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COMMENTS
KIRKUS DISCOVERIES REVIEWER says of Ti Marie...
She (Belgrave) convincingly depicts a broad palette of social milieus and character types, from slaves to peers of the realm, using them to paint an engrossing portrait of island society in upheaval.
The result is a lush period romance in a troubled tropical paradise
Kirkus Discoveries
HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY:
TI MARIE: FEB: 2008
Romance fans will enjoy the exotic setting and the refreshing prominence of characters of color, as well as the passionate love. The romance does not overwhelm the book, however, and readers of Caribbean or military history will find much to pique their interest. This author loves her setting, and it shows. -- Heather Domin
FOR THE FULL REVIEW check HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY:
http://historicalnovelsociety.org/hnr-online.htm
Love's Tropical Splendor
STANLEY ALGOO, Toronto
Ti Marie is a ripping good read! The romance story of the principals, aristocrat Barry Wingate and the mixed-raced natural patrician, Elena (Ti Marie), is reflected on many levels by the parallel love stories of other family members and the prohibited love among the slaves of the plantation economy. The multi-faceted aspects of human love are captured with searing and dazzling probity, that stun the imagination and leave one in wonder at this compelling element of human bondage. The stories run with the swiftness of a modern cinematic story board, packed with easily digested history and revolutionary political turmoil as backdrop scenes, to the denouement of the lovers need of each other and in opposition of society's values.
The stories unfold against a resplendent tropical background of flora and fauna rendered with a painter's touch and a poet's sensitivity, making one feel that love enfolds the natural landscape and exults in immortelle colours when fulfilled, and darkens to somber melancholy when frustrated by misguided social norms.
By Paulette Reefer. (Trinidad) By Paulette Reefer. (Trinidad)
Ti-Marie is Belgrave’s most critiqued and popular novel. It is a gripping , passionate tale of abundant love interspersed with deep hate and widespread strife. Ti-Marie is the first full-fledged romance produced by a Black Caribbean woman writer. This romance subtly explores a web of Caribbean historical, political, social and psychological issues. The text examines what a humanistic society might be like, in a period in which humanistic values for all peoples were historically at one of its lowest ebbs. A palatable blend of the romance and mimetic genre styles operates in the plot to repeatedly propel the reader both outside and within the romance canon. The reader can look forward to an action packed novel which journeys to some of Trinidad’s most scenic geographical locations.
A. Wilson "avid reader" (Toronto, Canada)
Belgrave's Ti Marie is a well researched, beautifully written, historical romance which gives the reader a great insight into the social culture of plantation society in Trinidad during the 18th Century. The book's truth to historical facts in no way diminishes the flow of the language and the development of the characters which together make for an enjoyable read.
The book gives valuable insights into many of the characteristics of Trinidad today. Issues such as race, colour and class still permeate the daily lives of Trinidadians and as such it is a useful tool in any in depth social study of today's Post-Colonial Caribbean society.
Stephanie Shonekan (Chicago, IL)
Ti Marie is one of the best ways of tracing and understanding the unique history of Trinidad and the Caribbean. Belgrave achieves this feat by weaving a gentle tale of love and loss against the backdrop of a powerful historical story. This novel is "un-put-down-able". From the first page of Ti Marie, one is drawn into the lives of the characters, each with his or her own unique strengths and challenges in a society that is changing and difficult. The reader is offered an opportunity to empathize with the varied backgrounds, struggles, and triumphs of Elena, Barry, Fist and Tessa, among others.
Belgrave does not set out to comment on race, class, or power but the reader who is sensitive to these concepts in the colonial history of the Black World will find these concepts deeply embedded in the beautiful story of Ti Marie. Scholars of history, political science, Caribbean Studies, literature, and humanities will find this book very valuable. The extensive Afterword in this new edition is priceless and gives readers access to Belgrave's intentions and her process of writing this book.
Janet Duncan (Manhattan, KS USA)
Elena must face the loss of her island idyll because of the social and political upheaval of the times. In not-always-typical romance style, Barry Wingate steps into her world as an idol of an altogether other sort. The intelligent and quick attraction between them spins problems deeper than those of obvious political and territorial conquest, including the prejudice of the times and inevitable use of plantation slavery.
I found this a page-turner book, both for the romance and for the historical action, so intense at that time all over the world (British Colonialism.) The characters are very real men and women who have the courage to act on the idealism which overtakes them during these stirring times.
This is a book to read and enjoy on several levels - as an inspiring interracial romance with two strong protagonists, one fraught with as many difficulties as one would hope to find today; as the history of the birth of the first British Crown Colony in the Caribbean; to realize the short extent of true slavery as an economic reality in Trinidad; and to see the depth of what can be done within the Romance Genre.
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