food for thought but the writting style makes it less "heavy" than expected most of the time. We have the perspective of each of the two girls going on with their lives from an early age till adulthood and it's more like a piece of life kind of read than one with too much analysis.

We get to see the problems within the family and their struggle to get an understanding between them and with their mother, we get to see the challenges they face due to poverty, prejudices, racism, sexism and their background, we get to see the traits of different sub-cultures and economic strata at the time.

These two sisters are quite different and it was interesting to follow them about, although I have to add that unfortunately many twists and turns on their lives are predictable too.

The end of the book isn't really an end or a conclusion. I admit that this wasn't a book I could connect much with, I didn't like the specific characters much although I felt sad for their troubles, both on a personal and a generic level and I think the book might have made a stronger impression to me if I've read it when I was younger. Still, it was a very decent read on its own right, just not that memorable or captivating for me.

3½/5

Το βιβλίο περιγράφει τις κοινωνικοπολιτικές και οικονομικές συνθήκες στην περιοχή του Finsbury Park στο Λονδίνο περίπου στα τέλη του '70/αρχές του '80 αν δεν κάνω λάθος, καθώς και την κατάσταση σε άλλες περιοχές και υπο-κουλτούρες του Λονδίνου.

Οι πρωταγωνίστριες έχουν γεννηθεί στο Λονδίνο από γονείς Τζαμαϊκανούς μετανάστες. Ο πατέρας πεθαίνει σχετικά νωρίς και μετά μεγαλώνουν με τη μητέρα τους. Προσφέρει τροφή για σκέψη, αλλά το στυλ γραφής το κάνει λιγότερο «βαρύ» από το αναμενόμενο τις περισσότερες φορές. Έχουμε την οπτική γωνία καθενός από τα δύο κορίτσια, από νεαρή ηλικία μέχρι την ενηλικίωση. Είναι μια αφήγηση/ματιά σε έναν τόπο και χρόνο και τρόπο ζωής παρά ένα βιβλίο με υπερβολική ανάλυση. Τα γεγονότα μιλούν στον αναγνώστη από μόνα τους.

Μέσα από το βιβλίο μπορούμε να δούμε τα προβλήματα μέσα στην οικογένεια και την δυσκολία των δύο αδερφών να βρουν μια κάποια κατανόηση μεταξύ τους και με τη μητέρα τους, μπορούμε να δούμε τις προκλήσεις που αντιμετωπίζουν λόγω της φτώχειας, της έλλειψης μόρφωσης, των προκαταλήψεων, του ρατσισμού, του σεξισμού και του δικούς τους υπόβαθρου, μπορούμε να δούμε και τα χαρακτηριστικά διαφορετικών υποκουλτούρων και οικονομικών/κοινωνικών στρωμάτων της εποχής.

Αυτές οι δύο αδερφές είναι αρκετά διαφορετικές και ήταν ενδιαφέρον να τις παρακολουθώ στην καθημερινότητά τους και όσο περνούν τα χρόνια, αν και πρέπει να προσθέσω ότι δυστυχώς πολλές ανατροπές και εξελίξεις στη ζωή τους είναι τραγικά προβλέψιμες.

Το τέλος του βιβλίου δεν είναι στην πραγματικότητα ένα τέλος ή κάποιο συμπέρασμα. Ομολογώ ότι αυτό δεν ήταν ένα βιβλίο με το οποίο θα μπορούσα να συνδεθώ ιδιαίτερα, δεν μου άρεσαν ιδιαίτερα οι συγκεκριμένοι χαρακτήρες σαν χαρακτήρες, αν και φυσικά συμπάσχω για τα προβλήματά τους, τόσο σε προσωπικό όσο και σε γενικό επίπεδο. Μου κράτησε δηλαδή το ενδιαφέρον για το κλίμα και την ανθρωπογεωγραφία της περιοχής/εποχής περισσότερο και τους χαρακτήρες σαν άτομα μέσα σε αυτό το πλαίσιο, παρά για τους χαρακτήρες πιο ειδικά. Νομίζω ότι το βιβλίο θα μου είχε κάνει πιο έντονη εντύπωση αν το είχα διαβάσει όταν ήμουν νεότερη.
Παρόλα αυτά, ήταν ένα πολύ αξιοπρεπές ανάγνωσμα, απλώς όχι τόσο αξέχαστο ή συναρπαστικό για μένα.

3½/5

[Neele · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book follows two sisters, Olive and Vivian, as they grow from young girls into women. As the children of Jamaican Immigrants living in council housing in London they don’t always have it easy. Olive, with darker skin than Vivian, finds herself pregnant at 17 and marries Peter, the father of her unborn child. She’s often disadvantaged by the color of her skin and her life takes a turn for the worse when Peter leaves her and she is left with her little daughter, living at her mother’s with no money and no support. She has nowhere to go.
Vivian, because of her lighter skin less disadvantaged by the racism of the time,develops friendships and succeeds in school. She often has to face the racism and hate towards people like her, from friends and everyone around her. It’s a confusing feeling- having to listen to others rave against people like her sister even though they see SHE were different.
Viv prospers in school- she goes on to take her A-Levels and finds new friends and a boyfriend, her life is good. Meanwhile Olive has to face the path her life has taken. She needs to get money and a place to live, which turns out to be quite difficult. She thinks the entire world is against her, but they welcome her sister with open arms.
Viv goes on to Art college after finishing her A-Levels, lying her way around because she doesn’t feel like her reality is good enough. She’s living a life where people like her don’t usually go. Meanwhile Olive is arrested for possession- wrongfully so but who would believe a black woman?
When Viv comes back home to visit her family her and Olive fight- But has it really been Viv’s skin color that’s brought her everything she has? Or have the sisters simply chosen different paths in life?

Andrea Levy’s book brings up all kinds of emotion. It makes the reader feel with the sisters and struggle to understand why they are so different and- had Olive looked like Viv, would her life have been different? The incredible facets of the book show two girls growing up, with all their ups and downs. But at the end of the day, it’s not really about the sisters. It’s a beautiful commentary on England’s history in colonialism and a social critique on such a wide range of topics it makes you ask questions you would have never considered.

[Carla Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in London in a time of skin-heads and aggressively overt racism, Levy shines a light on the raw grittiness of the city in the 60s/70s; with the writing style and language used reflecting this.

As always, I’m a sucker for a split narrative, with the story told from the two different perspectives of sisters Vivien and Olive. Two siblings who couldn’t be more different; and who have two very different approaches to life. Levy gives readers a good insight in to the characters and they evolve well through the book; with the one you warmed to at the beginning, not being the one you’re the most emotionally invested in at the end. Both characters face their own challenges and prejudices, responding differently as they take their first steps in to very different types of adulthood.

It paces well, rarely dragging. I throughly the ending was fitting. The chapters are very short and sharp so it’s very easy to fly through this book. I left it pretty late in the month to start but flew through it in just 3 days.

I really enjoyed it and would absolutely recommend it. I understand why some would be put off by the language but personally I think that helped to add to the overall darker tone of the book.

[Olivia (Liv's Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my fourth Levy novel and she continues to grow in my estimations and has become one of my all-time favourite authors. Never Far From Nowhere encompasses Levy's usual brilliant way of blending both hard-hitting, poignant themes with humour, gaiety and heartwarming moments in her novels. This story follows the dual protagonists Olive and Vivien who are sisters born in London to Jamaican parents - but the sisters look very different. Olive has inherited more of her father's African genes which mean her hair is frizzy and her skin darker, whilst Vivien has taken more of her mother's Spanish and Indian features which has given her wavy black hair and a fairer complexion. Because of these physical differences, the sisters each have very different experiences with prejudice and racial injustice, particularly in their formative years.

