Belize: A Novel

by Carlos Ledson Miller

Ramon Kelley is the ambitious manager of the last company to log mahogany in the Belizean rain forest. The story opens on the eve of Hurrican Hatti, then transports the reader across 40 years, from the unrest of colonial British Honduras to the turnbulence of modern Belize. The personal odysseys of Ramon Kelley, Ray Kelley, and Clive Lightburn take them from the teeming streets of Belize City to the impenetrable rain forest, from the far western mountains to the pristine Caribbean cayes. Set on a harsh, exciting landscape, BELIZE is the action-filled saga of a family and a nation searching for their identities.

404 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[dianne b. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining. The author wrote in what seems like an authentic voice, setting up situations in which he could share, over the 35 year span of the story (during which British Honduras became Belize) the history and cultural idiosyncrasies of this tiny country; with all of its beauty, poverty, and vulnerability to the whims of its more powerful neighbors.

I enjoyed the local idioms, i.e. Time longer than rope -
a Belizean way of saying: ‘We shall overcome’.

And then there’s Punta Rock - a Belizean Garifuna calypso:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7EKP...

Geez, i hope i live long enough to travel again.

[Calzean · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book gives some history of Belize and discusses the impact of the British and the country's relationship with Guatemala. It stretches a couple of generations but moves from a slightly interesting story in the first part to a bit of a soap opera based in the Caribbean. A good editor would have helped.

[Jack Hrkach · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this novel in preparation for a short trip to Belize (my first) that I was unable to make because of flu! As a preparation for Belize it's pretty good, as it offers a history of sorts to the country. If I were you I'd read a short actual history, which can be had in a good travel guide (I suggest Rough Guide, wherein I also discovered this novel's existence) so you'll have some perspective before you begin.

As a novel, I liked it...not so much, though it was certainly readable. It follows the life of one man primarily who seems a bit of a superman, rugged individual, attractive to women (even his later chubby state), siring two tall basketball-playing sons, (otherwise very different) by two very different women. There is at least one other woman in his life, but none of the females is filled out as a character. Actually very few of the characters are.

There is x-amount of action, several rather bloody killings, but I think primarily it is an account of the author's own love affair, not with a woman but with Belize itself. At its best the author describes efforts at independence, the danger that Guatemala threatened (still does to a point?), a look back at the time of the Maya empire, etc. Also appealing to me were several descriptions of different parts of the country.

So, read if you're headed to Belize and, like me, are a nerd about filling up on history and fiction about any place one is about to visit. Whetheror not the visit is actually fulfilled!

[Dolf van der Haven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Around-the-world #185: Belize 🇧🇿.
This novel is a fast-paced story which is written like a thriller. The writing is flawed, though. The story is high on testosterone, with every female character just being there to be pretty, cook food and bear children. There are also frequent odd jumps in time in the middle of chapters that lead to confusion. There are lots of events, but no convincing central storyline.
It does paint a vivid picture of life in Belize from the 1960s to the 1990s, though,which made it an enjoyable read.

[Martina Muller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awkward but informative

The author is a bit of an awkward story teller - not doing a good job marking transition of time and place within a chapter - but his characters are well drawn and I learned a lot about Belize reading his book...

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of this book is how it goes in to some detail about the history of Belize. Otherwise the story itself is not well developed and not written that well either. If I hadn’t been in Belize at the time I read it and found some recognition, I probably would be knocking off a star.

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyable from the standpoint of learning some history of Belize (though suspect the history was a loose interpretation), but it needed an editor's eye. Both for developmental editing and copy editing. The story had some decent characters but wrapped up awkwardly, like the final episode of a TV sit-com that "jumped the shark".

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keith said: Interesting read.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this really interesting especially since I was recently in Belize.

[Rhonda Sarantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this novel to learn more about Belize. Not an epic novel but it was a great way for me to become familiar with the history and people of what used to be the British Honduras.