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Pilgrim State |  | Author: Jacqueline Walker
Publisher: Sceptre
Category: Book
List Price: £14.99
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as of 23/11/2009 16:39 GMT details
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Seller: coolbooks39
Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 226285
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.5
ISBN: 0340960787
EAN: 9780340960783
ASIN: 0340960787
Publication Date: April 3, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
Great April 10, 2008
J. Cowley
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is a deeply moving book full stark realities and wonderful metaphors mixed into one good read. It starts, in the first chapter, with a harrowing insight into the bureaucratic workings of the American Department of Justice while they interview Dorothy, who is a patient in the `Pilgrim State' mental institute in New York, and continues through the lives of her and her kids until the near present when Jackie, Dorothy's daughter (and the author), is talking to her own daughter Eleanor, which, in itself, is touching as it is a conversational type of narrative which is a nice way to give the human touch to the story.
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br /The discrimination that the pregnant Dorothy received when looking for a room after she first comes to England, the first day in the playground for Jackie at her first English School, the nice couple who gave them their first room, the way Dorothy comes across, there are so many small, yet incredible, incidents in the book that it is hard to think of any one that stands out, the whole narrative is, although sad at times, very uplifting, it made me wonder about my own mother, who came from a foreign country to England, whether she had any similar problems.
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br /This book is very enthralling; the reader needs to know what happens to each of the people in the book which makes it difficult to put down, I read it twice and enjoyed both readings immensely.
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Extraordinary memoir April 2, 2008
C. A. Partridge (London)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The book is beautifully written and brings to life the author's childhood. She uses prose in an almost poetic way to paint a vivid picture of growing up in Jamaica and London in the 1950s/60s. Her childhood experiences - although of course particular to her - have resonance for all of us, particularly women. I found it mesmerising and could not put it down.
Brilliant realising of time, place and character April 7, 2008
N. Thurkle (Edinburgh, UK)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book is emotional yet uplifting, evocative and accessible, intelligent but never pretentious. The story of two women's lives and how they inevitably intertwine, it is a moving and page-turning read. It is a beautifully realised story of one family, but reaches out to everyone who has ever been a mother, or had one.
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br /'Pilgrim State' takes place in the USA, Jamaica and the UK, in the 1950s and 60s, taking cues from classical mythology and from real official documents from the time. Dorothy Walker, who at the book's opening has been forcibly sectioned at her husband's request, is separated from her children but is determined to win them back and give them a new life. She eventually brings them to the UK, but their problems are not over yet.
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br /Among this book's strengths are the several utterly convincing voices in which it is told, including that of the author as a child; the vivid descriptions of place, especially of South London, which I identified with particularly as I was brought up there; and the strong character of Dorothy Walker, who simply commands respect and empathy. I would recommend it highly.
A beautiful account of a mother's life and a testament to her love and spirit May 9, 2008
P. Bruce
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The joy of this book, aside from the beauty of the poetic prose and the vivid voice of the author as a young girl, are the threads of unmistakeable love and optimism which weave throughout the narrative, drawing the reader on, even when life is harrowing and the future bleak. We learn the fate of Dorothy, but we also learn something of the wondeful legacy she left for her children and future generations. An uplifting, intelligent book, beautifully written.
Amazing new novel of our times April 2, 2008
Richard Choat (London)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
An exceptional piece of writing that completely transcends the bounds of the modish misery memoire. The lyrical evocation of the emotional experiences of the familes of the Windrush generation reminds one of the best of Toni Morrison. The sheer craft of the storytelling and the deceptive simplicity of the narrative brings Scott Fitzgerald to mind. An astounding literary achievement.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
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