The Dragon Can't Dance

Rating:
Summary: Two-Day Celebration And...
Review: "A Must Read," for anyone who's interested in the Caribbean literature and culture. Lovelace's gift for writing is second to no one! His style is unique, his characters are believale and interesting and the plot had me turning the pages as swiftly as possible. "The Dragon Can't Dance, by amazing writer Earl Lovelace is a beautifully written novel I am most proud to recommend!

Rating:
Summary: Good Not Great Story,
Review: Don't get me wrong I enjoyed this story but in all honesty I thought it was a GOOD but not GREAT story. A little too stiff for me. I did like the characters but at times the reading got a little too much like work just trying to get to another part of the story that was a little more fun and not as much work. [I think I said that right], nothing personal just one reader's opinion.

Rating:
Summary: Good Not Great Story,
Review: Don't get me wrong I enjoyed this story but in all honesty I thought it was a GOOD but not GREAT story. A little too stiff for me. I did like the characters but at times the reading got a little too much like work just trying to get to another part of the story that was a little more fun and not as much work. [I think I said that right], nothing personal just one reader's opinion.

Rating:
Summary: I felt as if I was back In TRINI
Review: I loved this book so much that I recommended it to all my family and friends. Earl Lovelace captured everything that Carnival means for Trini people. The characters are so real that the faces that I chose to see them as, were faces of people that I actaully knew in my family. LOL. This novel will make all readers want to take a trip to Trinidad and experience life there. This book is just too sweet for words!!!!

Rating:
Summary: A Book With A Great Lesson (And one minor flaw)
Review: I picked this book by using the "pick a random book with your eyes closed" method at the library.

For an American this book can be tough to start. The "poor talk" that Lovelace used throughout the book can be a little tough to get through, but don't give up! It is too good of a book to let one minor flaw stop you. (And a little secret: As the book progresses, Lovelace seems to have trouble keeping up the "poor talk" and becomes a lot smoother to read).

Lovelace's use of description is almost without comparison. He has Hugo's gift of description without having to use chapters to describe a building, person, or general area. His one line descriptions hit so dead on that you almost feel as if you are standing in "the Hill".

The story itself is also an amazing read, but most reviewers seemed to have missed the biggest purpose behind this book (whether Lovelace intended it or not, it is the overall theme). The major theme is that we all judge people without knowing them fully. We hold people back because we don't like the partial picture we are presented. We never take the time to learn the whole story. As you read the book, you think to yourself how you want to be better. You don't want to judge. You vow to yourself that you will stop, when suddenly the last paragraph hits and you realize, "Wow, I am STILL judging without the whole story, maybe it's not possible to stop." If the last paragraph did not make you think this, I suggest you reread the book and think about each character and how you feel about them.

Overall, an amazing read. Lovelace writes an amazing book, with the only flaw being that the "poor talk" seems a little forced. As the book progressed, he seemed to get into a more comfortable area.

Definitely Recommended!

Rating:
Summary: A Luminous Portrait
Review: In Earl Lovelace, without exception, we have the Master Storyteller of the Caribbean. Even years after its publication (1979 and 1998), "Dragon" remains peerless as an authentic, forceful voice of postcolonial Trinidadian society. Nowhere else have the intricacies of carnival been more profoundly explored and dissected than here by the artful mastery of prose in this defining portrait. Lovelace's stinging critique of race and politics is poignant and luminously presented. With heavy symbolism and sensitivity, the story reaches successfully beyond Caribbean life to touch the larger human condition itself. The central figure of Aldrick (whose "mission" is to performa the Dragon dance during carnival) embodies a entire people's frustrations and aspirations. This is an unexaggerated powerful tale by one my absolute favorite Caribbean writers. This story is timeless and one of Lovelace's best creations, far surpassing, in my opinion, his other wonderful novels like "The Wine of Astonishment", "The Schoolmaster", or even "Salt." Anyone sincerely interested in Caribbean culture and literature will find this novel indispensable reading.

Alan Cambeira
Author of AZUCAR! The Story of Sugar (a novel)

Rating:
Summary: A Luminous Portrait
Review: In Earl Lovelace, without exception, we have the Master Storyteller of the Caribbean. Even years after its publication (1979 and 1998), "Dragon" remains peerless as an authentic, forceful voice of postcolonial Trinidadian society. Nowhere else have the intricacies of carnival been more profoundly explored and dissected than here by the artful mastery of prose in this defining portrait. Lovelace's stinging critique of race and politics is poignant and luminously presented. With heavy symbolism and sensitivity, the story reaches successfully beyond Caribbean life to touch the larger human condition itself. The central figure of Aldrick (whose "mission" is to performa the Dragon dance during carnival) embodies a entire people's frustrations and aspirations. This is an unexaggerated powerful tale by one my absolute favorite Caribbean writers. This story is timeless and one of Lovelace's best creations, far surpassing, in my opinion, his other wonderful novels like "The Wine of Astonishment", "The Schoolmaster", or even "Salt." Anyone sincerely interested in Caribbean culture and literature will find this novel indispensable reading.

Alan Cambeira
Author of AZUCAR! The Story of Sugar (a novel)

Rating:
Summary: Double Vision in Carnival
Review: The "double vision" of Caribbean life is portrayed in the life of Aldrick who is caught between generational and cultural conflicts. And all of this during Carnival! The Dragon Can't Dance was almost prophetic in the depiction of the commercialization of Mas. Change always brings choice and Lovelace's characters highlight the necessary pain that comes with any decision.