Both girls grow up facing adversity at school and into their adult lives, each feeling the need to conform but ultimately choosing very different paths. Vivien is studious but extremely impressionable, and finds herself getting involved with the wrong sort at school when she could achieve far higher in her education; Olive settles with a boy at a young age and soon finds herself struggling as a young single parent with no money and no permanent home. This, in combination with their mother's denial to accept her own heritage and that of her daughters, results in the sisters struggling with their own identity - from a young age it has been drilled into them that appearing less 'black' makes you more desirable, and they grow up without feeling a sense of pride in their racial heritage. Vivien chooses to conform to this view and try to fit in with her fellow students, whilst Olive tries to fight this ideology and remains stubbornly true to herself. This is exemplified when Vivien tells her friendship group that her parents are from Mauritius instead of disclosing her true heritage - the truth is soon revealed, however, when she introduces them to her boisterous and unashamed sister, Olive.

Levy's novel offers a pretty bleak portrayal of the challenges and prejudices faced by immigrants in Britain, but with snippets of hope and humour scattered throughout which offer some respite from the tough content. Trigger warning for this one - scenes of abuse are scattered throughout and there are some moments which are particularly difficult to read featuring the acute ill-treatment and prejudice towards the characters in this novel. In all, another brilliant story and a great addition to my collection of Levy novels!

[Bukola Akinyemi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in London, this is a story of two sisters born to Jamaican immigrants. Although brought up in the same home with the same opportunities, Vivian and Olive turn out differently.

We see Vivian always wanting to fit in even when it comes at a price. Olive on the other hand is more impulsive and headstrong and finds herself facing a different future.

They both have a different experience of living in London. We are told that Olive is a shade darker than Vivian and I can’t help but wonder if this affects their experiences.

This book explores being black in Britain, aiming for a better life while remaining true to yourself and your family.

Themes include class, race, colourism, the school system, marriage and identity.

Each chapter is written from either Vivian or Olive’s point of view. We are introduced to a variety of characters as this story unfolds.

Overall, I think this was an easy read with believable characters.

[Laura Hoffman Brauman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olive and Vivien are two sisters growing up in the 1960’s and 1970’s in London. Their parents immigrated to London from Jamaica and little is discussed with the daughters about life before her parents’ immigration. Never Far From Nowhere is very much a coming of age tale for the two sisters, who although they grow up in the same home, have vastly different experiences (neither of them have it easy). Olive is darker skinned, Vivien is much lighter skinned and can pass for white and this impacts their relationships with friends, the community, and their parents. While the book isn’t as strong as the other Levy novel I have read, I appreciated this exploration of what it meant to be Black and British in the 60’s and 70’s. If you enjoy stories of identity or of complicated family relationships, this would be one to put on your radar. I read this with a book group, and really appreciated the discussion.

[Rebecca Vitalis · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at life growing up on council estates for this family. A look at life after the loss of the patriarch in this household and the knock on effects for the daughters' lives as their strict boundaries fall away. Stifling and suffocating as you feel like the tableau is quite unmoving, the characters feel stuck in their lot in life and any attempt move out of it is judged harshly by their family members- they are labelled a "snob" and accused of having forgotten where they are from. The racial politics are interesting as the readers observe how lighter skin allows you to move differently in English society- if you're more exotic and beautiful than Black, you can hope to fit in and make friends and forever smile at all the microaggression thrown your way. Interesting to see the prevalence of one racial slur at this time, and how a lot of people have very contradictory attitudes to how they perceived Black people versus how they treated them in person.

