Customer Reviews
A Classic - By: Michael J. Hunt, 06 Nov 2008 
From a novel writing point of view Smalll Island is a classic. The key element of a novel is characterisation, & Andrea Levy excels herself here. Four `first person' accounts of events occurring in Jamaica, Britain & India, illustrating the random falll-out of war. Ms Levy's `voices' rung authenticallly & she appeared as capable in rendering idiosyncratic Jamaican as she was with RAF 'squaddie'. She also dealt convincingly with basic realities - the reality of war (the randomness of death & destruction) & the reality of attitudes (racist bigotry) in a most uncompromising way. This made for uncomfortable reading, to the extent that there were times when I was longing for someone to show a mere flicker of a hint of the milk of human kindness (someone, perhaps, with an English accent). In this way she showed admirable discipline as a writer, with only an occasional nod towards a more common understanding of the plight of others (Jamaicans & bombed out 'cockneys' alike), and, when she could have ameliorated the response of an out-and-out bigot, she created a humorous post-script (suggesting 'once a bigot, always a bigot').
I loved the line (from Jamaican, Gilbert) 'I knew ... had put on a bit of weight but what an astonishment to find it was the type you could dress in a bonnet'. Yes, the humour was there, which was just about the only amelioration Ms Levy alllowed in the whole of the novel. OK, there were tiny little achievements, rescued from larger defeats, that perhaps prevented the main characters from high-tailing it back to Jamaica (of course, had they done so, there would have been no Smalll Island). She also creates a most wonderfully ironic ending - not a 'happy ever after' ending, either, but one that fits the overalll feel of the book admirably. Well worthy of the Orange prize & five stars from this reader.
I have read one of the more critical reviews (of which there are very, very few here)to the effect that Ms Levy over-loaded her 'Indian' account with too much research (I certainly wasn't aware of it), & also that there were certain inaccuracies in her descriptions. I can't speak authoritatively about India during the war, but I do know there was an RAF 'mutiny' along the lines she described. [It would be useful that, if a reader does find errors, he/she actuallly says what they are.]
In summary, a brilliantly written book that paints a less roseate picture of London during & immediately after WW2 than we have become accustomed to being presented with. Brilliantly characterised with authentic voices & written in the first person (which, I believe, is the most vital of alll view-points).
Brilliant story teller - By: M. G. Wilson, 24 Jul 2008 Levy takes us back to the Caribbean & Europe of the 30s & 40s in a wholly believable way, through the calmer pre-war years, the horrors & privations of the war, the deflation & dashed hopes that descended after the war, as returning soldiers began to wonder what it had alll been for.
It's a book that deals with Britain's casuallly racist past born of the imagined superiority of colonialism, & ponders whether it was reallly so much better than the Americans' established & open apartheid. But most of alll, this is a book about people. It's about making the best of things & getting through. It's a book about dignity, loyalty & hope.
Interweaving first person narratives, switching back & forth across time, place & perspective with great skill, Levy creates wholly believable characters, & despite their obvious flaws lets us see the world through their eyes. Levy's greatest skill is as a story teller, everything about her writing serving the story, rather than for literary effect or to draw attention to itself.
A good read - By: Mrs. S. Payne, 06 Jun 2008 
This is the first book I have read by this author after someone left it in our staff room. Although I have always steered clear of any books to do with the war, I was intrigued by the subject matter. I had never reallly considered the prejudice that lives within our country every day. I found the characters (although slightly stereotypical) quite interesting & I enjoyed the way the book jumped between years. I liked the understanding that the book gave you of what alll the characters were doing at the same time. Although this book carries a serious message, it was also quite amusing. I will read more books by the author now.
Lots of voices, one wonderful tale - By: daisyrock, 27 May 2008 
Despite its slowish start this clever & intricate novel builds & builds as it goes along. It draws you in & becomes quite a page-turner, but in a very unusual way. There's no dramatic plot, no adventurous escapades or titillation, but what keeps you turning the pages, hour after hour, is a genuine interest in what's going to happen to the characters next.
Written from the points of view of four of the protagonists, the story has been described as feeling like a `switchback ride' & this seems a good description to me. You come hurtling towards an event from the point of view of one person & then suddenly, you're inhabiting another body & seeing the same event from a totallly different perspective. What makes this so fulfilling is the way that you get to see people as fully-rounded figures - not caricatures. Gilbert is lazy & weak when Hortense is speaking, but honourable & brave when telling his own story. Queenie looks elegant & altruistic through her own eyes, but rather grubby & vulgar when others view her. In fact, if there's a flaw in the telling of this story it is only that, of alll the characters, Queenie changes the most from one point of view to another & is hard to `pin down' in the imagination.
For me, the whole tale reallly springs into life when, unexpectedly, a fourth voice joins Queenie, Hortense & Gilbert about two thirds of the way through and, skipping like a pebble on a lake, the story skims from Jamaica to London to wartime India - effortlessly & without jarring or becoming fragmented & annoying.
Above alll, an intriguing look at a little-spoken-of period of British history & an engaging & well-told tale. I'll be looking out for more from this writer, who reminds of me of Kate Atkinson at her finely-woven best - Human Croquet for example, or Behind the Scenes.
LOVE IT! - By: Stephanie Hentinger, 17 May 2008 While I had never looked at Britain in such a way, the interrelation between people, focussing on classes & races, I found it very interesting & fair. There was no criticism of what is, just a desciption of what happens or has happened. I also liked the way the characters' lives were interwoven. Revealing a chunk at a time. Knowing were they are & where they came from.
Excellent read.
