Review of Kalayla
Posted: 10 Sep 2021, 08:25
[Following is a volunteer review of "Kalayla" by Jeannie Nicholas.]
Jeannie Nicholas's novel Kalayla is a novel about three different generations of women living in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The novel covers their lives during the years of 1999-2000. We meet Lena, a 72 year old widow who struggles to deal with the decisions made in her past which has resulted in her being estranged from her living sons. Maureen is a young widow who is hiding a big secret about her past while struggling to make a life for herself and her 11 year old daughter Kalayla.
The story begins with Lena noticing Kalayla wandering the streets while her mother Maureen works long hours, and starts worrying about her future should she be left to wander around without intervention. Lena then decides to intervene in the hopes that she can help Kalayla in a way that she could not help her own sons. Over a period of 18 months they come together as friends and we get to experience their struggles and see them rise up from situations that could have left them broken down. This shows us the impact that family, which is not always ours through blood, can have on our lives. We also though Clarence get a glimpse of how a traumatic incident in childhood can impact the live of the adult.
The author uses a first person point of view for each character which makes the book more appealing as it gives each character a voice of their own. Lena comes across as a tough crabby old lady but is later revealed to be a strong woman who also encourages Maureen to find her strength. Maureen is seen as a spineless chatterbox until her big secret is revealed. Kalayla is a smart, sassy child who tends to act before thinking. She learns to consider the consequences of her actions and therefore does a lot of maturing.
My favorite part of the book is the character growth. It is wonderful seeing how the characters grew and developed through difficult circumstances. The book also gives us a very realist view on racism and homophobia. As a mother I truly identified with both Lena and Maureen, we all worry about our children and especially how the decisions that they make today will impact their lives in the future.
I award this book 3 out of 4 stars as I felt that the author should have spent more time explaining the consequences of keeping secrets. In conclusion Kalayla is a well written novel and I do recommend it to mothers everywhere as well as anyone who enjoys family dramas.
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Kalayla
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Jeannie Nicholas's novel Kalayla is a novel about three different generations of women living in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The novel covers their lives during the years of 1999-2000. We meet Lena, a 72 year old widow who struggles to deal with the decisions made in her past which has resulted in her being estranged from her living sons. Maureen is a young widow who is hiding a big secret about her past while struggling to make a life for herself and her 11 year old daughter Kalayla.
The story begins with Lena noticing Kalayla wandering the streets while her mother Maureen works long hours, and starts worrying about her future should she be left to wander around without intervention. Lena then decides to intervene in the hopes that she can help Kalayla in a way that she could not help her own sons. Over a period of 18 months they come together as friends and we get to experience their struggles and see them rise up from situations that could have left them broken down. This shows us the impact that family, which is not always ours through blood, can have on our lives. We also though Clarence get a glimpse of how a traumatic incident in childhood can impact the live of the adult.
The author uses a first person point of view for each character which makes the book more appealing as it gives each character a voice of their own. Lena comes across as a tough crabby old lady but is later revealed to be a strong woman who also encourages Maureen to find her strength. Maureen is seen as a spineless chatterbox until her big secret is revealed. Kalayla is a smart, sassy child who tends to act before thinking. She learns to consider the consequences of her actions and therefore does a lot of maturing.
My favorite part of the book is the character growth. It is wonderful seeing how the characters grew and developed through difficult circumstances. The book also gives us a very realist view on racism and homophobia. As a mother I truly identified with both Lena and Maureen, we all worry about our children and especially how the decisions that they make today will impact their lives in the future.
I award this book 3 out of 4 stars as I felt that the author should have spent more time explaining the consequences of keeping secrets. In conclusion Kalayla is a well written novel and I do recommend it to mothers everywhere as well as anyone who enjoys family dramas.
******
Kalayla
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon