unputdownable - though a little unreal in parts

books:

	• Cereus Blooms at Night Shani Mootoo Press Gang Publishers, 1996 - 249 pages average customer review:based on 14 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

A magical and evocative book

I think I must have read this book about 3 times and each time it weaves a magical web in my mind that takes days to clear. Ms Mootoo manages to take the minutae of life in a time gone by and make them real. Perhaps the book resonates with my own past a bit or perhaps it is just one hell of a well written book. I suspect it both.

Books are, obviously, a matter of personal taste and I know people ( who I bought copies for) who hate this book. I take issue with the reviewer who compares it to The Color Purple though. As far as I know the human condition is sadly limited to a few experiences. One might as well say that any book that writes about falling in and out of love is plagiarizing another. I suspect the only problem with Cereus is that it is such an intimate book..written from such a particular perspective about a particular place that it may not resound with all readers.

One of my friends in Trinidad who grew up in great poverty says that the book takes him back to his childhood and the little comfort corner in his mother's shed - I couldn;t put it better.

I woul also suggest getting her book of poetry..well worth it.

As an Irish born, half-Trinidadian Canadian I love this book....I hope that one day I will have the pleasure of meeting the author.

for more information click here

beautiful

This is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful books I have read. The plot is original (although it did remind me a bit of the film Nell) and rich. I smelt and saw and felt everything Shani Mootoo described in this book. It is a magical book.
The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five is because some of the plot is a bit confusing at times. Eventually I got used to it and knew what to expect. So if you experience this keep reading and everything will clear itself up.

I recommend this book to everyone who wants to experience beauty and magic and love. I know I'll re-read this book many times!

for more information click here

for more information click here

A Soul With Butterfly Wings

This book was one of the few out of the many that I've read that is truly charming and exquisite. Mootoo's bravery and unabashed honesty were among just a few of the admirable qualities of this book. I had trouble putting it down at night, even when I had to be up in a few short hours. The characters are crystal-clear and the environment she paints is inspiring to anyone who wishes to write a novel someday. While the book had its heart wrenching moments, it was also full of triumph. Mala Ramchandin (the main character)has a story so rich in detail that you will feel the struggle every step of the way. This novel shines light on every facet of human emotion and it comes highly recommended!

for more information click here

unputdownable - though a little unreal in parts

Cereus Blooms was fascinating in how it brought alive life in a little Caribbean town. The portrayals of Chandin , Mala and Lavinia were so real I feel I know them in person.
The anguish a young child would feel at being abandoned by her mother - as she eloped with her FEMALE lover - can bring tears to the eyes.
I would strongly recommend this book.
I just though on the negative side - that all possible sexual orientations come to life around one little girl. Its a bit much to digest that the mother is a lesbian and so is the father's first love - and the two elope. The father is an incestuous demon, the nurse is gay and transvestite, the boyfriend's son is also gay. Hmm.......not too many normal people in this book.
But no sweat - it adds to the colour and pace !

for more information click here

a book with memorable images

My English professor assigned this novel for class during my freshman year of college. Although I started it grudgingly, I eventually fell in love with the world Shani Mootoo created for this novel. I'm sorry to say that I've forgotten much of the plot and a few of the characters too, but the sights and smells of that beautiful place stick with me even today. Even as I sat at my desk reading this book, I felt as if I'd lived a lifetime on that island. 'Cereus Blooms at Night' is a great story and well worth picking up.

And for any anime fans reading this- I'll never forget watching "Wolf's Rain" and immediately identifying the lunar flowers as night-blooming cereus--something I knew only because I'd read this novel a year before I watched the series.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

When Mala, old and notoriously crazy, arrives at the Paradise Alms House, she is placed in the tender care of Tyler, a gay male nurse, and an extraordinary relationship begins to develop.

hot