Ruth Fenisong (1904–1978)

Meh. Quite a mediocre novel. I wouldn't have finished it if it didn't cover the Bahamas for my around-the-world challenge. It's like Cinderella except set in the Bahamas and involving no supernatural elements, and Cinderella is a boy. The protagonist, a ten-year-old named Ron, lives with evil foster parents who abuse him, work him like a slave and refuse to send him to school. Then he randomly meets a deus ex machina in the form of a rich white guy who decides, after having known him for about three days, to rescue him from the foster parents and adopt him. Yawn. The only really good thing I can say for the story is that I think the dialogue was spot-on -- sounding very Caribbean without being stereotyped.… (meer)