Small Island: A NovelWinner of the 2004 Orange Prize for Fiction A Picador Original Trade Paperback Hortense Joseph arrives in London from Jamaica in 1948 with her life in her suitcase, her heart broken, her resolve intact. Her husband, Gilbert Joseph, returns from the war expecting to be received as a hero, but finds his status as a black man in Britain to be second class. His white landlady, Queenie, raised as a farmer's daughter, befriends Gilbert, and later Hortense, with innocence and courage, until the unexpected arrival of her husband, Bernard, who returns from combat with issues of his own to resolve. Told in these four voices, Small Island is a courageous novel of tender emotion and sparkling wit, of crossings taken and passages lost, of shattering compassion and of reckless optimism in the face of insurmountable barriers---in short, an encapsulation of that most American of experiences: the immigrant's life. Born in 1956 to Jamaican parents, Andrea Levy is the author of three previous novels and has received a British Arts Council Writers Award in addition to the Orange Prize and Whitbread distinctions. She lives and works in London. |
Contents
Prologue | 1 |
One | 9 |
Two | 18 |
Three | 31 |
Four | 50 |
Five | 67 |
Six | 71 |
Seven | 80 |
Thirtyone | 264 |
Thirtytwo | 268 |
Thirtythree | 272 |
Thirtyfour | 278 |
Thirtyfive | 281 |
Thirtysix | 289 |
Thirtyseven | 298 |
Thirtyeight | 303 |
Eight | 88 |
Nine | 93 |
Ten | 100 |
Eleven | 105 |
Twelve | 112 |
Thirteen | 120 |
Fourteen | 124 |
Fifteen | 137 |
Sixteen | 144 |
Seventeen | 151 |
Eighteen | 161 |
Nineteen | 175 |
Twenty | 181 |
Twentyone | 183 |
Twentytwo | 186 |
Twentythree | 195 |
Twentyfour | 206 |
Twentyfive | 215 |
Twentysix | 218 |
Twentyseven | 230 |
Twentyeight | 237 |
Twentynine | 248 |
Thirty | 257 |
Thirtynine | 308 |
Forty | 313 |
Fortyone | 320 |
Fortytwo | 324 |
Fortythree | 329 |
Fortyfour | 335 |
Fortyfive | 342 |
Fortysix | 349 |
Fortyseven | 356 |
Fortyeight | 362 |
Fortynine | 364 |
Fifty | 371 |
Fiftyone | 378 |
Fiftytwo | 387 |
Fiftythree | 394 |
Fiftyfour | 401 |
Fiftyfive | 407 |
Fiftysix | 413 |
Fiftyseven | 420 |
Fiftyeight | 424 |
Fiftynine | 433 |
Acknowledgements | 440 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Airman Andrea Levy arms Arthur asked Auntie Dorothy baby basha Bernard Bligh blinking bloody breath British called Celia chaps cheek Chesterfield cigarettes coloured coolies Daily Gleaner darkie door dress Earls Court Elwood England English eyes face Father feet finger Flight Sergeant floor front Gilbert Joseph girl gone grabbed hair hand head hear heard Hortense husband Jamaica knew laughed legs lifted Limey lips looked Maxi Michael Roberts Miss mother mouth move mummy never Nevern nigger once Paul Robeson pawpaw pulled pushed Queenie realised round Ryder Sergeant Shirley Temple shouted skin smile someone soon stairs staring stood stopped street sure talking teeth tell thing thought told took turned waiting walked watch whispered window Winston woman words yelled