No Crystal Stair: A Novel

by Mairuth Sarsfield

Follows the life of Marion Willow, a Black widow in Quebec during the 1940s, who attempts to raise her three daughters with dignity despite the limitations placed on her due to segregation

Genres: Canada, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Canadian Literature

247 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Ruthie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a great story to be told here, sadly this is not the author/book to tell it.
The lives of the Black people living in Montreal in the late 30's-early 40's is fairly unexplored. Where did they come from, when and why Montreal? - truly interesting questions, and surely many intriguing stories exist.

Sarsfield is not a writer, she is more like a historian, and that is how the book read. It felt like she had a list of every fact of history, every issue faced by Black Montrealers (and some Americans), every job they may have held etc. The list does not blend with the story so the "facts" come off as footnotes or items to be ticked off. Names are dropped - of streets, clubs, restaurants, famous Black entertainers of the time, fashion items of the time, foods of the community, foodsof the era, it just goes on and on.

Dialogue is awkward and stilted, characters speak lines of poetry - seriously! The characters rarely feel real, the all seem to come from another check-list: determined uptight mother, seductive other woman with a heart of gold, fiery preacher, wise older women, conflicted White man who is attracted to the Black woman who also plays bagpipes, it just goes on and on.
The Author dwells on insignificant scenes for pages, and then drops plot bombshells in randomly, with little explanation, they just don't make sense!
This book needed an editor - any editor, because it is just a let down to the people whose story deserves to be told - and told well! Waste of trees!

[Sheida Mousavi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh meh meh, informative - yes. Needed- yes. Well researched- yes. An engaging story with proper developed characters and easy to follow plot- no. Sarsfield is writing a historical fiction but the book itself is oversaturated

[Ai Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I want to say upfront that I read this book mostly because somehow it ended up on my gay reads book list? And uh not to spoil anything, but I did not read any relationships that could be construed as gay, I don't think, unless you're counting the fact that Langston Hughes appears as like a Very Background Character? So if you, like me, had it up on one of those types of lists, uh... not that I could see.

That being said, this is one of those cases where I really really felt like knowing more about Canada in general and Quebec/Montreal in particular would have been helpful? I feel like I've read a lot of reviews where people are like "this is a gross misrepresentation of Black life in Montreal!" and I couldn't tell you if that was true or not. In a lot of ways, it feels like a book that is much older than it is--it was published in 1997, but there's some Baldwin-like aesthetic that Sarsfield really hits on, or maybe the like old melodramas (I'm thinking specifically of Imitation of Life, I think?) I literally flipped to the front matter to see when this book was published like 8 times over the course of reading the book.

But overall, I would say it wasn't a bad book--if that melodrama aesthetic was what Sarsfield was aiming for, I'd say she hit it out of the park in a major way! And if that kind of aesthetic is your thing, you probably really should check out this book! For the rest of us I'd say reading it is not the most necessary thing in the world, but it's not terrible either!

[Hali S · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT
It was ok. the writing was choppy and the characters were underdeveloped.
I have to complain about one thing, I was really annoyed that Marushka returned to Otis. His behavior was unacceptable and dealing with racial discrimination is no excuse. They were infatuated but the relationship was unhealthy. She confused shared trauma with compatibility, and it sends the message that abuse should be condoned because of outward struggles. The community planning their wedding was, to me, just “making poop look pretty”.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

... Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on, ...
(Langston Hughes, Mother to Son)

A brief glimpse into racial and gender inequality of 1940s Canada, told through the story of a widow and her daughters.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a kick form reading about Montreal's iconic locations like Rockheads Paradise ( no longer), Bens restaurant (closed) and the Westmount YMCA (still going strong !). The story is interesting but the telling is a little plodding. A valuable portrait of life in the 40's for Montreal's Black community.

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

No Crystal Stair by Mairuth Sarsfield is the Canada reads selection for 2005 in non-fiction and an interesting story by an African Canadian. Her story is familiar in terms of her efforts to work hard, be honest, raise her daughters properly, and be a part of her community. But, racism exits as much in Montreal, Canada during WWII as in the United States. Life is not easy or fair.

[Marjorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters in this story are varied and interesting. The widow, Marion is raising 2 daughters and takes on a girl who has been orphaned. In spite of the hardships suffered because of being anything but white the characters find joy and friendship among their varied neighbors. There were parts I felt that were far fetched but still those episodes helped make a good story.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for all its cultural and literary references. I am a little bit biased as it represented my culture (Ghana), but it also made reference to historical issues, of which some of us may not have an awareness.

[Maud Bouter · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 - for class, pretty good

[Ari · Rating 2 out of 5]

This reads like a history book that the author wanted to insert characters into. Admirable on its premise and for its historical meaning but the execution was not good.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in a black community in Quebec during the 1940s, this is a story of a courageous woman making her way in a world that does not recognize her diversity or culture. Marion Willow, widowed with three girls, works two jobs to provide for them. Upright and self-sufficient, she is determined that her children will grow up to be dignified and educated despite the difficulties of being black. Marion is surrounded by a supportive community, including Edmond Thompson, a longtime friend of her deceased husband who is trained as a chemist but works as a railroad porter because of segregation. Young Otis, Edmond's nephew, also finds himself faced with limited opportunities because of class and color. He and his co-worker from the states ease their pain by frequenting the jazz clubs that feature many Harlem artists.

Unfortunately I felt that the characters were not as fleshed out as they could have been and in some ways I felt like I would have preferred to read an essay on the history of black Montreall at the time.

Having said that, it wasn't a bad read and there were interesting historical bits (especially the jazz related stuff). The girls were unfortunately a bit unbeleivable but some others in my bookclub disagreed with me on this and they loved it (we were split in the club on this book).

[Three O'Clock Press]

No Crystal Stair is an absorbing novel that explores an increasingly difficult contemporary reality: functioning as though White while surviving as Black. Marion Willow, a proud young widow, must work at two jobs to ensure that her three girls develop lifestyles not hindered by class and colour. The bittersweet experience of Marion's elegant American expatriate neighbour, Torrie Delacourt, could help the girls survive Canada's subtle racism, which, though not legislated, wounds and herns them in. But the women's rivalry for the love of Edmund Thompson, a handsome railway porter, pits them against one another. With humour and sensitivity, No Crystal Stair reveals both the conflict and the human heart of the proud, tightly knit Black community of the Little Burgundy district of Quebec in the mid-forties. It recaptures the days when Montreal was a cosmopolitan hub. It was a city inhabited by jazz musicians, cafe society, artists, gangsters - those whose world revolved around Rockhead's Paradise - and others who clung to the community church at the end of prohibition, the depression and the anxious years of World War II.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marion Willow is a widow with three daughters living in Montreal during World War II. She is part of the black community and works two jobs to give her daughters a home and an education. The struggle to keep a job, maintain certain standards, and to cope with subtle racism is a challenge. Some of the individuals faced a further challenge of working as a white person while living in a black community. Increased popularity of the jazz music during the 1940’s played an important part in the culture. It was a fairly quick read and an interesting slice of history.

[Joelle Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars, really. I enjoyed this, but I think it was more the visit to 1942 Montreal that intrigued me. There wasn't much of a story, but the characters were pretty interesting and well done. Sometimes the writing was really good and other times I had to re-read to figure out what the heck was going on. Sometimes I never did figure it out. I'm really glad I read it though, and blew through it.

[Rob & Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subtle racism which existed in Canada in the years of WWII(And still continue today in different forms). Marion is a strong widow who tries to give her children the upbringing that they will need to suceed in this society. She has to acknowledge the help of Torrie ,a woman who is her rival for the attention of Edmond Thompson.
Liz

[Shar Wallis · Rating 2 out of 5]

A black perspective of Montreal during the 30s & WWII.

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Set in Montreal In the early forties it brings to life the racism practised in Canada as opposed to the US and the rich culture of the Jazz era

[Marnie Wellar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13614213

[Hikmat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well written novel describing the history of Montreal through a Black lens. 3 sisters and their mother's struggles.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clumsily written, and unfortunately lacking in plot and character development.