Haunting, beautiful book

I’ve been working through Jane Harris’s novels and this is as good as the other two I’ve read. Loved it, beautifully written and narrated. James Goode is just the perfect voice for the narrator, Lucien, and the other characters whose speech he voices.

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1 person found this helpful

Loved this book!

This was such an interesting listen . The story was not predictable and was brilliantly narrated

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Interesting story, average narration.

This novel is based, I believe, on a true story and it certainly was an interesting storyline. The plot covered a variety of themes- the cruelty and horror of slavery; the competition between nations for profit from sugar cane; the perfidy and hypocrisy of the Church in relation to slavery and the money they made from it; plus betrayal and how risky it was for any slave even to contemplate escape, let alone actually help fellow slaves to accompany you during an escape attempt.

Two brothers are given a seemingly impossible task by the religious community that enslaves them - to sail from Martinique to Grenada and rescue over forty slaves (that the Church believes they own) then sail back again to Martinique. Their payment? The possibility of finding a long-lost love. The means by which they can prove ownership of the contested slaves ? An ownership document which may or may not be genuine.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, despite it being a bit slow-going at times. But the style of narration really spoiled the experience for me - the Caribbean accent was lovely but there was not enough expression in the voice for me.

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Well worth an credit!

Jane Harris what a book, it makes my heartache listening as you describe the lives of the slaves and your use of language makes the book authentic and adds interest.

The narrator is a gifted, he brings the book alive and his accents of all nationalities are more than believable and his emotion as he reads reminds us all of the evilness of slavery.

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2 people found this helpful

A slow start, but quickly becomes un-put-downable

I had a little trouble getting into Sugar Money for the first few chapters, but couldn’t stop listening once the story gets going. It’s definitely worth a listen for anyone with an interest in colonial or post-colonial literature or the slave trade.

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Amazing Naration

As a huge fan of Jane Harris I was a tad disappointed with the end bit. I think maybe I shall read the book to see if I can get a different perspective. The Narration was just superb I think I was mesmerized by listening to the story rather than fully understanding the plot.

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4 people found this helpful

Excellent Performance

Quite slow in parts. The ending was quite abrupt and left lots of loose ends.
Narration was excellent

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2 people found this helpful

Brilliant!

Once again, the marvellous James Goode, adds so much to this sad, gripping, sometimes humourous story. Jane Harris transports us to the misery and uncertainty of life for so many people. She shows us just a little glimpse of the terrible unhumamity of that history, that period, that region. Fascinating. and so beautifully written. James Goode, conjuring up characters in the most authentic voices, takes this excellent story to another level.

Loves the story, love the performance.

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