Walcott's photograph on the back of the 1st edition sums up the feeling of Bounty- Sorrow, the grief of the death of friends and loved ones, faith in God seen "as through a glass darkly", the exhaustion of a sensitive man aware of his own mortality. Yet, through it all is the great sense of gratitude for the folk culture of the country that has nurtured him. And if he will not make great declarations of religious faith, he is thankful for the sun on the leaves, the ocean outside his door, the songs of Sessenne the folk singer of St. Lucia. Like Crusoe and Odysseus, this fortunate traveller has returned to his bench on the edge of the sea under the breadfruit leaves, "where stars and fireflies breed." This poet is past posturing. "The only art left is the preparation of grace", and even now, ever the bright eyed poet (behind the tears of the aging sage), he is "going down to the shallow edge to begin again." Walcott's only vocation has been poetry, his universe that of letters. In this he has never lost his faith.

READING THIS IS LIKE PAINTING A PORTRAIT . IT GLIMMER LIKE THE JEWEL OF THE CARRIBEANBLUE TONE IS A DEEP PATHOSOF PERSONAL EMOTION THAT COME ONLY COME FROM THE PEN OF ONE WHO LOVES HIS HOMELAMD AND WRITE ABOUT IT

Walcott's poetry sweeps you along on a series of vivid and memorable images that leave you breathless.

One of the best travel book series, with attention to detail, plus numerous color photographs and fine maps. Lots of instructions regarding practical travel matters. (Travel Books
Review)

If these delectable guides' plentiful pix don't get you drooling to explore, you need to get your salivary glands checked. The text is also noteworthy. (...)

I recently bought this book on amazon.com. We are traveling to St. Lucia for our honeymoon and this book tells us everything fun to do and see! Wonderful color pictures!

Barbara Kingsolver possesses an amazingly adventurous breadth of literary talent. She has written novels, short stories, essays, nonfiction, and poetry. Although I don't believe her short stories stand out as brilliantly as does the rest of her writing, they are nonetheless enjoyable reading.

The two stories in this collection that particularly stood out to me were the title story, "Homeland," and "Covered Bridges." "Homeland" is the moving story of Gloria St. Clair, a native of "a coal town hacked with sharp blades out of a forest that threatened always to take it back," and her "Great Mam," a woman who belonged to the Bird Clan, "one of the fugitive bands of Cherokee who resisted capture in the year that General Winfield Scott was in charge of prodding the forest people from their beds and removing them westward." It is particularly lyrical and full of evocative images, metaphors, and language, drawing on Kingsolver's own Kentucky and Cherokee roots and apparent love of the land and its native peoples.

"Covered Bridges" has a familiar Kingsolver protagonist with a background that reflects Kingsolver's own educational and professional background in biology, and particularly her interest in quirky, little-known biological facts. Lena is a specialist in toxicology and operates a poison hotline at the county hospital. We also discover that Lena has a deadly allergy to the stings of bees and wasps. "Covered Bridges" explores the relationship between Lena and her husband and examines the question of whether or not they want to have children.

I readily recommend Kingsolver's earlier work, but discourage reading her more recent work, starting with "Prodigal Summer." I admire her most for the risks she takes in tackling new and different projects and genres (even "Prodigal Summer"), rather than rehashing the same, well-worn theme. Reading these stories provides a fuller picture of who she is as an author and where her passions, concerns, and interests lie.

Rose-Johnny is the shining star in this awesome collection of short stories. It deals with many different small-town prejudices, and the outrage at the 11 year-old level that little Georgeann feels. My favorite story, from a humor standpoint, is Blueprints. Although it is not a funny story per se, the comments and thoughts that Lydia makes about Whitman's friends are hilarious. These friends are so concerned about Mother Nature and the environment, but haven't bothered to visit them once they moved out of the evil city into the foothills. These same friends insist that fertilized eggs are better for you than unfertilized eggs (show me the scientific evidence), and name their children after vegetables. I am sure these guys look at you wrong if you don't buy organic coffee beans from Guatemala. I think Barbara Kingsolver has little tolerance for those nature-type-wanna-be's (here, here).

All these and the rest of the stories are beautifully crafted, with many reflections on nature. Wonderful book, not to be missed.

Homeland and other stories is a wonderful collection of extremely well-written short stories! Exploring the themes of family and nature, Barbara Kingsolver opens our eyes to different points of view, and shows us new ways of looking at old points of view. Kingsolver is, in short, a genius! The masterpiece of this collection is Rose-Johnny, a story about a very masculine woman and the little girl who befriends her, and the price paid for truly being "different" in American Society. Other great stories are: Homeland, Stone Dreams, and Quality Time. Read this book, make your soul grow.

I decided to buy this book because I have family that still lives in St. Lucia. The book actually speaks about them. I found it to be enjoyable reading and very enlightening. The pictures are informative but nothing like a "voyage to the island" itself. It can be a bit slow but definitely a good book to read at least once. Hope you enjoy.

This is the true story of a late-deafened woman, her hearing husband and two sons who move from Finland to the Carribean for two years. The book reads a bit like a diary; with day to day humor and struggle of being in a new culture, trying to figure things out, and feeling isolated from the deaf community and family back home. That's when Raija meets the American Peace Corps volunteer and his newly opened deaf school. She teaches children (age 12-16) their first language, and eventually takes one child into her home. This book is an interesting look at language aquisition, and also the power of community. Anyway, it's just a light and enjoyable read.