A gripping page-turner that will tug hard on your heartstrings
Robert A. Vella, science fiction author of The Martian Patriarch (2012), has posted a review of my novel, Under the Tamarind Tree, on his blog, The Secular Jurist.
Under the Tamarind Tree by Rosaliene Bacchus is a fictional story centered on a young man in British Guyana from 1950 to the nation’s independence in the late 1960s. The two-decade long tale of his life is highlighted with haunting memories of his childhood, captivating family intrigue exquisitely unwound by the author, and touching marital troubles all told within the context of a culturally diverse country torn by political and ethnic strife. It’s a gripping page-turner that will tug hard on your heartstrings.
The story moves along briskly from scene to scene and is delightfully filled with tactile samplings of Guyanese culture particularly its lifestyles, cuisine, and colloquial speech. Reading it brought the activities, tastes, sounds, and even the climate and geography of the country vividly to my mind. It was almost like being there. This quality of the novel cannot be understated and it is the most essential component of the story.
Continue reading at The Secular Jurist WordPress blog
Dear Reader, my debut novel, Under the Tamarind Tree, is available at Rosaliene’s Store on Lulu.com and other book retailers at Amazon, BAM! Book-A-Million, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository, and Indie Bound.
Learn more about Under the Tamarind Tree at Rosaliene’s writer’s website.
Three Worlds One Vision 
Another Excellent Review. Congrats Ken
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Thanks, Ken! I love it!
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A beautiful book to read.
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Thanks for your continued support, Laleh ❤
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My absolute pleasure dear.❤️
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Wonderful celebration of your work, Rosaliene!
My copy is queued to be soon read.
The other copy will be a gift.
Will certainly make someone happy 🙂
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A big thank you, David, for your support ❤
Your blog posts continue to be an inspiration during these chaotic times.
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Holly cow! You couldn’t pay a reviewer enough to get this kind of rave!
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I know, Dr. Stein! His review is balm for my soul after years of rejection.
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I have put it on my wish list with Amazon – it doesn’t seem to want to give me the Kindle version – I will go back and check later Rosaliene
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Thanks for your support, Kathryn 🙂
One would think that online shopping worldwide would face less difficulties. I would recommend that you check my writer’s website for all other options available for purchasing my book that may work for you in Australia.
http://www.rosalienebacchus.com/writer/UndertheTamarindTree_ANovelbyRosalieneBacchus.html
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I will go there – thanks Rosaliene
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My pleasure, Kathryn 🙂
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Got it! Got it on IBooks – looks good thanks Rosaliene
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Excellent! Much appreciated, Kathryn ❤
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Oh I’m a mad keen reader and being able to high give my authors is still a big novelty to me Rosaliene – so it’s very much my pleasure 😊
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I’m a “mad keen reader” myself 🙂 I also enjoy reading poetry so your poetry collection is on my To Read List.
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Oh thanks Rosaliene I would love you to take a look!
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Another great review. Congratulations. Your book is listed on Fishpond, the Australia/New Zealand equivalent of Amazon. In fact, it’s the only online book dealer besides Powell Bookstore in Portland that hasn’t been bought out by Amazon:
https://www.fishpond.co.nz/q/under+the+tamarind+tree
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Thanks, Dr. Bramhall 🙂
Great news about Fishpond! Appreciate the heads up. I”ll add the link to my novel’s webpage.
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More good reviews! So happy for you. I just ordered my copy of your book. I look forward to reading it. Say, I mentioned Guyana in my post today. ; )
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Thanks so much, Rebecca! Your support is greatly appreciated 🙂
Yes, I noticed that when I read your post this morning: A fascinating topic about why we drive on different sides, right or left, of the road.
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Thanks, Rosaliene. Can’t wait for my book to arrive. And concerning the traffic flow theme I was pleased our child suggested it! : )
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Another great review! I will be picking up this soon. 😊
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Thanks a bunch, Pallavi! I appreciate your support 🙂
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Well done 🙂
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Thanks, da-AL!
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Still journeying through this fascinating novel. (I’m a slow reader.) I like that he picked up on the role of children in this story and the importance of their thoughts and perceptions. That’s crazy about Amazon requiring we spend $50 to post a review.
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JoAnna, I was also happy to see that Vella picked up on the role of children in Tamarind. Children are our future. Yet we adults think not of the impact of our hate, violence, and wars on their young minds.
