Books : Breath, Eyes, Memory (Oprah's Book Club)

Rating: - Haitian horror story
"Breath, Eyes, Memory" is the story of a young Haitian girl, Sophie, whose mother travels to New York when her daughter is very young, leaving Sophie in the care of her Tante Atie. Eventually Sophie's mother sends for her child, and the girl must travel to the United States to start a new life. I thought this book would focus on the struggles of a Haitian girl adjusting to American society, but Sophie's real demons lay with her family's tragic history, which unfolds bit by bit as the years go by. Sophie ultimately breaks away from her mother but is unable to escape from the horrors of her past. She eventually returns to her home country in search of answers and redemption.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The subject matter is difficult to read, but this book depicts a lifestyle that was a reality for so many Haitian women. Although Sophie and her female relatives endure many tragedies throughout the course of this story, "Breath, Eyes, Memory" also celebrates strong family ties and the power that comes with being a woman. This is truly an amazing book.

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Rating: - Great novel
This is a great novel about the diaspora of a Haitian girl to the US. Beautifully written, is the story of how mother and daughter come to terms in the new environment. I strongly recommend it to all readers.

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Rating: - A story that transcends its setting
Danticat's novel is written in a fluent style with a simple vocabulary. Although she won't send readers digging through their dictionaries, "Breath, Eyes, Memory" will string your emotions as the life of Sophie Caco unravels from her childhood in Haiti to her parenting the early years of her own daughter's life in New York.

As a middle-class college freshman guy, the hardships and joys (although seldom without the accompaniment of the former) are foreign to me. I have not experienced the pains of living without a father, the confines of Haitian culture that emphasizes family responsibility above all else, the horrors of sexual abuse, growing up a fatherless child, or heard the colorful and poetic language of Haiti's people. And yet, I found this novel extremely compelling. In essence it is a story of life's most important battles and how where we came from affects the way we deal with them.

I highly recommend this short but impactful and page-turning novel to everyone up for a poetic journey through a gamut of powerful emotions.

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Rating: - Good start, fair finish
"Breath, Eyes, Memory".....first part was very good. Second part not so good. The rest went downhill.
I thought the story would focus more on Sophie's childhood. If that were the case, maybe I would have understood her and the relationship with her Mother better. Maybe I would have cared about the characters.

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Rating: - ENJOYED IT IMMENSELY
This book tells of a girl named Sophie who is raised in Haiti by her aunt Tante Atie, and later goes to New York to spend time with her mother. It is a very moving story and it tells about the culture of Haiti. It tells of Sophie growing up and some parts are sad but I really enjoyed this book, and read it in one day. I would read it again. I donated this one to a local supermarket for Juvenille Diabetes Research and it was gone within the hour. I hope that the next person enjoyed it as much as I did. This book was well-written, moving, and easy to read and understand.