nov23-upload

FictionLiterary FictionComing of Age

Cross-Stitch

Review by Alice Cary

After receiving widespread acclaim for the autobiographical Linea Nigra: An Essay on Pregnancy and Earthquakes, Mexican writer Jazmina Barrera delivers a dreamy yet compelling exploration of female friendship and coming of age in her fiction debut.

In Cross-Stitch, Mila finds her world shattered when she gets word that a childhood friend, Citlali, has drowned in the sea in Senegal. Few details are available about this shocking news, leading Mila to wonder if the death was an accident or suicide. As she organizes Citlali’s memorial service, Mila begins to sift through memories of Citlali and their mutual friend Dalia, whom she hasn’t seen for years. Sewing has long been central to Mila’s life—in fact, she’s just published a book about embroidery—and the three girls often sewed together. Now Mila muses, “I haven’t worked out how to sew and think about Citlali without pricking my fingers.”

Mila and Citlali had a middle school teacher who pointed out “that the words ‘text’ and ‘textile’ had the same root: the Latin texere, to weave, braid, or compose.” Throughout Cross-Stitch, Barrera weaves, braids and composes the story of the trio’s friendship into a plot so convincing and emotionally intelligent that readers may mistake it for a memoir, while seamlessly incorporating intriguing tidbits about the history of embroidery. The notes cover topics ranging from embroidery in ancient Egypt to a recent global campaign using crochet to raise awareness of the destruction of coral reefs due to climate change. Barrera’s prose is insightful and precise, and MacSweeney’s translation conveys a natural, conversational rhythm.

Barrera aptly writes: “While techniques for healing wounds have evolved over the centuries, a needle and thread are still commonly used. Something in the tissues, in the weaves . . . may offer answers to how other wounds can be healed.” As Mila desperately tries to make sense of both their shared history and Citlali’s loss, Cross-Stitch draws readers into the many strands uniting Mila, Dalia and Citlali.

Jazmina Barrera weaves, braids and composes this story of a trio of friends into a plot so convincing and emotionally intelligent that readers may mistake it for a memoir.
NonfictionMusicArts & Culture

Goth: A History

Review by Catherine Hollis

Following on the success of his 2017 memoir, Cured, Lol Tolhurst returns with what he calls a “memoir of a subculture.” Goth: A History is Tolhurst’s compendious exploration of the music, art, literature and fashion that made up the dark side of post-punk. The Cure—which he co-founded as drummer with Robert Smith and Michael Dempsey—is often seen as one of the instigators of the movement, alongside bands like Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Joy Division. Richly illustrated with flyers and photos from Tolhurst’s private collection, Goth is a coffee table book for the discriminating vampire.

Goth was always more than black eyeliner and black clothes; in Tolhurst’s reading, it reflects the bleak social and political context of Margaret Thatcher’s England. As a philosophy, it suggests a melancholic point of view and a willingness to contemplate obsessive love, madness and death. In Goth, Tolhurst catalogs the poets and artists whose work appeals to those who also love goth music. Sylvia Plath’s novel The Bell Jar was a massive influence on Tolhurst, as were the poets T.S. Eliot and Anne Sexton. Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is obviously goth, as are the death- and madness-drenched poems of Charles Baudelaire. David Bowie, Alice Cooper and Marc Bolan of T. Rex each have goth elements and were also early influences on Tolhurst.

Inevitably, a good part of this book focuses on Tolhurst’s time with The Cure as the drummer and later keyboardist. (He left the band in 1989). He dwells on The Cure’s three early albums, culminating in the magisterial fourth, “Pornography,” as exemplary goth music. But he is also generous in his assessment of other bands, tracing the continuation of goth music from the post-punk era in England to the Los Angeles goth scene and beyond. Structured as mini essays, Goth can feel disjointed, and Tolhurst at times is repetitive. But fans will find themselves immersed. It’s a beautiful book, full of concert photos, portraits and band flyers. Tolhurst is a passionate storyteller and an elder goth statesman worth listening to.