[Tess · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most "junior" novel of ENGL 458 (Major Authors: Andrea Levy). I read the majority of this in one day and I was absolutely gripped from the middle to the end, I even stayed up until 4:30 AM to finish it. The sisters Olive and Vivien are so captivating. Olive is her own person and fiercely individual, while Vivien does everything in her power to conform, constantly telling self-serving lies about her personal life to whoever she is friends with at the time. Following major themes of Levy's works, there is plenty of exploration of racial issues. I think there are some parallels to Every Light in the House Burnin', too.
I'm unsure if Maria (my professor) was impressed by my discussion questions, but I am prepared to be an active participant on Zoom nonetheless. We'll see what happens in class today if I can stay awake

[Falter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Englische Schullektüre ist auch nicht mehr, was sie mal war. Das Thema "Flüchtlinge in der sounsovielten Generation in England" ging mir von Anfang an auf die Nerven.
Dieser Roman erschöpft sich aber nicht nur im Kulturstress, sondern beschreibt einfach die Doofheit zweier Schwestern, deren Eltern aus Jamaica kommen. Eine hat Pech und kommt aus ihrer Doofheit nicht mehr raus, lebt ein Chancenloses Leben mit Kind und ohne Mann, Job und Chancen. Ihre Schwester hat in ihrer Doofheit Glück, geht aufs Gymnasium weil eine Freundin da auch hin geht und studiert, will aus ihrer Welt raus, aber die Welt der verwöhnten weißen Gören ist auch keine echte Alternative.
Muss man das lesen?
Naja, wem's gefällt. Aber tut es den Schulkindern bitte nicht mehr an! Die lesen nicht gerne Geschichten über Leute, die dümmer als ihre Leser*innen sind, glaubt mir!

[Laila Alodaat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind blowing! Andrea Levy opens a window into 70s England in all its cruelty, aggression and cold reality through the lives of black working class second generation immigrant girls.
How could the lives of two sisters who grew up in the same flat, to the same parents, be so different? and even then, and whatever they do, no matter how hard they fight the stereotype, how lucky they get, how much they try to assimilate into the white suprematist mainstream across classes, they are, at best, never far from nowhere.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such good writing!
The story of two sisters (daughters of Jamaican immigrants) growing up in 1970s London and how differently their lives turn out. One sister has an advantage as her skin is lighter and she can be taken for Spanish or Italian. But is this really an advantage?
The characters and the dialogue are so realistic and you end up feeling sympathy for everyone. Except, perhaps, the mother, who is rather cold hearted, but even that seems to be borne of a necessity to survive. Great and at times shocking story.

[Alison Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another stellar novel by Levy. Two Jamaican British sisters coming of age in the London in the 60’s navigating racism, poverty with wit and poetry. I related to the experiences as a mixed race woman in New England: the constant feeling of being out of place and scrutinized by others, the mother’s desire for her girls to assimilate as much as possible to survive, and the character’s pathos around claiming and defining their own identities. Brava Andrea Levy, sadly I have only one more novel of yours to read, I will drink every word.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have finished the Andrea Levy cannon. It is an interesting book, and a good pre-cursor to The Fruit of the Lemon. Far from her best work, which is Small Island, but it fits her cannon in that she wrote truth about the racism faced by the Windrush Generation and their descendants in Great Britain. Levy wanted her readers to trust her in her telling of anti-black racism in Britain (and also misogynoir), and trusted her story here especially when told by one of the main characters, Olive. It's a worthy book to study and read.

[Ray Wood · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up on this book at about 10% so perhaps I didn’t give it a fair shot. I found the story of Vivien and her various friends very irritating. The characters were unpleasant and the conversation filled with swearing which lost its effect. I loved Levy’s Small Island, Long Song and quite enjoyed Every Light in the House Burning, so expected to enjoy this too. The characters seemed to be born around the same time as me, so I might have been able to relate to the time, but unfortunately not. This book was just not for me.

[Smitha Murthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. An arresting portrayal of a dysfunctional family.

Andrea Levy can be such a compelling Storyteller. The storylines here can be a bit disjointed because it shifts back and forth from the two sisters. It takes a while for you to grow into the different characters.

And when you do, you flinch. Racism. Poverty. Stark despair and crushing reality. I can't say I enjoyed all of the novel, but it was intriguing enough to make me stay and finish.