Review of Kalayla

[Adrian Rondon Salazar]

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

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3 out of 4 stars

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Jeannie Nicholas with Kalayla invites us to learn about the lives of three feminine characters, where the pain of having lost a loved one is the factor that they have in common. Lena, the old lady, lived the worst years of her life in a miserable marriage, which even after being widowed continues to haunt her with memories. Maureen, abandoned by her family for marrying a black man, sees her world fall apart when her husband dies. And finally, Kalayla, Maureen's daughter, a brave girl who walks through life with the streets of her city as her living room.

This book gives us the three points of view, making known their experiences trying to deal with issues like racial discrimination, violence, the negative influence of the family and social pressure; and how even with guilt, pain and shame, you can get ahead. We might think that the contrast between the characters was abrupt, however, the author manages to unify them perfectly.

The star of the book is Kalayla, her chapters were what I loved the most. The lack of censorship with which she expressed herself it drove the other characters crazy, while I, on the other side, laughed out loud. A lot of pain surrounded her, but she acted without a hint of malice and with genuine sincerity, offering the reader warmth and spontaneity. She was by far the most elaborate character, developed in the present and very little through memories, which allowed me to follow her daily routine in greater detail.

The other two main characters, unlike Kalayla, lacked shadows and colors. The author fails to provide us with ground to comprehend them. In the parts of the book where their experiences are narrated, she chooses to summarize these facts in a couple of paragraphs, wasting many opportunities to offer depth to sadly give us a flat reading on many occasions. Some issues, like the story of Lena's children and Maureen's family, are fully unexplored. No supporting characters are notorious in the story, some being practically only names.

I did not find any errors in the writing. I rate it 3 out of 4 stars, exclusively relying on the problems I had with the story of Lena and Maureen to subtract one star. However, I must make it clear that it is a very warm, inspiring reading that causes the reader a smile on more than one occasion. I recommend it to any reader who is looking for a reading that provides that.

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Kalayla
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[Janet Kimetto]

I, too, read Kalayla and loved it. I see where you're coming from, though, with wanting to know more about Maureen and Lena's families. Thank you for your review. I enjoyed reading it!

[markodim721]

It is fantastic that the story is told through the characters of women from three different generations.

[Urvashi Tripathi]

I know this book is popular and I'm happy after reading your honest review. I hate reading characters having terrible past or had lost loved ones, but I always picks up books which gives me emotional rollercoaster ride. So definitely I will read this novel too. I'm excited to read about Kalayla's strong character. Thank you for the amazing review.

[Adrian Rondon Salazar]

I, too, read Kalayla and loved it. I see where you're coming from, though, with wanting to know more about Maureen and Lena's families. Thank you for your review. I enjoyed reading it!

Exactly. Lena's family and Maureen's family were very little explored. Perhaps the author wanted to focus on those characters, but it turned out to be a problem.

[Adrian Rondon Salazar]

It is fantastic that the story is told through the characters of women from three different generations.

Yes, it is definitely one of the greatest attractions of the book.

[Adrian Rondon Salazar]

I know this book is popular and I'm happy after reading your honest review. I hate reading characters having terrible past or had lost loved ones, but I always picks up books which gives me emotional rollercoaster ride. So definitely I will read this novel too. I'm excited to read about Kalayla's strong character. Thank you for the amazing review.

Yes, the stories with deaths and tragedies all over the place are a bit annoying at times. However, in this book they do not matter; it is a very warm story. I hope you have read it.

[Nweze Raalchukwu1]

This is a wonderfully written review to describe the book.