Amazon can make all kinds of crazy demands: They control the market for books.
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Still, we write…..
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Congratulations! 🙂 I read your post a while back, but I forgot to comment.
Also, I saw your book on Amazon recently and saved it to my wish list. I plan to purchase and read it in the near future, but I have yet to read two other books that I’ve been putting on hold due to my relocation adjustments, so I’ll have to make time to read three books simultaneously. I’ve never really interacted with many authors before, but today I interact with you and another person (who is now my mentor). So, when I read your book and my mentor’s book, I want to read them slower than most other books I read because I’ve interacted with you guys. I’m weird that way – sentimental, actually.
I also love reading about different cultures, different struggles, and different traumas. As a trauma survivor and minority person, I can relate to some (not all) of the struggles that other minorities have, and continue to, face. Anyway, I look forward to reading your book in the future, along with two other books simultaneously.
Once again, congrats! 🙂
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Thanks, GB 🙂 I appreciate your interest in my novel. It’s great to be able to interact with readers and other authors here on WordPress. I’ve been exploring other cultures through the poetry of our minority immigrant communities.
To keep up with my reading–essential as a writer for improving my craft–I read three books at a time: fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Here are the books on my reading table: The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy, Permanent Record by Edward Snowden, and New and Collected Poems by Ian McDonald.
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That’s awesome! I might try that method, too! I love Falkner’s (or Faulkner’s) prose (I read somewhere that they misspelled his name, so he adopted the misspelling of his name, and I keep forgetting which spelling is the correct one these days, LOL). I also like E. A. Poe’s writings.
My list comprises three books now – yours, Evelyn Krieger’s “One is Not a Lonely Number,” and Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” I also plan on revisiting Faulkner’s stuff, since I own that book now.
I like memoirs, poetry, suspense, fantasy, adventure, mysteries, culture, short stories, novels, and books that I never read as a child, such as Mockingbird. I used to hate reading (I’m more of a movie person), but today I’m learning how to read, comprehend, and write better. I love reading now. It gets me to think and explore my creative side in many ways that movies do not.
I’ve never heard of the three books on your list, but they sound interesting! I’m so used to reading one book at a time, or reading textbooks, that I forget what it is like to read for pure enjoyment, even if I’m enlightened, taught, educated, horrified, dissociated, or escaped in the midst. I’m able to escape reality or embrace it, depending on the book. I’m also able to empathize more, since I’m learning about different ways of thinking, being, and feeling through the author’s words.
I’ve studied cultural anthropology for a brief time, but I’ve not yet captured the struggles that indigenous people face today or historically. My thinking is so Westernized and Eurocentric that I forget what it is like in someone else’s shoes. Reading different books helps me to understand the world better. Thank you for your contributions! 🙂
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Movies are entertaining, but they can never provide us with the depth of the subject as books do.
I believe it’s invaluable for our own well-being to get outside of our individual space and connect with others who face even greater challenges than ours. For example, indigenous women in Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest are facing unspeakable acts of violence in their struggle to defend their land against our appetite for beef.
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Rosaliene, I’ve read your novel! I learned so much about Guyana; history, culture, language, food, and the ethnic backgrounds of the country. I felt I was learning deep culture from an expert and that my time reading was a journey. The characters were extremely compelling. The years leading up to independence from Britain are so momentous and full of tension. What a surprise ending and it also seemed right. Thank you for the education and the well crafted story. -Rebecca
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Rebecca, a big thank you for your kind comments! I’m so glad that you found my novel both informative and entertaining.
I just got back after a ten-day break for home renovations. As soon as I catch up, I’ll share your comments on my blog, including a link to your blog, as well as add them to my “Praise for Under the Tamarind Tree” page on my author’s website. I’ll send you the links when done.
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Hope the home renovations went well. What was your project? Thanks, very kind of you about the links.
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My son, an independent contractor, and his team did an excellent job. What stress and chaos! The flooring was weak in several areas throughout our apartment and had worsened over the years to a critical situation. They removed the carpeting, replaced the damaged sheets of rotten wood, and resurfaced with vinyl wood flooring instead of carpeting. Our apartment now looks so much more spacious.
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What luck to have someone with great practical skills in the family! Glad for you that the mess and unsafe floors are over with. I bet it looks very elegant and modern. Great new year’s present to yourselves.
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