The Cure’s Lol Tolhurst explores the influences and impact of goth music and culture in an immersive new coffee table book.
NonfictionMemoir

Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant

Review by Linda M. Castellitto

The titular eatery in documentarian and activist Curtis Chin’s charming and contemplative debut memoir, Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant, is Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine, which Chin’s great-grandfather opened in 1940. Until its closure in 2000, the restaurant was a beloved fixture of Detroit’s former Chinatown. Even as the city’s fortunes shifted and changed, Chung’s persevered as a place to get delicious food (especially their famous almond boneless chicken), play a rousing game of mahjong and mingle with people from all walks of life.

With a straightforward writing style and appealingly conversational tone, Chin leads readers through the early years of his life, beginning with “Appetizers and Soups” and ending with “The Fortune Cookie.” After all, he writes, “The important lessons that guided me through my childhood came served like a big Chinese banquet . . . a chorus of sweet and sour, salty and savory, sugary and spicy flavors that counseled me toward a well-led, and well-fed, life.”

Achieving that well-fed life was initially challenging, thanks to Chin’s feeling that he didn’t fit in anywhere: at home as the middle child of six; at the restaurant, where he felt overlooked amid the high-energy hustle-bustle; and at school, where he contended with racism. And for many years, he was hesitant to come out, noting, “No one in my family ever said anything anti-gay . . . but no one said anything positive about being gay either.” 

Readers will root for the author as he moves along his journey of self-acceptance, which was, he notes with dryly humorous empathy for his former self, not without missteps: His eighth grade New Year’s resolution was “not to be gay,” and in high school, he “became the Asian Alex P. Keaton” to show that he was “as apple pie as anyone” in school.

Ultimately, Chin finds a community of kindred spirits at the University of Michigan who help him assert his identity as a liberal gay man, discover his writerly talents and gain new perspective about his parents and the family business. Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant is an engrossing chronicle of a city, a restaurant, a family and a boy’s path from anxious uncertainty to hard-won confidence.

Set in Detroit’s beloved Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine, Curtis Chin’s memoir shows his path from anxious uncertainty to hard-won confidence.
NonfictionLifestylesCookbooks

Gennaro’s Cucina

Review by Susannah Felts

Gennaro’s Cucina: Hearty Money-Saving Meals From an Italian Kitchen by Gennaro Contaldo focuses on cucina povera, the traditional cooking of rural Italy, where seasonality and a “waste not want not” lifestyle deliciously intersect. If you love to buy loaves of artisan bread but often find them stale before you can eat them up, grab this book. Numerous recipes incorporate past-its-prime bread—you’re probably familiar with panzanella, but here we’re introduced to ribollita, a Tuscan bean and bread soup; cooked bread with rocket and pancetta; and many more dishes that make me want to go out and buy a loaf just to let it sit until I’m ready to cook. But meat and fish are hardly overlooked here, nor is pasta (after all, what is it but a bit of water and flour?) and sweets such as mini ricotta doughnuts and Sardinian sweet ravioli. 

Highlighting the cuisine of rural Italy, Gennaro’s Cucina is a zero-waste cookbook that makes every scrap of food delicious.
RomanceFantasy Romance

Hunt on Dark Waters

Review by Amanda Diehl

Katee Robert launches a pirate fantasy romance series with the sexy and adventurous Hunt on Dark Waters.

A witch and a thief, Evelyn doesn’t mind courting a bit of trouble, going so far as to steal some jewels from her vengeful vampire ex-girlfriend. She just didn’t expect that escaping her ex’s clutches would result in her tumbling through a portal and into the Threshold, a sort of oceanic waiting room between realms. 

Bowen is a member of the Cwn Annwn: a gang of pirates who patrol the Threshold and vanquish any monsters seeking to terrorize the realms beyond. Bowen, who has no memory of his life before he was tasked with leading the crew, has seen stranger things in the Threshold than a cunning witch appearing out of nowhere. Unfortunately for Evelyn, now that she’s aboard Bowen’s ship, the Crimson Hag, she’s bound by the laws of the Threshold to stay there forever. But Evelyn has never played by rules, so she keeps an eye out for a chance to betray Bowen and find her way home, even as they grow closer while battling otherworldly enemies. 

Why Katee Robert is reviving the pirate romance.

Whip-smart, snarky and most definitely chaotic good (perhaps even chaotic neutral), Evelyn gives as good as she gets and makes every scene she’s in more interesting. Bowen is straight man to Evelyn’s loose cannon: He’s loyal to his crew and takes his responsibilities seriously, and Evelyn quickly finds that getting under his skin is her new favorite pastime. She’s lusty and loud, and never hides her attraction to Bowen, even when they’re at each other’s throats.

