Madeleine Carr

This book didn't live up to its promise, though it had some good moments. I'm giving it three stars because of the history lesson I got about Haiti and its society (grand blanc, petit blanc, gens and femme de couleur, Maroons, cocottes) as well as learning that there were two Haitis: French Saint-Domingue and Spanish Santo Domingo. I also learned something about voodoo symbols and ceremonies. For all this, it was worth reading.

However, for the story, I can't say the same. It started out really good, but lost momentum along the way and never regained it. There wasn't enough time devoted to the H and h, Judson Talbot and Genny Pierre-Rochet. Without going into all the details, she's kidnapped from her Georgia home and taken aboard ship to Saint-Domingue, set up by Simone Bourget (her uncle's vengeful ex-mistress) to be thought a prostitute, raped by Captain Justin Talbot, who was too drunk to listen to her explanation, then taken back to Simone's salon, where Justin decides he wants her for himself (and wants to make it up to her for what he did). Genny, naturally, wants nothing to do with him, but soon finds herself in worse straits when the evil Comte d'Villiers wants her for himself, and soon she's been raped again. She's later rescued by Justin, but runs away from him, and winds up staying with some friends of his, while he loses his ship because of the Comte, who wants him arrested. The next time they're together is at yet another friend's house, after she was hiding with the Maroons after a slave uprising and was nearly killed by a feared witch doctor sent by Simone. By this time, her fiance, Seth, has discovered her whereabouts and she suddenly discovers it's Judson she loves. They make love, but are soon separated again, when the Comte has him arrested and Genny offers him her body in exchange for dropping the charges against Judson. He accepts her offer but insists it include marriage as well. It goes on like this, with G and J having hardly any time together, and too much time with other people. So it's difficult to believe they truly love each other, in spite of their childhood connection, which I won't go into here.

Not to mention that the diabolical Simone (who you at first feel a bit sorry for but you soon change your mind) just doesn't go away, too much of a bad penny. Her history with Genny's uncle made for a good read, but the rest of her story was way over the top. Genny's maid, Maria, a former African princess, was a character I'd like to have seen more of. And I could have done with less of those endless trekking through the jungle scenes.

All in all: the history of Haiti is fascinating, but you can always learn it in a history book.… (mais)