Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully written!!!! Excellent read!!
Review: "Seasons", as my girlfriend and I call it, was a wonderfully written novel. As I read through some of the other reviews, I noticed a common thread, Ms. Busia's writing "takes you there". Yes, you can smell and taste the foods; you can see and feel the ocean water; you can feel the breeze. You can feel the dirt under your feet; you can see the trees swaying back and forth; you can picture with clarity, the different settings that she describes. I could not put this book down and I tried to prolong getting to the end. It held my interest without a doubt. I have recommended it to those folks that I know who participate in book clubs. I've recommended it to all my friends. Althought I read this book some time ago, I can still remember the story and all of it's glory. I think it's time for me to read it again......I anxiously await another novel from Ms. Busia.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderous tale of life and love.
Review: 'Seasons' is easily the best novel I've read. I was captivated by each character from Ashia to Solomon. As someone mentioned earlier, this story should be made a movie. Share this one with a friend. Here I was thinking I was the only person who felt this way. I can't wait until Busia's next novel arrives.
Rating:
Summary: Hated "him" but loved the women!
Review: Although some characters seem to be less developed than others that is just the authors way of telling you exactly that! The imagery is outstanding and immediately transports you into the scene. Winner "Best New Author of the Year" by the Go On Girl!, Inc. book club! (Look for the GOG! guidebook to book clubs here at Amazon.com!)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: At first, I had no intentions of reading this book. I reluctantly gave "The Seasons of Beento Blackbird" a chance only after I had read everything interesting in the bookstore. However, after I got through reading this book, I wanted to kick myself for not reading this masterpiece sooner. I truly loved this book from the beginning to end. I simply could not put it down. I did not agree with the situation Solomon put Mimirum and Aisha in, but I admired the fact that he treated both of them with love and dignity. It may seem as if Solomon was deceiving Mimirum and Aisha, but since they both knew about each other technically he wasn't. They were all deceiving themselves. They were all naive to think that some how their individuals world would not collide and that they could equally share one man. To really find out what I'm talking about, I suggest that you pick up this book today, you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Suprisingly Wonderous
Review: At first, I had no intentions of reading this book. My good friend who owns the book store "The Educational Central,Inc." kept insisting that I read it, but it was only until they ran out of books that I wanted to read that I reluctantly gave "The Seasons of Beento Blackbird" a chance. Well I can tell you, that I wanted to kick myself for not reading this masterpiece sooner. I truly loved this book from the beginning to end. I simply could not put it down. I did not agree with the situation Solomon put Mimirum and Aisha in, but I admired the fact that he treated both of them with love and dignity. I felt that since they both knew about each other he was not deceiving them in anyway. They made the choice to be with him under the circumstances. However, they were all naive to think that somehow their individuals world would not collide. This book was an excellent read and I HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone. I am eagerly awaiting Akoshua's new novel.
Rating:
Summary: Seasons, Seasons, Seasons
Review: I am a member of a book club (Circle of Friends II, Atlanta, Ga) and this book was our July book selection. My only regret is that it took me until the book club chose the book to read it. It is a wonderful love story and the author does a fantastic job of keeping your interest! I enjoyed the book very, very much & highly recommend it to other avid readers like myself. We are waiting for the next one Ms. Busia!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Got disgusted and Couldn't finish it.
Review: I could not finish Beento Blackbird. I got so disgusted with it that I skipped to the end and starting reading it backwards. At this point, all I have left to skim is how Sam figured out that he was "married" to two women and how she contacted him when he was away. It's also not entirely clear to me why he "choose" Miriam over Aksia. I did read him telling her that Aksia presence was killing Miriam and that the price of having her in his life was too high. I was glad that Aksia refused to leave without her son. I don't know if I have the stomach to skim the remainder. The author's writing style was beautiful, and the way she captured the scenery and emotions was lyrical. My two stars are for her style. But that also made the pace of the book too slow for me, and I couldn't persist through 300+ pages. It was just too long and even by page 100, I had lost interest and was reading to find out when everything would fall apart. When they all tried to live together, I felt like I was reading something about some old school Mormon guy. The character Solomon was just unrealistic and unbelievable to me. He was a Pulitzer prize winning author (who declined to accept the award by the way), a gourmet cook, spoke 4 languages fluently, a motivational speaker, an artist, stunningly handsome, an amazing lover, a genius, and even one of those rare people who don't have to brush their teeth in the morning. He was a superlative in every category of human existence. Please. No wonder these women were content to fragment their souls, just for a fragment of his time. I guess his gourmet cooking skills made the crumbs that he gave them quite palatable. Again, the author's ability to capture emotions and describe scenery was excellent. There were some interesting themes in the book, but the main one was "This is a man's world."
