Finalist for the 2010 Man Booker Prize • New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year
Told in the sharp, defiant voice of Miss July, The Long Song is an unforgettable tale of survival, resilience, and the end of slavery in 1830s Jamaica. Born to a field slave on the Amity sugar plantation, July’s life takes an unexpected turn when Mrs. Caroline Mortimer, an English widow, moves her into the great house and renames her “Marguerite.”
As July navigates life in the great house, she witnesses the brutal Baptist War and the chaotic, violent collapse of slavery. Her story, edited years later by her son Thomas, is by turns funny, shocking, and profoundly moving.
Andrea Levy’s The Long Song is a powerful, brilliantly written novel that offers a fresh, intimate perspective on a pivotal moment in history.
