Amaryllis in Blueberry

An Amazing story of Love, Time and Intentions

What really caught my eye as a reader was the cover. Now I can say that I tore apart The Poisonwood Bible for an English class and picked apart all the symbolism, but what AIB brought to me was an entire different distinctive read. I was not looking for insight into the African culture I was interested in the family perspective of overcoming obstacles and making it past the skeletons in the closet that had been hiding.
As the character's stories changed and interweaves from past and present sense in the novel I was enthralled by all of the inner dialog going on. I had a quiet weekend to sit down as really absorb into this book and I came out loving it.
The description of place was beautifully written as the book took us through Michigan and parts of West Africa. I could feel the environments in the written as well as the building suspense in the storyline.
The characters and their emotions, shortcomings, and intent was thick enough to cut with a fork and the inner weaving story through all of the book was breathtaking to read and assimilate.
Over all AIB was a great read. I had to read parts over a few times to catch points that I had missed, but the book presented a fresh new read and a very interesting perspective on people, and I had a great time experiencing all of these amazingly written characters.

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Highly Recommend - Shakes Your Assumptions!

When I logged on to write this review, I was surprised by the review posted immediately before me. This book provides such a great demonstration of how the same events may be viewed differently from various characters' perspectives. These characters are thoughtful and complex, yet each unique and entertaining. The contrast among them, and between the Michigan and African locales, kept me engaged throughtout this wonderful novel. Meldrum explores personal and community myths of family, religion and culture through these various eyes and locations with a lyrical style that is hers alone. The rythum and irony of her writing are something special and thought-provoking. I think that the critical reviewer below has missed the point of this book. These stories are told throught the subjective eyes of a 70's era Michigan familiy with many difficult emotional struggles. They are not objective truths - that is the point Their perspectives and difficulties make us think about our own assumptions and personal myths. Yes, there are people in society who struggle with these challenges of love and purpose. Thank goodness for literature that helps us think about those challenges.

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Wow

All I can say is WOW! This book reminds me when I first read The Help and The Secret Life of Bees and has a very strong balance of characters that will make you think. This is going to be THE book for book groups this year and one that I can't stop thinking about or telling people about.

The story revolves around 4 sisters and their mother and the father is the catalyst for their actions. Each girl tells her own story and relates the events through their own eyes while interweaving the story between them. Seena, the mother, is the cornerstone and finds ways to intertwine Greek mythology while relating her own history. Each of the Mary's, Grace, Catie and Tessa are the core while Amaryllis, while still a Mary, is not truly one of the family. Each one is so distinct and the plot so well developed that I hate even saying one word about it because you must read this book!

Just Added: The ideal of all the girls named Mary is not that uncommon. My French - Indian Grandmother was one of seven girls all named Mary and of course they went by their middle names. From what I remember, it was a Catholic thing. There are two girls in my family, but I am the only Mary.

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A compelling, captivating, and additive read

Christina Meldrum is an exquisite writer. Amaryllis in Blueberry is scintilating, tantalizing and every morsel is pure delight. Her depiction of an American family in Africa is breathtaking and profoundly informative. I could not put the book down.

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Highly recommended

I loved this book. Meldrum writes in such a clear and compelling way. Her descriptions are lovely and I enjoyed all the references to the 70s. The story moves along at a nice pace and is well thought out. It brought to mind one of my favorite books, "The Secret Life of Bees". Definitely a must read.

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Review: Embarking on tragedy, Amaryllis in Blueberry is a deep,

Review: Embarking on tragedy, Amaryllis in Blueberry is a deep, probing novel surrounding the implications and consequences of neglect, unfaithfulness, and ignorance upon a middle-class suburban family whose fate is redirected as a result of thoughtless actions and their reckless outcomes. As a whole, I feel this book tries too hard to have as profound an effect as The Poisonwood Bible did, with a reference right inside the jacket flap. Now, I've read The Poisonwood Bible and it's one of my favorites; I know Amaryllis in Blueberry is not exactly the same—the themes, morals, and overall effect are all different—but the premise itself is one that cannot be created without being compared: a mother, father, and four daughters are plucked out of Betty Crocker America and plopped into the wilderness that is Africa, and their lives are changed forever.