Rating:
Summary: An important work, and a delightful read.---Yasmain Soya
Review: I enjoy a good book that sparks discussion, that elicits strong feelings from those who are brave enough to complete reading the work. Busia, with The Seasons of Beento Blackbird, presents a visually cascading novel in which the reader will find it difficult to put down. The controversial topic of polygamy is one that many will debate for years. And although Polyandry has not been explored much (one woman with many men), except in one book which comes to mind entitled "Tamika Jones' Adventure", the subject of many partners has always been a heated one, especially in the western world. The Seasons of Beento Blackbird is a colourful book evoking images surely for the screen. The author, having many experiences in the film world, writes in a fashion that reflects her deserving work as an actour. And this is not to say that her writing is of lesser literary worth. To the contrary this work brings with it the hues and sounds, tastes and feels, which is warranted in many a read and is the substance of a good book. Lasting and thoughtful. The fusion of the Caribbean, American, and African is an important issue in Black society. The juxtaposition of these three worlds once separated, to converge again would be a force to reckon with. Economically as well as politically. Without deliberating the politicalness of Busia's subject matter. Beento Blackbird is a continuum of the art which is of an African tradition. Africans, African-Americans,and Caribbean-Americans have throughout history written about their conditions and the education of their people. This goes back as far as we can see in the documentation of Black theatre and dance which are all part of the oral tradition. Through this belief, it is said that one can teach and learn through "the way of life": Art, ultimately for the good of enlightening the people. Art for entertainment sake is a fine thing. Yet we ask ourselves the age old question: Does art imitate life? Many great writers have pondered this question through their work. Busia has blended entertainment and the instruction in this work quite splendidly. An affirmation we should all strive to achieve in our work in order to create the world we all; Black, White, Red, and Yellow, wish to live. Unlike the onslaught of Black relationship books that have been published, this is an important work, and a delightful read.-Yasmain E. Soya-A NYC Patron of the arts and writer.
Rating:
Summary: 5++ Stars
Review: I enjoyed reading this book a great deal. Like other readers, I fell in love with "King Solomon". I had my reservations about him from the cover synopsis, but as I read I became too focused on him and his true love for the women in his life to think about what bothered me from the cover. Solomon's love for the women in his life was phenomenal. He ached for each of them in different ways. The portrayal of Solomon with Ashia and Miriam was profound. I began to ache for Solomon as the story unfolded. As Solomon yearned in different ways for the loves in his life, I yearned for Solomon's happiness. It is refreshing and unusual to find a man's story told from a different viewpoint. Had the story been told differently, I can see where I might feel some degree of dislike for a man like Solomon. Yet, the author's sensitivity to Solomon and his plight (to love equally but differently two very different women), placed the main male character in a more favorable light. As in reality, the author appears to realize that a man's choices are not always selfish and/or sexually driven. Through this book, I feel like I have a better understanding of a custom that previously left me with a bad thought. Before the book, I could not understand for what reasons a man might think he needs more than one wife. I now feel I can understand it better. I still don't agree with it, but I can understand Solomon's position. As I read this book, I also found myself sometimes lying the book down as I reflected on my own life and thinking of better ways to educate children in my life about our heritage. Solomon had a fierce pride in his blackness and an even stronger desire to learn about our wonderful history. Finally, I read a review that described this book as overly long. I disagree; I found this book to be too short. I want more. I want a sequel. I want to learn what happens to Ashia and the baby and what happens in Miriam's life.
Rating: 
Summary: A good novel but...
Review: I got this book because it was chosen for our local book club here and it came recommended. So I bought the book and read it in one sitting last night. Here is my take: On one hand, you want to love Solomon. On the other, you want to throttle him. I saw this book when it first came out and didn't feel it would keep my interest, so I dismissed it(again),yet, in a way, I really felt sorry for him. See, he only had a mother to guide him, and she taught him not to love one thing, which is why he probably did what he did. Then, he had a father who didn't want to claim him, and with his father's death and notification to appear at the funeral, it really was the thing that messed up his seasons with his wives because it threw him off balance.And Sam didn't make it any better either. Here you have Miriam, who loved him since day one. She brought him into the world, named him and loved him, yet, despite this, she couldn't give him the baby he wanted. On the other hand, you have this child-woman Ashia, who loved Solomon just as equally,gave him a son, fought for her rights and stood her ground, but yet and still in the end, moved on with her life. what a situation. I felt the book kept my interest. I thought the love scenes were tasteful and beautiful. The author really have a way with words. But, I felt that Solomon,despite his good intentions, his charitable ways and contributions, was selfish in that regard. Did he really feel that he could keep up with this type of life for a lifetime? Why did he get mad at Ashia when he came to her in off season? Did he have a right? I don't think so. I feel that the author wrote a great story. I don't agree with polygamy because I feel it gets complicated. As you can see from the book. I wonder what her motivation was in writing it. I am curious.
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