[.ca] The Lonely Londoners (Longman Caribbean Writer Series) (ISBN 0582642647)

very funny, but misogynistic and a titular letdown:
I just got this novel and finished it in under 6 hours. You can't put it down once you start. The style is refreshing esp. for West Indians, b/c it's entirely written in dialect--narration as well as dialogue, but it's still understandable for those outside the Caribbean. There is a stream of consciousness section that i found a bit confusing, but this is the first novel I just had to read aloud.

let me clarify:
i said it was "misogynistic and a titular letdown andthis is why: It's VERY funny, up there with Naipaul's Miguel Street, but the title would make you think that the novel would go a bit deeper into the issues of immigration, adjusting to a new country etc. Selvon explores the community formed by these outsiders (the main characters are mostly male) but it is a superficial kind of network. The novel starts out well, describing humourously how difficult it is to adjust to the cold weather, and in 1950's London, a Jim Crowish racism with slogans like "keep London white" etc. To give him credit Selvon does comment on the superficial relationships ate the end of the novel, so hey it could be that this was exactly the experience he wanted us to have: see the shallow networks thruout, wonder why the characters don't then have 1 of them in particular Finally come to terms with it) But these men don't seem so lonely to me, most of the novel is one sexual conquest after another (not detailed, the expletives are also replaced with dashes) and women are constantly replaced with "a piece of skin", "a little thing", "a cat" "a craft" and the women who are detailed are either prostitutes, battered wives, gossipers etc. etc. Unlike the cover's mention of "living hand to mouth", these men seem to be all for sowing their royal oats, and whatever they earn is spent straightaway on prostitutes. so \owhoevever said\c this book shows the caribbean world-view, i beg to differ. Instead of seriously commenting on the racism, Selvon reinforces it and trivialises it. The men's antics don't expose "harsh realities" but seem to reinforce the xenophobic idea that the immigrats are lazy and without ambition. One instance that disappointed me was one character's conversation with his skin which he calls "Black", in which he says: "A little work, a little food a little sleep.. we only want to get by, we don't even want to get on". Although it's as funny as Miguel Street, that novel went deeper and showed really how sad and frustrated those lives were. In "MS" the characters all yearn for more beneath the superficial boasting, but "LL" makes them appear unambitious and content so long as they had the basic necessities.

Funny and informative:
This is Selvon's best work. It explores the lives of a group of West Indians mainly Trinidadians and Jamaicans who leave the Caribbean to live in London. They came looking for a better life and what they found was bitter coldness both from the unforgiveable winters and the cold prejudice of the people they encounter. They experience hunger and hopelessness, discrimination for jobs and on the job but they are able to survive. It tells much about the spirit of the West Indian abroad. I would recommend this book to anyone who both want to learn more about West Indian people and who enjoy a good laugh. It is Selvon at his best.

A humourous story of London's 1950s immigrants:
The humour in this book makes it palatable. Otherwise the straitened circumstances of the characters would make you cry. The title sums it up. The post-war period in London was one of high immigration, with people re-settling due to the war, and due to the economic demands of Britain's economy for migrant workers. This is the story of a few of those migrants, concentrating mainly on the West Indian community, but also featuring a Polish woman. The story shows the daily lives of its characters, their difficulties in finding accommodation, the racism and fear they faced, and the rare examples of friendship from the quasi-indigenous population. The book is an easy read, and short enough never to become tiresome. Selvon occasionally sacrifices narrative consistency to make a few points, and this detracted slightly from my enjoyment of the book. On the whole, though, this comes highly recommended.

A "must read" for all lovers of West Indian literary works.:
"The Lonely Londoners" is my favorite book of all time! With this purchase, I would have bought a total of five(5) copies. The other four however, have gone to the "loaned-a-friend-and-never-got-it-back" graveyard in the sky. Selvon's account of West Indian immigramt life in 50's/60's London is riveting, poignant and tearfully funny. With realism and timeliness, he captures the unique brotherhood of survival that was the lifeblood of the network that sprung up in Brixton. Wait until you meet "Tall Boy" as he greets his family at the boat train at Paddington. "All of we come...!"