Here's a line that sums up the Slepys: 
"[They] are all islands unto themselves, and while each island may have clean water and electricity and toilets that flush, being isolated on an island is lonely indeed."
Each of the characters, while extensively explored and unrooted, are at their foundation, very shallow. I didn't particularly like or dislike any of them.

Dick Slepy, head of household, is extremely ordinary and particularly foolish for constantly urging the impossible:
"[He] thinks he can will himself a Dane and will his wife affectionate and will his children respectful, [and also] thinks demanding a perfect family, while snapping a photo of what looks like one, is the equivalent of having one."

Seena, on the other hand, is complex and ephemeral, like the angel of death herself, but she's equally out of touch with reality, and so even though Meldrum does fabulously at portraying her mother's perspective, I didn't know whether to have compassion or resentment for her. Seena's actions are the pivot point of the entire novel, and their repercussions will take away breaths, taint souls, smother goodness, stain lives, and stalk her forever; this in and of itself was fascinating to read, fascinating discover how small acts of selfishness and of passion could unravel and destroy what's left of everything.

Stylistically Amaryllis in Blueberry is profuse in description, but still frustratingly vague. While I liked the richness, I found Meldrum's prose too redundant and syrupy at times.

However, in terms of message and delivery, I was awed by the convoluted, conscious way in which the painful truths of the human heart are presented in the backdrop of Africa. The last few chapters will especially consume—and not to mention, confuse—you, so even thought it starts off sluggishly, I definitely recommend reading it until the very end.

Pros: Fantastic biblical allusions and references to Greek mythology // Gorgeous prose // Vivid, memorable, and well-expressed characters // Poignant, tender message about humanity and society

Cons: Flowery language that isn't as penetrating as it would like to be; I had to reread some sentences several times to get their meanings // Far-fetched attempt at imitating The Poisonwood Bible

Love: "... Envy is not green. And rage isn't red hot, and the blues have nothing to do with blue. Envy is more dust-colored, a transparent sort of gray. It quivers, like heat rising. Rage itself is not any shade of red—it's not any color at all. It's a smell, a fried-up fish. Melancholy? The blues? Melancholy's more of a shimmer than any color. And it creeps: blues on the move."

Verdict: Christina Meldrum skillfully examines the exquisite human psyche by bringing to light the importance—and devastation—of deception, hidden meaning, falsified untruths, and verified dismissals; this is what makes Amaryllis in Blueberry thought-provoking, strangely beautiful, and absolutely stirring. While some of the prose was a bit too lavish, and the idea of an ordinary American family meeting its ruin upon being caught up in Africa, unoriginal (Barbara Kingsolver ripoff, hello), in its essence, this book is a rare and startling glimpse at a tragedy turned extraordinary, brimming with perceptive truth and soul.

Rating: 8 out of 10 hearts (4 stars): An engaging read; highly recommended.

Source: Complimentary copy provided by LibraryThing Member Reviews in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you!).

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No one in my book group finished this book ....

because no one cared about the characters.

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I could not have been more disappointed!

When compared with the Poisonwood Bible, I could not wait to dig into Amaryllis in Blueberry. Having a sister who married a bush pilot and lived in various parts of Africa for 20 years, having and raising 9 children there and making lifetime friends and saving hearts, souls, bodies, marriages, etc. I just could not have been more disappointed in this book than if it smelled like the VIP's she so aptly describes. Perhaps Meldrum is a story-teller, but why did she feel compelled to tell this story of misshapen love and broken hearts, without the ability to express or show love for even one's own children? And why make the African tribesmen and women sound so totally savage when that is truly not the case, especially with those educated and English-speaking who become friends, and in Poisonwood, lovers and husbands? I could not wait to FINISH it, and that is the opposite of my reaction to most every book I read in any given week. A Thousand Splendid Suns was SO AMAZING, I grieved when it ended. I wanted more. I wanted to KNOW the writer. This one was a dud. I am surprised anyone even published it.

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Amaryllis in Blueberry

Amaryllis in Blueberry is an excellent novel that tells the story of one family in the mid 1970s. Seena, Dick, Mary Grace, Mary Tessa, Mary Catherine, and Amaryllis all tell different parts of how they came to be in Africa and what happened while they were there. Each family member has their own secret or problem that slowly comes out as the novel progresses.

This novel was excellent in the way that it brought the image and concept of Africa into the book. It had several mentions of the language and the beliefs of the African people and it merged seamlessly with the perceptions that the family had of Africa and what they thought about it. All of the characters in the novel were three dimensional and most aspects of them that were believable.

At times, it seemed like everyone had one major problem that they had to deal with, and that seemed a little unbelievable - people often have more than one issue going on with them. But overall, the story moved at a good pace and was and excellent read and I would read this novel again!

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A COMPLES AND COMPELLING STORY!

AMARYLLIS IN BLUEBERRY by Christina Meldrum is a contemporary historical fiction set in 1970's Michigan and Africa.It is written in a series of flashbacks from the past to the present. It intertwines past history/story with present. It has adultery,forgiveness,redemption,love,family saga,murder,meditation of faith,loyalty,love,acceptance,Africa,missionaries,fate,buried secrets,sacrifice,slavery,culture difference,exploration of faith,synesthete(visions of artificial light around someone or something)and truth. This is the story of a husband's(Dick) obsession of his wife,Seena,a wife(Seena) who has committed adultery years before,is accused of her husband's murder and four daughters with four secrets.The youngest daughter,Amaryllis,is the child in question,she was born in an Blueberry patch.This is a compelling story of love and a family being forced from their home in Michigan to take up roots as a missionary in Africa,their trials,tributations and culture shock.If you enjoy a complex story with many facets this is a story for you. This book was received for the purpose of review from Gallery Books and details can be found .0at Gallery Books,a division of Simon & Schuster,Inc. and My Book Addiction and More.

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eloquently written

Amaryllis in Blueberry is the captivating tale of a family ripped from their hometown in Michigan and forced to plant missionary roots in rural Africa. Worlds away from their former lives, Dick and his wife, Seena, must somehow bind their family of four daughters, Mary Grace, Mary Tessa, Mary Catherine, and Amaryllis, together once again. They were lost in a world where they were held together by society, but the lack of a set society might just be what they need to find each other again. But the change in life prompts unexpected changes in Seena and propels their unique little family on a journey of discovery, loss, and ultimately truth.

I received Amaryllis in Blueberry from a fellow book blogger to review, and while this isn't my normal type of book to review, I was captivated by the story of this strange family and the pseudo-black sheep, Amaryllis. Amaryllis has this unique ability to sense the truth in a sea of lies and to see a bit of the future and the past all at once, making her into a little web of mystery in a story of this family's journey to discovery. I have to say that Christina Meldrum has an absolutely stunning writing style. Fluid and melodic, she weaves the reader into a world of magic and mystery, showing you slivers of truth along the way and compelling you to keep reading.

While I loved the premise of the story, and the author's writing was exceptional, I have to admit that the descriptiveness got a bit heavy at times, jarring me from the story, itself. Furthermore, while I loved reading about the family as individuals, I felt that the motives that led Dick to move his family from their Michigan home were a bit too light in the context of the story. All that aside though, the portrayal of two vastly different worlds and lifestyles in Amaryllis in Blueberry was exceptional, and was probably the highlight of the book for me. I simply would have liked a bit more tension, I suppose, to propel the book towards the climax.

Amaryllis in Blueberry is definitely more adult than the books I normally read, but I'm trying to broaden my literary horizons and open this blog up to a bit more. All in all, it was a good book, and one that I'd highly recommend to those who normally enjoy adult novels. I give it a 3.5 out of 5, and fans of contemporary fiction are sure to enjoy it.

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Insightful and Ironic

This book swept me into two incredibly diverse worlds -- lush rural Michigan and arid West Africa -- with a contrast that was palpable. The family at the center of the book is filled with remarkable, unique characters that each provides a complex perspective standing alone. Interspersing those characters' perspectives and relating them to their roles within the family is fascinating and insightful. Meldrum then overlays complex issues of comparative religion and culture that keep you thinking and surprised at each step -- forcing you to confront your own assumptions. This is a great follow-up on Meldrum's award-winning first book - Madapple. What a treat!

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