It is the 1950’s and Sabine and George Harwood are young newlyweds in England.When George gets the opportunity of a life time from his employer to move to Trinidad, he jumps at the chance.It an opportunity to make much more money than he can in England.Knowing that it is only a three year contract, Sabine agrees and they move.
George instantly falls in love with the life in Trinidad but Sabine is not comfortable there with both the heat and the racial segregation.Sabine however does enjoy riding her green bicycle around the island.In fact, it seems she is the only whiter woman there who rides a bike and becomes well know as the whitewoman on the green bicycle by the natives.
When a new leader takes over in Trinidad and England withdrawals, many people who came to work there from England return home but not George.He is going to stay the entire three years but promises Sabine they will return to England.
Sabine becomes very interested in the new political leader who give hope to the natives in Trinidad that big changes are coming.However, even getting running water back in the slums doesn’t seem to happen.Will there really be change for the people of Trinidad or is it promise of a corrupt political leader?
50 years later George and Sabine are still in Trinidad.George works at the newspaper and Sabine lives what appears to be a comfortable lifestyle.However, with years of resentment coming to a head, will the couple be able to weather the storm?
White Woman on Green Bicycle give the outsider a look into Post-colonial life in Trinidad both for the natives and the British who decide to stay.The reader gets insight into the politics and how the natives live with unique and well fleshed out characters. The writing is magnificent!
Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.
Spanning from Ireland during the potato famine to the end of the U.S. civil war, May The Road Rise Up to Meet Youfollows two storylines that eventually join together.
The story opens with Ethan McOwen with his mother and Aunt Em in Ireland, slowly starving to death. His sister had already died. Ethan works at a rich rancher’s with horse and he brings home what oats he can fit and sneak into his pockets for the three of them to eat. However, the ranchers tell all workers that they are moving and will no longer be needing them. That’s when they know it’s certain death if they stay.
Ethan’s father and brother Seanny already moved to the U.S. and having been sending what money they could. They have just enough for Ethan to get on a ship to the U.S. and for Ma and Aunt Em to go to England to work in a factory and save more money for their eventual trip.
The voyage for Ethan is not without its perils. Sickness plagued the ship and many died and were buried at sea. However, Ethan makes it and hooks up with Seanny and Pa. He works with his father fishing in the mornings and then is free to play ball with the neighborhood children and his favorite thing, read books, for the rest of the day. About a year later Ma and Aunt Em make the voyage and the family is reunited.
Meanwhile, Michah is a slave, sold off to a new owner. He is a great carpenter and his owner makes a lot of money off of his services. On one of his jobs he meets another slave, Mary who works as a seamstress in the family shop. For a slave, she has it pretty good. She is best friends with the family’s little girl and sews dresses everyday for the local white women. For Michah and Mary, it is almost love at first site. However, they are not free to hook up.
Eventually civil war breaks out and Ethan and his friends join the Irish Brigade to fight. He had become a photographer by then and shot photos near the battle field. He is wounded and sent home where later his mentor sets up an exhibition of Ethan’s work. That where Ethan and Marcella meet. They also fall fast for one and other.
This historical saga doesn’t let the reader relax for even a minute. From the first page you are transported to the 19th century, famine and war. I felt like I was there for every moment. I laughed and cried along the way. This book kept me awake late at night, so I had to read it quickly however, I was actually upset when it ended. I could have read this book forever! It I was shipwrecked on an Island with only one book, this would be the one I would want!
Also reviewed by:
BookHounds(Hint: She is having the same giveaway so go there and double your chances.)
Thanks to Joe Gallagher of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for setting me up with the eBook version and for authorizing me to giveaway two print copies to my U.S. readers!To enter to win, please use the Rafflecopter widget below. This giveaway ends on March 20, 2012.
Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.
I accepted this book because I have very little sales experience and I wanted to get some basic tips on marketing my on-line business.However, I would call the tips in this basic.However, some were helpful.
In chapter one Sue Kasson talks about setting up a WordPress website.I had actually made the switch from Blogger to WordPress with my business website right before I started reading this book.It was a move I had been thinking about making for a long time.So far, there are certainly things on WordPress that I prefer to Blogger, so I think it was a good move.
Sue also mentions briefly the idea of offering a free gift for people who sign up for your newsletter.That kind of lost me because there was no real introduction to the idea of a newsletter.It seemed to come out of left field.However, she introduced the newsletter concept better in chapter 2.
The beginning of chapter two was how to build your contact list for your newsletter.I would have preferred that she go in chronological order first.First talk about the newsletter, target audience, and ideas for contact first.Then talk to me about the contact list.I am a pretty type A, ordered person.I admit.I like ideas presented in order of what makes sense to me.
That said, I really do like the idea of a newsletter, even if it doesn’t get me more business.I often email ideas I have to indie authors I have worked with in piece mail.However, I have realized that the same ideas could apply to other authors as well and that they would probably like to get them, even if they don’t do business with me.After all I went into this business for my passion for literature.Why not offer as much support as I can.
In chapter 3 Sue discussed telemarketing seminars.I can’t say that I would consider doing them, at least not in the near future.There’s nothing wrong with them, as long as they aren’t high pressure sales tactics, it’s just not for me.Besides, I thought we were moving away from those in favor of webinars.She makes no mention of that.
Next, she introduces the concept of Article Marketing.Writing good content articles to demonstrate your an expert in your field and where to get them published, besides your own website.I may try this idea after I work on the newsletter concept more.I am a one step at a time kind of person.
Then Sue discusses Joint Ventures, teaming up with an already established business that is similar of complimentary to yours.Again, baby steps for me.I won’t say I would never do this but not in the foreseeable future.
Next, Sue sums up all of the strategies she presented and talks about setting up a time table to get them all in place.It seemed a bit ambitious for a one person operation, to me.I am trying to keep my business part time.
All in all this is a good book for people who have perhaps a bit of sales experience to start with.However, I did get some things out of it.I especially liked the newsletter idea and I am running with it!Then we will see what the future has in store.One thing I know for sure, I will never be a high pressure sales person.I don’t like them personally, so why would I become one?
3/5
Thanks to Nikki Leigh of Promo 101 Promotional Services and Sue Kasson for this eBook.
Sue Kasson specializes in helping business owners get more clients by having relaxed, authentic and confident client enrollment conversations. She is on a mission to help coaches fill their practices and learn to enjoy getting clients without stress or fear. Sue has a 20+ year sales and sales management background with several Fortune 500 companies and, in the last 11 years, has trained and coached hundreds of people to help them get more clients and sell more of their products and services.
Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.
