Providence Pond

Beresford McLean
BookSurge Publishing (2005)
ISBN 0975329715
Reviewed by Shaley Melchior for Reader Views (9/06)

Author Beresford Mclean weaves an inspiring, haunting tale of rural Jamaica during a time when British culture is influencing the native people. Each of the four parts involves the King family throughout the 1880s-1920s.

When we first meet the King family, we are instantly drawn into a deeply entwined tale of adultery, love and loss, greed, and jealousy. The British society in and around the area has threatened the traditional beliefs and culture of the Jamaican peoples, and the reader quickly becomes involved in watching the King family, led by Congo King, adapt to the persecutions and trials of this new, unfamiliar society. 

We also reap the benefits from McLean's childhood in Jamaica - the story has lush descriptions of the wilds of Jamaica, and the reader can truly "see" the events taking place. We can hear the calls of the wild animals, feel the brush of vines and plants against our cheeks and bare feet, and feel our hearts beating as we run alongside the characters through the forests of Jamaica.

There is also an afterword that allows the reader a peek into the issues that surround the King family in Jamaica over the years. I suggest, even if you are not a reader that reads the ending of a book first, that you go ahead and check out this afterword before diving into "Providence Pond," as it provides much valuable information that many readers may feel lost without.

McLean has written a well-rounded, touching book that draws his readers into the lives of this remarkable family, and makes one wish the book was not coming to an end. I enjoyed "Providence Pond" very much, and am looking forward to the next work by Beresford McLean. Chances are, if it is as well-written as "Providence Pond," the next book should be very well done as well.  

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