Book of the Little Axe

When I heard the premise of this book, I was intrigued and skeptical. A woman of African descent from Trinidad ends up in what is now known as Big Horn, Montana in 1830? Really? The likelihood and the logistics baffled me. Well, Francis-Sharma handles this masterfully with confidence backed up by compelling characters, complicated relationships, and what must have been a tremendous amount of research.It is written in three threads: a teenager, Victor coming of age in the Crow Nation in 1830, his mother Rosa’s story of growing up in 1796 Trinidad, and Creadon Rampley finding his way in the American West of the early 1800s. Loosely entwined at first, the weave of the story lines becomes increasingly tighter until they fuse into a single spell-binding narrative. Full review at carolmitchellbooks.

Such a story of great history great love and great survival!!

Im fine now, she whispered. You can live in grief or You can push grief outside of you. Rosa #bookofthelittleaxe

There is no place in this land for humility. Edward Rose #bookofthelittleaxe

To lose your life while still living it is to know no greater sorrow. Rosa #bookofthelittleaxe

Ma lay beside him, settling into the feather bed, and Victor could smell her morning washed skin and her breath sweet with ripe berries, and he thought then there must be no greater comfort in all the many worlds than a mothers body wrapped about yours. #bookofthelittleaxe

How to Love and not break is a question that wont be answered in my lifetime, for sure. #bookofthelittleaxe

Touch was a long lost memory. #bookofthelittleaxe

The book of the little axe produces a feeling of being present in every setting. The author provides details so clear, and a story so imaginative, that you have to experience each characters journey, which is easy to find real. Given the historical context and well researched organization of this story, I am so glad to have just read it as a reference to what the world is witnessing right now, Summer 2020. The truth always comes to light, time always tells. Thank you, Lauren Francis-Sharma for your contribution!

I love Till the Well Runs Dry, so I was thrilled when I learned Lauren Francis-Sharma had a second novel coming out this year. Her first book chronicled the tribulations and triumphs of a Trinidadian family that emigrates to the United States in the twentieth century. Returning to what might seem like familiar territory for her second novel, Francis-Sharma turns her keen eye this time to an earlier era. A time fraught with uncertainty when Trinidad changes from Spanish to British control, leaving even free black landowners in peril. Leaving the family farm she loves, Rosa Rendn finds a new life in Montana with the Crow chief Edward Rose. Both are haunted by loss of the worlds they once knew and the dangers of a hostile present. Wondering what kind of future her son Victor will inhabit, Rosa must face her childs true inheritance. In a story whose themes of race, identity, and upheaval are especially relevant in our own turbulent times, Book of the Little Axe is a reminder that even in the face of inhumanity, the greatest faith is hope.

A provocative story about life, love, family, motherhood, belonging, colorism, classism, racism, African and Native American history. Fiction marries non-fiction in this compelling and provocative story. The author masterfully incorporated historical events that took place in Trinidad and into the old American West territory.
Lauren Francis-Sharma skillfully crafted a captivating story that entertained as well as educated us with what was obviously an extensive amount of research. Crucial to the story was each character’s role. The characters were entangled in complicated relationships. All were necessary for the ultimate journey in seeking freedom, that only knowing the truth can bring.
The main character Rosa Rendon would take us on an unlikely feat for people of color during the 1800s. She freely crossed the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, journeying from Trinidad to the American West territory.
Rosa exhibited feminists tendencies, refusing to be choke-hold into woman servitude. She boldly took hold of life, challenged the ideations, social beliefs, and laws that governed gender biases. For Victor, it’s a coming of age story, struggling with needing to belong and self-identity. With the strength of his mother’s love, he would embark on a tumultuous journey of finding his truth, unblocking his path.

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