Review of Kalayla

[Sumto Nii]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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The story in the book, Kalayla, is centered primarily around an eleven-year-old girl named Kalayla and her mum, Maureen. Kalayla's mom was disowned by her parents because she insisted on marrying a black man. She could not bring herself to tell Kalayla this hard truth when the young Kalayla asks to know her grandparents. Unfortunately, Maureen lost her husband in an accident. After some period of mourning, she decided to move on with her life. She moves into a property owned by Lena. Coincidentally, Lena is a woman in her seventies who has had her fair share of sad tales. She lost her twins and her two surviving sons don't care about seeing her or hearing from her. Lena observed the young Kalayla walking up and down the neighbourhood. She fears that if care is not taken, Kalayla might end up taking the same path her twins took. Her twins were wayward and truant. The shocking part is that their father encouraged them in this deviant lifestyle. The lifestyle ultimately led to their death. She moves to help and save Kalayla. Kalayla has an uncouth mouth and a larger-than-life attitude and this can put anyone off. However, Lena is unfazed by her attitude and is determined. Though she failed with her twins, she won't fail with Kalayla. Would she succeed at this? How would she go about this? Get this book and find out.

The author, Jeannie Nicholas, has delivered what I would call a literary gem. This book is so rich. The author's writing style is simple yet captivating. And some parts of the book were just plain witty. I particularly loved how she juxtaposed the scenarios in the book. On one hand, Maureen married out of true love against the wishes of her family. On the other hand, Lena married a person that she did not love just to satisfy the wishes of her family. Also, on one hand, Kalayla's father is the perfect embodiment of a good father and husband. On the other hand, Lena's husband is the perfect embodiment of a terrible father and husband. All of these contrasting scenarios meet at a point and forge ahead. This is artistry at its best, and the author deserves to be applauded.

I don't dislike a single thing in this book. The plot is well set out. The contents of the book are superb. In this book, you find romance, racism, domestic/marital abuse, parenting, ingenuity and hard work. I can categorically say that this book is a great book.

The editing in this book is awesome. I didn't encounter any typos or grammatical errors as I read the book from the beginning to the end. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I give it a perfect score because of the incredible writing technique of the author. A reader is definitely going to be held spellbound from the first page to the last page.

This book contains sexual scenes and vulgar language. Hence, it is not for people that are not up to 18 years of age. The book is recommended for young adults. It would help them to mould their lives to be good and responsible parents and role models to the younger generation.

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Kalayla
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[WriteOn]

On one hand, Maureen married out of true love against the wishes of her family. On the other hand, Lena married a person that she did not love just to satisfy the wishes of her family.

I've enjoyed reading all your observations in this great review Sumto Nii. I really felt for Lena and Maureen. Lena was compromised by family to stay with a husband who abused her. Maureen sacrificed family contact to marry a man she loved. I was relived that Lena was persistent and not deterred by Kalayla's attitude. I hope there's a sequel as I think the story still has a lot of life left in it. Thank you.

[Sumto Nii]

On one hand, Maureen married out of true love against the wishes of her family. On the other hand, Lena married a person that she did not love just to satisfy the wishes of her family.

I've enjoyed reading all your observations in this great review Sumto Nii. I really felt for Lena and Maureen. Lena was compromised by family to stay with a husband who abused her. Maureen sacrificed family contact to marry a man she loved. I was relived that Lena was persistent and not deterred by Kalayla's attitude. I hope there's a sequel as I think the story still has a lot of life left in it. Thank you.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Also, thank you for your positive thoughts. I am grateful.

[Ty Bell]

The part of this review that touched me was the part where the review talked about the different motives that drive people to decide who to marry. I believe love should supersede every other factor in deciding who to marry. Your review is superb.

[Yomi C]

I have read this book and I have to confess that the book is superb. You did a good job in writing this review.

[Tyti Toks]

Your review reminds me of my childhood days. I was misunderstood just because I said things the way they were. Kalayla is a unique character.