#ReadAroundTheWorld. #Guyana

The second story in the Quint Chronicles series, by Guyanese born author Sharon Maas, this book is set in 1912 in what was then British Guiana.

It continues the story of sugar princesses Winnie and Yoyo Cox. Their father has gone to jail, Winnie is about to marry the love of her life, black postman George Quint, and Yoyo is ambitiously taking over the running of the sugar plantation. Winnie is bravely trying to adjust to life as the only white woman in Albouystown, and her disappointment at not being embraced and accepted. Yoyo’s ambitions also run to producing sons and heirs, but when this fails to happen, she becomes jealous of Winnie and her growing brood, and maliciously attempts to ensnare George. OK so I have to go there: the sex. While I’m glad to see that a woman can be portrayed as the aggressor, and not always the victim, why is it when men err, it’s always blamed on the alcohol (which they willingly consumed) and of course they couldn’t help that their penis just ran away with them?

This story is about love and betrayal, jealousy and bigotry, and how Winnie and George try to face all of this. I love the setting of these books, the historical background, and the insight into the racial tensions of the time. George educates Winnie about the difference between the British treatment of the Blacks and Indians, based purely on a belief in racial superiority, and their reciprocal suspicion towards the English, based more on previous harsh experiences. The thing I found hard about this book was the irritating naivety of Winnie and her gushingly cheerful brand of goodness, in stark contrast to the almost maniacal evil of Yoyo’s selfishness. When I was young I enjoyed these kinds of stories when the differentiation between heroes and the villains was sharply demarcated. Now that I’m older I prefer a little subtly, the more flawed brand of perfection and the more complex and layered villain that is reality. ( )