Friendship Estate
Carefully researched and wonderfully imagined, Friendship Estate is a provocative read! As a historical-fiction writer, I appreciate how much research Lynda Edwards must have done, both regarding Jamaica and Britain. Yet, all the facts and imagined history woven throughout the book didn’t take away from her skillfully written narrative about two Jamaican slave-owning plantations and the memorable people living on them who help bring about an alternate history regarding emancipation in Jamaica and the other British colonies. I found the story believable, poignant, and hopeful, causing me to reflect on what we can do differently today to make our world a more unified place. Lynda is a fellow Jamaican friend I met on Jamaica Book Club. She and I encourage one another in our writing careers.
Important Note: While beautiful romantic relationships unfold throughout the novel, there are several scenes that would be rated R in a movie. I skipped a few paragraphs at those points.