However, this is not a will-they-won’t-they romance: The question is rather whether Evelyn and Bowen will make it out alive. Hunt on Dark Waters is a fast-paced and delightful fever dream of fantasy creatures, mysterious magic and sizzling sexual innuendo. Many of Robert’s recent romances have been sexy twists on fairy tales or myths, but Robert threw everything but the kitchen sink into this romance, letting her imagination run wild to create something completely original. Hunt on Dark Waters stands out for its sheer entertainment and excitement. It’s “yes and . . .” from the very first page. Embrace the chaos.

Katee Robert’s Hunt on Dark Waters is a fast-paced and delightful fever dream of fantasy creatures, mysterious magic and sizzling sexual innuendo.
NonfictionGraphic Memoirs

I Must Be Dreaming

Review by Alice Cary

New Yorker contributor Roz Chast is among America’s favorite cartoonists, especially since publishing her acclaimed 2016 memoir about her parents’ decline and death, Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? As she notes in I Must Be Dreaming, her dream consciousness is “sometimes irritatingly similar” to her waking consciousness. Cartooning, she says, “sometimes feels dreamish”—a comment paired with a scene of herself at her drawing board, “staring slack-jawed at a blank piece of paper,” trying to come up with an idea. Perhaps it was inevitable that she would write a book about dreams.

Chast dedicates the book to the “Dream District of our brains, that weird and uncolonized area where anything can happen, from the sublime to the mundane to the ridiculous to the off-the-charts bats.” What could be more intimate? I Must Be Dreaming is, of course, personal, but lighthearted and self-deprecating in Chast’s trademark, inimitable style. She illustrates and describes numerous dreams, such as being shirtless on a bus (“No one cares”); living with a sharp-toothed, homicidal baby (“A SWAT team had to be called in”); and her mother somehow owning O.J. Simpson’s famous glove (“That glove belongs in a SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX!”). Chast, as always, is a genius at mining her life for bits she can exaggerate into comic gold, expertly portraying relatable emotions to her reader. In just a few panels, she manages to distill the essence of her “mishmash” of visions while conveying their utter absurdity. “Surprising!” she writes, in a cartoon showing actor Glenn Close “covered with thousands of baby spiders.”

Between the ages of 15 and 17, Chast kept a dream journal; she did so again much later, after her children were grown up, using the latter as fodder for this book. She begins by noting recurring dreams and themes (tooth issues, being pregnant and old) and uses chapters to categorize them (celebrity dreams, nightmares, body horror). A final chapter highlights dream theory, from Freud and Jung to more modern neuroscience, in a way that’s not only informative but also hilarious. She summarizes her own beliefs about dream science into one of her signature pie charts, noting, “To me, a book without a pie chart is hardly a book at all.” I Must Be Dreaming takes Chast’s legion of fans on yet another uproarious, touching and zany ride. If only Chast could illustrate and explain everything, the world would be a much happier, funnier place.

Longtime New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chaste’s I Must Be Dreaming is an uproarious, touching and zany ride.
Children's & YAPicture BookChildren's

Lawrence & Sophia

Review by Jill Lorenzini

Lawrence, a human with a fuzzy hat and wide eyes, prefers to remain in his own house and yard, reading or tinkering on his projects, rather than facing the unfamiliar figures of life beyond the fence. Sophia, a frazzled bird, similarly keeps to the trees, far away from the shadowy perils below. A moment of bravery leads to a chance meeting and an instant friendship between the two that slowly pushes their self-imposed boundaries. When a massive storm hits, it is everything the duo fears. But perhaps something beautiful can grow from the destruction. In a slight—but lovely—departure from author Doreen Cronin’s typical comical animal antics, Lawrence & Sophia is an endearing tale of friendship.

Though more subdued in tone, Lawrence & Sophia maintains the wry humor from Cronin’s popular Diary of a Worm and Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type. Cronin’s word choice is impeccable. Frequently repeated words keep the story predictable and without frills—making it a good choice for beginning readers—while echoing Sophia and Lawrence’s black-and-white mindset. Their broad characterizations of the world as “dangerous” or “loud” may resonate with young children and bring opportunities to discuss how our perception can differ from reality.

