Reviews
"Few novels capture the postcolonial culture with such searing honesty as this Caribbean story told through the alternating viewpoints of a white British couple over the last 50 years. . . . The pitch-perfect voices capture the colonials' racism and sense of entitlement." - Booklist "A rich and highly engaging novel." - The Guardian "Roffey's evocation of Trinidad is extraordinarily vivid, the central relationship beautifully observed... deservedly short-listed for the Orange Prize." -Kate Saunders, The Times (London) "Heart-rending and thought-provoking, you will never again see the Caribbean as just another holiday destination." - Elle Magazine "Equal love and attention go into the marriage and the country at the heart of this Orange Prize short-listed novel... It's a book packed with meaty themes, from racism to corruption to passion and loyalty." -Seven, The Sunday Telegraph "Roffey's Orange Prize nominated book is a brilliant, brutal study of a marriage overcast by too much mutual compromise." - The Independent "A searing account of the bitter disappointment suffered by Trinidadians on securing their independence from British colonial rule and of the mixed feelings felt by a white couple who decide to stay on. An earthy, full-blooded piece of writing, steaming with West Indian heat." - London Evening Standard "[Roffey's] plot engages the reader through a gradual revelation of the past - slowly forming a melancholy whole." - Financial Times "Monique Roffey is a writer of verve, vibrancy and compassion, and her work is always a joy to read." -Sarah Hall, "Engaging. . . . A firebomb of a book, revealing a slowly disintegrating marriage, a country betrayed and a searing racism that erupts in terrible violence. . . . This is a stunning book, and its depiction of an aspect of Caribbean life is well worth contemplating." -- The Cleveland Plain Dealer "Roffey's explorations of longtime marriages, race, and the lingering effects of colonialism are insightful and often painful to read. . . . The true main character in this novel is Trinidad itself: its people, its customs, and its contradictions." --Nancy Pearl, NPR "Few novels capture the postcolonial culture with such searing honesty as this Caribbean story told through the alternating viewpoints of a white British couple over the last 50 years. . . . The pitch-perfect voices capture the colonials' racism and sense of entitlement." -- Booklist "A rich and highly engaging novel." -- The Guardian "Roffey's evocation of Trinidad is extraordinarily vivid, the central relationship beautifully observed... deservedly short-listed for the Orange Prize." --Kate Saunders, The Times (London) "Heart-rending and thought-provoking, you will never again see the Caribbean as just another holiday destination." -- Elle "Equal love and attention go into the marriage and the country at the heart of this Orange Prize short-listed novel. . . . It's a book packed with meaty themes, from racism to corruption to passion and loyalty." --Seven, The Sunday Telegraph "Roffey's Orange Prize nominated book is a brilliant, brutal study of a marriage overcast by too much mutual compromise." -- The Independent "A searing account of the bitter disappointment suffered by Trinidadians on securing their independence from British colonial rule and of the mixed feelings felt by a white couple who decide to stay on. An earthy, full-blooded piece of writing, steaming with West Indian heat." --The London Evening Standard "Her plot engages the reader through a gradual revelation of the past - slowly forming a melancholy whole." --Financial Times " The White Woman on the Green Bicycle is a love story wrapped in Trinidad's political drama. Secrets from a decades-long relationship are revealed as the husband reads his wife's undelivered letters to Eric Williams, the charismatic leader of the island nation in its infancy." -- Pride Magazine, "Engaging. . . . A firebomb of a book, revealing a slowly disintegrating marriage, a country betrayed and a searing racism that erupts in terrible violence. . . . This is a stunning book, and its depiction of an aspect of Caribbean life is well worth contemplating." - The Cleveland Plain Dealer "Roffey's explorations of longtime marriages, race, and the lingering effects of colonialism are insightful and often painful to read. . . . The true main character in this novel is Trinidad itself: its people, its customs, and its contradictions." -Nancy Pearl, National Public Radio "Few novels capture the postcolonial culture with such searing honesty as this Caribbean story told through the alternating viewpoints of a white British couple over the last 50 years. . . . The pitch-perfect voices capture the colonials' racism and sense of entitlement." - Booklist "A rich and highly engaging novel." - The Guardian "Roffey's evocation of Trinidad is extraordinarily vivid, the central relationship beautifully observed... deservedly short-listed for the Orange Prize." -Kate Saunders, The Times (London) "Heart-rending and thought-provoking, you will never again see the Caribbean as just another holiday destination." - Elle Magazine "Equal love and attention go into the marriage and the country at the heart of this Orange Prize short-listed novel... It's a book packed with meaty themes, from racism to corruption to passion and loyalty." -Seven, The Sunday Telegraph "Roffey's Orange Prize nominated book is a brilliant, brutal study of a marriage overcast by too much mutual compromise." - The Independent "A searing account of the bitter disappointment suffered by Trinidadians on securing their independence from British colonial rule and of the mixed feelings felt by a white couple who decide to stay on. An earthy, full-blooded piece of writing, steaming with West Indian heat." - London Evening Standard "[Roffey's] plot engages the reader through a gradual revelation of the past - slowly forming a melancholy whole." - Financial Times "Monique Roffey is a writer of verve, vibrancy and compassion, and her work is always a joy to read." -Sarah Hall, "A rich and highly engaging novel." - The Guardian "Roffey's evocation of Trinidad is extraordinarily vivid, the central relationship beautifully observed... deservedly short-listed for the Orange Prize." -Kate Saunders, The Times (London) "Heart-rending and thought-provoking, you will never again see the Caribbean as just another holiday destination." - Elle Magazine "Equal love and attention go into the marriage and the country at the heart of this Orange Prize short-listed novel... It's a book packed with meaty themes, from racism to corruption to passion and loyalty." -Seven, The Sunday Telegraph "Roffey's Orange Prize nominated book is a brilliant, brutal study of a marriage overcast by too much mutual compromise." - The Independent "A searing account of the bitter disappointment suffered by Trinidadians on securing their independence from British colonial rule and of the mixed feelings felt by a white couple who decide to stay on. An earthy, full-blooded piece of writing, steaming with West Indian heat." - London Evening Standard "[Roffey's] plot engages the reader through a gradual revelation of the past - slowly forming a melancholy whole." - Financial Times "Monique Roffey is a writer of verve, vibrancy and compassion, and her work is always a joy to read." -Sarah Hall
