Review by 1femi1 -- Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas

[Taiwo_Olawoye]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Kalayla" by Jeannie Nicholas.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas is a very interesting book to read. It captures three generations of women living at the time in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Lena was a 72 years old woman in 1999-2000. She continues to bear the guilt of poor training that she gave to her children when they were growing up. She was first bedevilled by her unhappy marriage to her husband, her wayward sons, two of which died in the Vietnam war as American soldiers. She had grown to be a lonely, unhappy woman when she met Maureen, a young widow and her 11 years old daughter Kalayla. Maureen was an Irish woman married to a black man, which probably led to her being rejected after the death of her husband. She is now entirely on her own, struggling to take care of her daughter by working long hours while Kalayla lough around in the street.

Kalayla being a charming young girl, make Lena take an interest in her. She was further encouraged not to allow Kalayla on her own when she remembered the mistakes she made with her husband when her boys were growing up. Lena wants to help shape the life of Kalayla while something can still be done for her. This brings the three women together, and they bond like a family over the space of a year and a half.

The storyline was properly developed and superbly written. I can imagine the voice of the characters as they express themselves to me in the book. The author does a very good job of bringing the characters together in this beautifully written book. It is a book that can be read and enjoyed by all categories of readers.

What I like about the book is that it capture the problem of racism in our world, which is still very potent in our world today despite various anti-racism charter and campaign. The book equally addresses family feuds that takes place when you marry into a perceived enemy nation or tribe. Maureen suffers all this injustice with a made-up mind, never complaining about her problems. I love equally the character of Kalayla, a typical 11-year-old and the innocence of a child despite her bold and forward going personality. The book equally speaks on the trials of mothers—their fear, hope and expectation for their children even when the men are carefree and frivolous.

I cannot think of a thing that is wrong in the book. No profanity, simple style, easy to read and understand, professionally edited, all is perfect with this book, so I am happy to score Kalayla 4 out of 4 stars. I can confidently recommend this book to everyone that love family books to read. It can be shared by all members of the family, particularly families with growing kids.

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Kalayla
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[markodim721]

I like that the author chose three generations of women to tell the story. Thanks for the good review.

[Ivvie Ivanova]

I really enjoyed this book! I like how different the characters are given that they are from three different generations. I loved how they each had something to contribute to each other's lives despite their differences. I love that there are good books about women and their trials because there should be such books and there should be a lot more of them on the market.

[Neshboy Aburi]

I finished reading this book a while ago and I liked it too. You have certainly done a great job in its review too. I share your assessment of the same. Cograts

[the_bibliofile]

Three different generations and the older generation trying not to repeat their mistakes. Plus it also focuses on the issue of racism. Seems like an interesting book. Thank you for your review!

[lily_kh87]

Great review. I love reading reviews for the same novels I reviewed before. I think we both share the same opinions. I enjoyed this novel alot.

[Manas Ranjan Mishra]

Thanks for the feedback. I also have finished this book recently, and I agree with you. Kalayla is, indeed a nice book for every avid reader.

[Valeria Riveraa]

I absolutely enjoy reading this book. The characters in this book are on point. My favorite character, is of course, Kalayla herself. I love her sarcastic response. It always seems like she has a reply for everything. Thank for the review.

[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

I found the author's writing style very unique since she uses three people -Kalayla, Maureen, and Lena who dispense the story in a third-person style. And I enjoyed these characters in the book. Your review is wonderful!

[Anastasia Baglay]

Thank you for your honest review! Though it is not my cup of tea, I know to whom I might recommend this book.