The soft color palette of Brian Cronin’s illustrations enhances the warm atmosphere of the text. His depictions of the characters’ expressions add a layer of sophistication and humor. Both bird and boy are frightened of what lurks beyond their realm, but those shadowy figures are drawn to be easily recognizable (a garter snake, the neighbor and his dog) by readers—making Lawrence & Sophia a safe story for bedtime. That said, a double-page storm spread is striking and just the right amount of alarming.

There is always room on the shelf for new stories about friendship and facing your fears. Lawrence & Sophia is a sweet, attractive and heartfelt addition.

In a slight—but lovely—departure from author Doreen Cronin’s typical comical animal antics, Lawrence & Sophia is an endearing tale of friendship.
FictionLiterary FictionHistorical Fiction

Let Us Descend

Review by Erica Ciccarone

To read Jesmyn Ward is to be carried by her epic, transformative language to the dark heart of the American South and, once there, to be surprised by the stark beauty of the region’s people. Let Us Descend, the Mississippi author’s fourth novel, brings Ward’s intimate knowledge of place to the pre-Civil War South, where her captivating narrator, teenage girl Annis, is enslaved. A two-time National Book Award winner (2011’s Salvage the Bones and 2017’s Sing, Unburied, Sing), Ward writes in the traditions of William Faulkner and Toni Morrison—but this story is unmistakably her own.

The journey begins at a North Carolina rice plantation owned by the enslaver who fathered Annis through rape. In a shady clearing in the woods, Annis’ mother teaches her to fight, yet their relationship is one of intense tenderness. When the enslaver sells Annis’ mother, our heroine is left grief-wracked. Before long, she too is sold downriver on a harrowing march to the slave markets of New Orleans. In North Carolina, she eavesdropped on her white half-sisters’ lessons about Dante’s Divine Comedy. Now, Annis recognizes her own descent through the circles of hell.

Let Us Descend is infused with the supernatural. Spirits approach Annis on her journey, offering protection and oblivion. Astute and intuitive, Annis steels herself against temptation, grounding herself in memories of her mother. The theme of mothering extends to the care Annis offers to and receives from the girls and women around her, which allows the characters to maintain their dignity and assert their humanity. These interactions are a balm not only to Annis but also to the reader. Ward constantly reminds us that oppressed people retain “soft parts” that the evils of slavery can never truly touch.

Though Annis seldom speaks and her dialogue often consists of single, short sentences, her thoughts sing with Ward’s signature lyricism. Ward’s choices of first-person point of view and present tense anchor us in Annis’ imagination. The narrator pictures her mother’s eyes “shriveled to pale raisins”; the ropes that bind her are “abrasive as a cat’s tongue on my open wrists”; a dying man is “a tunneling worm, shifting the earth above him.” These vivid observations and poetic interpretations express her resistance against bondage, her abiding understanding of beauty and her will to survive.

We sometimes forget that the descent in Dante’s Divine Comedy is a journey toward God. Ward’s reimagining of slavery is the profound manifestation of that possibility.

We sometimes forget that the descent in Dante’s Divine Comedy is a journey toward God. Jesmyn Ward’s portrayal of slavery is the profound manifestation of that possibility.
RomanceHistorical Romance

Never Wager With a Wallflower

Review by Maya Fleischmann

Never Wager With a Wallflower, Virginia Heath’s third (and sadly, final) entry in her thoroughly gratifying Merriwell Sisters series, is an enemies-to-lovers romance full of delightful repartee between two complex lead characters. 

Handsome Galahad “Gal” Sinclair is one step closer to fulfilling his dreams of opening a swank and luxurious gambling hall. After moving to England from America as a youngster due to woeful family circumstances, Gal applied all the lessons his grandfather taught him about the gambling business, and has finally saved enough to purchase a property in London’s notorious Covent Garden district, which was infamous in the Regency era for its crime and debauchery. While admiring his new acquisition, he bumps into Miss Venus “Vee” Merriwell and discovers that the aloof Vee, his cousin’s wife’s sister, volunteers at the orphanage next door. Realizing they will be seeing each other frequently, Gal tries to smooth over their previously adversarial relationship. But will Gal be able to drop his unflappable facade, and will Vee be able to move beyond her impression of him as a selfish playboy? Especially when she thinks the property he bought was basically stolen from the orphanage?

