Review of When the Tamarind Tree Blooms
Posted: 11 Jan 2025, 09:14
[Following is a volunteer review of "When the Tamarind Tree Blooms" by Elaine Russell.]
Synopsis:
When the Tamarind Tree Blooms by Elaine Russell is a first-rate story of intellect and emotion, weaving the story of Vivi, a Lao French métisse who grew up in an orphanage in Laos. Like many orphanage stories, her childhood is not a pleasure cruise, and the people in charge aren't the kindest choices for childcare. Vengefully sabotaged in the Vientiane community by the orphanage director, Vivi will have to face a world that has grown accustomed to prejudice, ostracization, and the mistreatment of mixed-origin orphans while searching for her missing family and the truth. Isolated from the few friends she has, she courageously marches into adulthood, and her unknown future. Along the way, love and faith, and the struggles brought with them, will prove as complicated to navigate as the streets of Vientiane.
My Review:
When the Tamarind Tree Blooms by Elaine Russell is beautifully and eloquently poetic and flows like the love child of Charles Dickens and Jane Eyre.
You'll want to embrace this skillful author with a “Bravo!”. Trust me, I'm a nitpicker when analyzing a book. I'm an unpublished and unfinished writer myself, and that's because I'm a nitpicker, and so I never finish writing a story. That should tell you something about the “singing of praises.” I don't even sing Stephen King's or J. R. R. Tolkien's praises.
Russell weaves all of this from the first chapter. Russell does not amble through it, getting there like an elderly lady out for a carefree stroll. This isn't gradual character development, it's a real introduction, and we are swept away into Vivi's journey to find herself amid the difficulties of the culture around her. Vivi resonates. Vivi is believable. Vivi is incredibly, realistically lovable, like an intimate friend. This book will connect with you; it's not just a read. After you finish this book, you'll miss Vivi, like missing a close friend who moved far away. With the power to break your heart, and give you strength and hope to heal it back together, When the Tamarind Tree Blooms is a stunning gem in the literary world.
A sweeping read of stellar drama, there are themes that some readers may find difficult. I recommend this book to adults only. Then again, you can't weave a truly good story without well-written, relatable, real issues that bring you deeply into the human heart, and Russell is a master at highlighting both the light and the dark in our choices, our struggles, our triumphs, and our humanity.
As a former foster child and adoptee, the writing is absolutely accurate in portraying Vivi's inner turmoil. Trauma, grief, hope, loss, and “loss of self” are felt by orphans, fosters, and adoptees alike. Elaine Russell gets it. She sees it. I spent time searching for my real family after being adopted, and it went a lot like Vivi's story. How do you search for someone when there are no records, and no one has answers—or if they do, they won't give them? How do you find what others have purposely covered up?
Russell is able to connect with readers who identify with Vivi on a deep and visceral level, and for some, that will make When the Tamarind Tree Blooms “heavier.” Some might feel understood, and some might feel that the book gets “too close.”
Themes of religion, poverty and wealth, class systems, prejudice, and cultural assimilation are explored by Russell, which makes it relatable to most minorities in America today. Despite the fact that Vivi is not an American minority, the themes are similar, drawing a connection to the damage to the human spirit that these issues inflict.
There are overtones of sexual harassment and assault, which some readers may find difficult, depending on their personal background. Instances of child abuse and neglect, infidelity, prostitution, and slave labor are also touched on, as well as the far-reaching devastation of war, even generations after it has ended.
More than anything, it is a story of incredible strength and resilience, family, love, healing, and finding your place in this world despite the flaws and pain. In my opinion, When the Tamarind Tree Blooms is just as at home on the best-seller list as Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth, and deserves recognition as a modern classic.
My final rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
******
When the Tamarind Tree Blooms
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Synopsis:
When the Tamarind Tree Blooms by Elaine Russell is a first-rate story of intellect and emotion, weaving the story of Vivi, a Lao French métisse who grew up in an orphanage in Laos. Like many orphanage stories, her childhood is not a pleasure cruise, and the people in charge aren't the kindest choices for childcare. Vengefully sabotaged in the Vientiane community by the orphanage director, Vivi will have to face a world that has grown accustomed to prejudice, ostracization, and the mistreatment of mixed-origin orphans while searching for her missing family and the truth. Isolated from the few friends she has, she courageously marches into adulthood, and her unknown future. Along the way, love and faith, and the struggles brought with them, will prove as complicated to navigate as the streets of Vientiane.
My Review:
When the Tamarind Tree Blooms by Elaine Russell is beautifully and eloquently poetic and flows like the love child of Charles Dickens and Jane Eyre.
You'll want to embrace this skillful author with a “Bravo!”. Trust me, I'm a nitpicker when analyzing a book. I'm an unpublished and unfinished writer myself, and that's because I'm a nitpicker, and so I never finish writing a story. That should tell you something about the “singing of praises.” I don't even sing Stephen King's or J. R. R. Tolkien's praises.
Russell weaves all of this from the first chapter. Russell does not amble through it, getting there like an elderly lady out for a carefree stroll. This isn't gradual character development, it's a real introduction, and we are swept away into Vivi's journey to find herself amid the difficulties of the culture around her. Vivi resonates. Vivi is believable. Vivi is incredibly, realistically lovable, like an intimate friend. This book will connect with you; it's not just a read. After you finish this book, you'll miss Vivi, like missing a close friend who moved far away. With the power to break your heart, and give you strength and hope to heal it back together, When the Tamarind Tree Blooms is a stunning gem in the literary world.
A sweeping read of stellar drama, there are themes that some readers may find difficult. I recommend this book to adults only. Then again, you can't weave a truly good story without well-written, relatable, real issues that bring you deeply into the human heart, and Russell is a master at highlighting both the light and the dark in our choices, our struggles, our triumphs, and our humanity.
As a former foster child and adoptee, the writing is absolutely accurate in portraying Vivi's inner turmoil. Trauma, grief, hope, loss, and “loss of self” are felt by orphans, fosters, and adoptees alike. Elaine Russell gets it. She sees it. I spent time searching for my real family after being adopted, and it went a lot like Vivi's story. How do you search for someone when there are no records, and no one has answers—or if they do, they won't give them? How do you find what others have purposely covered up?
Russell is able to connect with readers who identify with Vivi on a deep and visceral level, and for some, that will make When the Tamarind Tree Blooms “heavier.” Some might feel understood, and some might feel that the book gets “too close.”
Themes of religion, poverty and wealth, class systems, prejudice, and cultural assimilation are explored by Russell, which makes it relatable to most minorities in America today. Despite the fact that Vivi is not an American minority, the themes are similar, drawing a connection to the damage to the human spirit that these issues inflict.
There are overtones of sexual harassment and assault, which some readers may find difficult, depending on their personal background. Instances of child abuse and neglect, infidelity, prostitution, and slave labor are also touched on, as well as the far-reaching devastation of war, even generations after it has ended.
More than anything, it is a story of incredible strength and resilience, family, love, healing, and finding your place in this world despite the flaws and pain. In my opinion, When the Tamarind Tree Blooms is just as at home on the best-seller list as Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth, and deserves recognition as a modern classic.
My final rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
******
When the Tamarind Tree Blooms
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords