Bitter Chocolate

Bitter Chocolate has deep resonances of Sundowners and Saffron Skies, Lesley Lokko's two previous books. The same themes and storylines are mirrored: a bored, idle, priviliged girl; a good-for-nothing boyfriend involved in drugs; an international setting, with London and Africa again featured; several women's lives developing in tandem. This repetition bothered me at the beginning but halfway through the book, Bitter Chocolate asserted itself as a fresh story with a questionable, let's-read-and-discover ending. Laure, the beautiful, dark-skinned girl, can only be respected for not sinking into a sordid life, given her bare, hopeless start in America. Améline gains the reader's admiration for becoming so much more than her humble beginnings in Haiti. Melanie, the rock star's daughter, is perhaps the biggest disappointment. Her willingness to do absolutely nothing of value with her life is contemptible. Yet the author crafts her so carefully, that she remains likeable to the end. As these three protagonists lives intersect, Lokko does a commendable job of making Bitter Chocolate almost as memorable as Sundowners, her first fabulous book.

Bitter Chocolate has deep resonances of Sundowners and Saffron Skies, Lesley Lokko's two previous books. The same themes and storylines are mirrored: a bored, idle, priviliged girl; a good-for-nothing boyfriend involved in drugs; an international setting, with London and Africa again featured; several women's lives developing in tandem. This repetition bothered me at the beginning but halfway through the book, Bitter Chocolate asserted itself as a fresh story with a questionable, let's-read-and-discover ending. Laure, the beautiful, dark-skinned girl, can only be respected for not sinking into a sordid life, given her bare, hopeless start in America. Améline gains the reader's admiration for becoming so much more than her humble beginnings in Haiti. Melanie, the rock star's daughter, is perhaps the biggest disappointment. Her willingness to do absolutely nothing of value with her life is contemptible. Yet the author crafts her so carefully, that she remains likeable to the end. As these three protagonists' lives intersect, Lokko does a commendable job of making Bitter Chocolate almost as memorable as Sundowners, her first fabulous book.

Bitter Chocolate follows the lives of three very different women. Laure, a girl from a somewhat privileged Haitian family, Ameline her reste avec with no knowledge of her family, and Melanie the daughter of a British rock star. All three of them struggle for acceptance and love despite their differing upbringings and lives. I felt very involved with all three of the main characters and sympathized with them all while at the same time not agreeing with some of their actions. They all were very realistic, not perfect characters. The descriptions of the scenery was fantastic. Whether it was in Haiti, Ghana or London, Lesley Lokko gave you the full feeling of the place including the sights and the smells. I can't wait to read the rest of Lesley Lokko's books!

This is probably one of the best books I've ever read. I bought it in Spain just because I needed something to read, little did I know I would never want the book to end. I feel like I know these characters and I find myself wanting them to do things and when they don't it tears me apart. You'll love it!