Gal and Vee are likable protagonists and worthy adversaries. They both have strong personalities, egos and visions for their futures, and each has misconceptions about the other that fuels their continued antipathy. Heath efficiently conveys their backstories: Vee’s through diary entries that explain her romantic disappointments and disdain for men; and Gal’s through Heath’s judicious third-person narration and Vee’s investigations into his past. This information lends context and nuance to Vee’s battle to keep the orphanage running and Gal’s desire to recreate his family’s fortune, which in turn makes their efforts to achieve their goals while not destroying their mutually blossoming love all the more enthralling. Heath’s stylish voice nimbly portrays Vee and Gal’s stormy and flirtatious courtship. Their witty conversations will keep readers engaged, with fingers firmly crossed for the couple to succeed in both work and love. 

Blending charm, heartache and humor, Never Wager With a Wallflower is a glorious indulgence for lovers of Regency romance.

Blending charm, heartache and humor, Never Wager With a Wallflower is a glorious indulgence for lovers of Regency romance.
RomanceContemporary Romance

Next-Door Nemesis

Review by Dolly R. Sickles

If you’ve ever had a beef with your homeowners association, you’re going to relate to Alexa Martin’s newest rom-com, Next-Door Nemesis. Because in the world of suburbia, the HOA is everybody’s enemy.

When Collins Carter moves back to her childhood home in the wake of a professional meltdown and bad breakup, she’s not expecting to run into Nathaniel Adams. They were friends once, until Nate opted for the greener pastures of teenage popularity and morphed from her best friend to nemesis nearly overnight.

Unfortunately, time has been good to Nate. He’s a hotshot realtor living his best, most successful life right next door to Collins’ parents. He’s also the current vice president of the local HOA, and struts around like he’s the king of his own little fiefdom. Martin uses Nate and Collins’ yearslong derision for each other to set up one fun disaster after another. Nate insists on being in control of everything concerning the neighborhood, while Collins creates roadblocks left and right to throw him off course. She soon has the brilliant idea to dethrone Nate on the next vote for HOA president, which for him would be tantamount to full, total failure. Collins’ embrace of chaos makes her the perfect foil for Nate’s perfection: It’s fun to see her chip away at his levelheaded facade, and it’s just as fun to see him lose his cool.

Martin uses the seemingly lighthearted HOA battle to reveal the deeper emotions both characters are trying to navigate. Winning the presidency isn’t the true goal of either character—rather, the election becomes an outlet for each to fight for control over their own destinies. It doesn’t take long for the cracks in their supposed antagonism to appear, and for the reader to realize that Collins and Nate actually love each other. Both are equally worthy of redemption, and equally capable of giving each other a second chance.

All the hallmarks of Martin’s appeal (as seen in contemporary romance gems such as Intercepted and Better Than Fiction), are present: an enviable, robust friend squad; snappy dialogue; and a slow, but very hot romantic buildup. It’s sexy. It’s steamy. And it sure is fun.

Two former best friends go to war over their local homeowners association in Alexa Martin’s steamy and extremely fun rom-com Next-Door Nemesis.
Children's & YAMiddle GradeChildren's

Nowhere Special

Review by Alice Cary

“A thin and scrawny thing,” Elpidia has been repeatedly attacked by her female cousins in a family feud that extends to the family’s youngest members. She lives with her Abuela in a trailer and helps out at Abuela’s cantina while dreaming of someday owning a food truck and escaping the barren Southern California desert. Her parents burned down their home and are in prison for drug-related convictions.

Her classmate Stan—the only white kid in their sixth-grade class—is dealing with bullying as well, and is unable to protect himself against his father’s drunken rages. Stan’s mother and Elpidia’s grandmother independently decide that their charges need to learn how to defend themselves, so they take them into the deep desert to learn from Charlie Ramos, a legendary local figure known as “El Escorpion” who teaches a style of Filipino fighting. Nowhere Special will engross readers from start to finish. Before turning to writing, author Matt Wallace was a professional wrestler and instructor in unarmed combat and self-defense. He notes in a content advisory that the book addresses “heavy issues with very personal meanings to me, and I’ve done my absolute best to write about them in a way that will be appropriate for preteen readers.” Characters throughout the novel’s memorable scenes struggle to develop the responsibility and judgment needed to escape a destructive, unending cycle of violence.

Wallace excels at depicting realistic family scenarios, complex moral dilemmas, and good-hearted, but flawed, adults. Nowhere Special offers moments of hope and redemption amidst poverty and great tragedy. Although there are no tidy resolutions, Stan and Elpidia grow empowered and discover the salvation that close friendships can provide. Despite the seemingly insurmountable difficulty of their family and social situations, these protagonists’ dreams feel possible by the end of the book.

Author Matt Wallace excels at depicting realistic family scenarios, complex moral dilemmas, and good-hearted, but flawed, adults.
Children's & YAPicture BookChildren's

Pass the Baby

Review by Lisa Bubert

Pull up a chair at this family’s joyful and very chaotic family dinner. Multiple generations are here—Grandma and Grandpa, Mommy and Papi, Brother and Sister, Tía and Tío, the dolly and the doggie—for an evening meal filled with their favorite foods: enchiladas, ravioli, meatballs and guacamole. But everyone’s favorite part of the meal? Passing the baby!

Passed around the table like a favorite dish, the baby is the rambunctious heart of Pass the Baby. Young readers will love to sing this picture book’s refrain, “Baby, baby, pass the baby!” as the baby is lifted above smiling faces with eager arms.

While author Susanna Reich’s bouncing rhymes flow (just as the baby does from hand to hand) and capture the ebullient joy of a large family meal, illustrator Raúl Colón performs the heavy lifting of bringing the story to life. In Colón’s artwork, the baby cannot be contained; the food is flying everywhere; messes that the dog is all too happy to clean up are made by flying arms and legs. Laughter or alarm appears on all the faces at the table, depending on who is next in the baby’s path. The call becomes one of necessity—pass the baby so Grandma can clean up the coffee the baby has spilled; pass the baby so she will stop piling cake and cookies, “very, very, VERY high”; pass the baby because her flailing legs just kicked Papi in the nose!

While the story possesses lovely verses, it could benefit from more regular pacing with the “pass the baby” refrain. Pass the Baby might be a bit too long for a group storytime read, but it will be excellent for any child who loves to take time enjoying a book’s illustrations. The strong duo of Reich and Colón bring this diverse, riotous family meal to life and will have readers asking for seconds, please.

The strong duo of Susanna Reich and Raúl Colón bring this diverse, riotous family meal to life and will have readers asking for seconds, please.
Children's & YAPicture BookChildren's

Patchwork Prince

Review by Brittany Sky

Based on author Baptiste Paul’s childhood experiences in St. Lucia, Patchwork Prince is a moving story about familial love and pride despite hardship. One night, a mother and her son collect fabric scraps discarded by a wealthy factory owner. Over the course of their adventure, the boy transforms figuratively into a prince. Princes must be patient, fast, alert and brave. After the duo escapes with piles of vibrant fabric scraps, his mother—queen of this “modest kingdom”—must get to work creating her prince’s royal attire.

Illustrations by Kitt Thomas, a fellow St. Lucian, thrum with color and movement. Readers will be awed by tiny details on each page: glimmering stars, the many fabric patterns and the glow of the candlelight. As in previous picture books such as My Fade is Fresh and Stacey’s Remarkable Books, Thomas’ artwork is distinct for its softness, vibrancy and texture, making the characters and settings burst to life.

Patchwork Prince invokes in readers both the fear and hope felt by the prince. As the prince bravely wears his mosaic garment around his friends, his expression of pride reminds readers to find joy in the beautiful gifts we receive throughout life. The young prince’s admiration toward his mother’s creative process will delight caregivers who read this book to their charges. The love between mother and son, shown most of all through their cuddle in the last illustration, will drive readers to snuggle up closer during storytime and imagine ways they might also transform into royalty.

Paul and Thomas have created a marvelous book that depicts the regal beauty of their homeland for all to admire.

Baptiste Paul and Kitt Thomas have created a marvelous book that depicts the regal beauty of their homeland, St. Lucia, for all to admire.

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