What do you think?
Rate this book
Mango Samba
As the novel opens, Kate Carrington, a pediatric nurse and wife of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore City, is leaning over the deck of the SS Tropical Sea, contemplating suicide. Deciding that the Caribbean Sea was too beautiful a place in which to die, she leaves the ship and walks boldly into a new world.
Kate leaves behind everything she holds dear, to live in a place that she knows nothing about and where the people rival the fauna for color and improbability. She falls in love with a dreadlocked fisherman who moonlights as a revolutionary, gives birth to a son and learns the ways of the island from Popo, his formidable grandmother.
The island erupts in violence caused by a corrupt dictatorship. A bloody revolt ensues, followed by an invasion of U.S. troops. Kate Carrington, who changes her name to Abigail Fisherman, finds authenticity and a cause worth fighting for. Her common-law husband, Breed Le Grande, is captured by the Americans and drops out of sight.
Back in Baltimore, Dr Colin Carrington, Kate's husband who had paid a hired gun to have Kate killed on the cruise ship, believes she is dead. Baltimore and Windward have one thing in they share the headlines for murder and mayhem.
Colin and Kate run into each other on the island after six years of separation. Much has transpired in their lives. He is on his third honeymoon and she is on her way to pick up medical supplies for her village clinic.
Just when they both thought that they had survived the worst that life could offer, they are forced to rethink.
Kate leaves behind everything she holds dear, to live in a place that she knows nothing about and where the people rival the fauna for color and improbability. She falls in love with a dreadlocked fisherman who moonlights as a revolutionary, gives birth to a son and learns the ways of the island from Popo, his formidable grandmother.
The island erupts in violence caused by a corrupt dictatorship. A bloody revolt ensues, followed by an invasion of U.S. troops. Kate Carrington, who changes her name to Abigail Fisherman, finds authenticity and a cause worth fighting for. Her common-law husband, Breed Le Grande, is captured by the Americans and drops out of sight.
Back in Baltimore, Dr Colin Carrington, Kate's husband who had paid a hired gun to have Kate killed on the cruise ship, believes she is dead. Baltimore and Windward have one thing in they share the headlines for murder and mayhem.
Colin and Kate run into each other on the island after six years of separation. Much has transpired in their lives. He is on his third honeymoon and she is on her way to pick up medical supplies for her village clinic.
Just when they both thought that they had survived the worst that life could offer, they are forced to rethink.
300 pages, Hardcover
Published December 12, 2019
3 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Dawne Allette
10 booksDAWNE ALLETTE's children's books are noted for their inspiration, lyricism and humor. She is a journalist for the Baltimore Times newspaper.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 25, 2021
Fun and interesting (and bad and interesting) characters. Good multiple thread story line. What I liked best were Ms Allette's description of place. Baltimore was good but the island was fantastic. The lushness, heat and humidity, composition of the soil, etc was outstanding. I know it's a cliche, but I could definitely picture myself there.
August 10, 2020
A thoroughly captivating novel! An awesome love story -- but love embodies a wide range of emotions (including hate, revenge, politics, liberation ... plus more) and Mango Samba captures them all. This book is loaded with references to factual events, folklore, fable, food, frolic and ample comical nourishment at the village rum shop. The chapters transition smoothly between Baltimore (USA) and Windward (Caribbean) so you experience a dual adventure with drama, intrigue and obstacles that defines the story. I can see this becoming an awesome movie. I digested Mango Samba within 24 hours, because it kept me fully immersed and wanting more. I'm still salivating, so I hope Dawne A. Allellte is formulation another concoction for us.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews