Annie John

A Novel

Fiction & Literature, Coming of Age, Literary
Cover of the book Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jamaica Kincaid ISBN: 9781466837782
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publication: June 30, 1997
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Language: English
Author: Jamaica Kincaid
ISBN: 9781466837782
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication: June 30, 1997
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Language: English

Annie John is a haunting and provocative story of a young girl growing up on the island of Antigua. A classic coming-of-age story in the tradition of The Catcher in the Rye and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Kincaid's novel focuses on a universal, tragic, and often comic theme: the loss of childhood. Annie's voice—urgent, demanding to be heard—is one that will not soon be forgotten by readers.

An adored only child, Annie has until recently lived an idyllic life. She is inseparable from her beautiful mother, a powerful presence, who is the very center of the little girl's existence. Loved and cherished, Annie grows and thrives within her mother's benign shadow. Looking back on her childhood, she reflects, "It was in such a paradise that I lived." When she turns twelve, however, Annie's life changes, in ways that are often mysterious to her. She begins to question the cultural assumptions of her island world; at school she instinctively rebels against authority; and most frighteningly, her mother, seeing Annie as a "young lady," ceases to be the source of unconditional adoration and takes on the new and unfamiliar guise of adversary. At the end of her school years, Annie decides to leave Antigua and her family, but not without a measure of sorrow, especially for the mother she once knew and never ceases to mourn. "For I could not be sure," she reflects, "whether for the rest of my life I would be able to tell when it was really my mother and when it was really her shadow standing between me and the rest of the world."

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Annie John is a haunting and provocative story of a young girl growing up on the island of Antigua. A classic coming-of-age story in the tradition of The Catcher in the Rye and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Kincaid's novel focuses on a universal, tragic, and often comic theme: the loss of childhood. Annie's voice—urgent, demanding to be heard—is one that will not soon be forgotten by readers.

An adored only child, Annie has until recently lived an idyllic life. She is inseparable from her beautiful mother, a powerful presence, who is the very center of the little girl's existence. Loved and cherished, Annie grows and thrives within her mother's benign shadow. Looking back on her childhood, she reflects, "It was in such a paradise that I lived." When she turns twelve, however, Annie's life changes, in ways that are often mysterious to her. She begins to question the cultural assumptions of her island world; at school she instinctively rebels against authority; and most frighteningly, her mother, seeing Annie as a "young lady," ceases to be the source of unconditional adoration and takes on the new and unfamiliar guise of adversary. At the end of her school years, Annie decides to leave Antigua and her family, but not without a measure of sorrow, especially for the mother she once knew and never ceases to mourn. "For I could not be sure," she reflects, "whether for the rest of my life I would be able to tell when it was really my mother and when it was really her shadow standing between me and the rest of the world."

More books from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Cover of the book People In Trouble by Jamaica Kincaid
Cover of the book The Bridge by Jamaica Kincaid
Cover of the book Children of the Future by Jamaica Kincaid
Cover of the book The Longest Fight by Jamaica Kincaid
Cover of the book Duet for Cannibals by Jamaica Kincaid
Cover of the book The Deleted World by Jamaica Kincaid
Cover of the book Brain Storms by Jamaica Kincaid
Cover of the book CoDex 1962 by Jamaica Kincaid
Cover of the book Capp Street Carnival by Jamaica Kincaid
Cover of the book White Egrets by Jamaica Kincaid
Cover of the book Knots by Jamaica Kincaid
Cover of the book Examined Lives by Jamaica Kincaid
Cover of the book Homage to Mistress Bradstreet by Jamaica Kincaid
Cover of the book The Word on the Street by Jamaica Kincaid
Cover of the book Prague in Black and Gold by Jamaica Kincaid
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy