Review of Kalayla
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- Latest Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
Review of Kalayla
[Following is a volunteer review of "Kalayla" by Jeannie Nicholas.]
Name of the book: Kalayla
Author's name: Jeannie Nicholas
Summary: The book "Kalayla", written by Jeannie Nicholas, is a fiction family novel that features entangled lives of three generations at the same time. The book starts when Maureen and Kalayla move to Cambridge in a building owned by Lena. Maureen, a young widow, had to work two jobs to provide for her daughter and herself. Maureen found herself deteriorated when her family didn't support her for marrying an American-African, Jamal. Moreover, she couldn't tell the truth about her family to Kalayla, so she lied about them dying in a gas explosion. Kalayla was a disturbed and problematic child who preferred being alone, wandering around the streets and cursing at times. Lena, a widow, lost two of her sons in the Vietnamese War and found herself emotionally unattached with the other two. Lena finds some small chores around the neighborhood to keep Kalayla engaged during the day, helping her with her mouthy nature and earning a penny or two.
Positive: I liked the fact that Lena's constant interaction with Kalayla brought Lena and Maureen closer as friends. This shows how children play an important role when adults find themselves lost and alone in their lives. In absence of Maureen, Lena took care of Kalayla and made sure she was kept busy with some small chores while her mother was busy doing two day jobs to provide a good life for herself and her daughter. Due to a tragic life faced by Lena and Maureen, they were able to understand each other and stood by each other in the time they spent living in the same building.
Negative: The author introduces Kalayla as a disturbed and problematic child but doesn't mention the reason behind it. If we closely look at the plot, Kalayla wasn't exposed to Maureen's family reality, which would disturb her. The only reason I could think of is that she didn't have any companions to play with and share thoughts with. It felt like the reason (behind her being disturbed) was not supported by a valid argument. Although all these don't affect my rating of the book because my way of thinking about a matter of subject can be different from that of the author. Since this book is a creation of the author, I think it should be according to what he thinks is the best.
Rating and Justification: I would definitely rate this book a 5 out of 5 because I liked how the age gap in the book is beautifully covered and depicted at the same time.
All the ladies in the book are united by their loneliness and find each other as companions. This book is a tale of a family not bonded by blood but by empathy.
Recommendation: Kalayla is found wandering on the streets, using foul language at times. This makes the story of a child unfit for children. Young adults can read this book if they find it appealing but if some people find themselves sensitive about harsh subject matters (rape, social exclusion, rasicm, and domistic voilence), they would probably want to be away from this book. People interested in learning about the behavior and psychology of a disturbed and troublesome kid can consider reading this book. People like me who are enthralled by content with lead female protagonists should read this book.
Errors: I didn't find any errors in the book while reading it. The book is edited exceptionally well.
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Kalayla
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Name of the book: Kalayla
Author's name: Jeannie Nicholas
Summary: The book "Kalayla", written by Jeannie Nicholas, is a fiction family novel that features entangled lives of three generations at the same time. The book starts when Maureen and Kalayla move to Cambridge in a building owned by Lena. Maureen, a young widow, had to work two jobs to provide for her daughter and herself. Maureen found herself deteriorated when her family didn't support her for marrying an American-African, Jamal. Moreover, she couldn't tell the truth about her family to Kalayla, so she lied about them dying in a gas explosion. Kalayla was a disturbed and problematic child who preferred being alone, wandering around the streets and cursing at times. Lena, a widow, lost two of her sons in the Vietnamese War and found herself emotionally unattached with the other two. Lena finds some small chores around the neighborhood to keep Kalayla engaged during the day, helping her with her mouthy nature and earning a penny or two.
Positive: I liked the fact that Lena's constant interaction with Kalayla brought Lena and Maureen closer as friends. This shows how children play an important role when adults find themselves lost and alone in their lives. In absence of Maureen, Lena took care of Kalayla and made sure she was kept busy with some small chores while her mother was busy doing two day jobs to provide a good life for herself and her daughter. Due to a tragic life faced by Lena and Maureen, they were able to understand each other and stood by each other in the time they spent living in the same building.
Negative: The author introduces Kalayla as a disturbed and problematic child but doesn't mention the reason behind it. If we closely look at the plot, Kalayla wasn't exposed to Maureen's family reality, which would disturb her. The only reason I could think of is that she didn't have any companions to play with and share thoughts with. It felt like the reason (behind her being disturbed) was not supported by a valid argument. Although all these don't affect my rating of the book because my way of thinking about a matter of subject can be different from that of the author. Since this book is a creation of the author, I think it should be according to what he thinks is the best.
Rating and Justification: I would definitely rate this book a 5 out of 5 because I liked how the age gap in the book is beautifully covered and depicted at the same time.
All the ladies in the book are united by their loneliness and find each other as companions. This book is a tale of a family not bonded by blood but by empathy.
Recommendation: Kalayla is found wandering on the streets, using foul language at times. This makes the story of a child unfit for children. Young adults can read this book if they find it appealing but if some people find themselves sensitive about harsh subject matters (rape, social exclusion, rasicm, and domistic voilence), they would probably want to be away from this book. People interested in learning about the behavior and psychology of a disturbed and troublesome kid can consider reading this book. People like me who are enthralled by content with lead female protagonists should read this book.
Errors: I didn't find any errors in the book while reading it. The book is edited exceptionally well.
******
Kalayla
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
