The Book of Colour

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The Book of Colour
The Book of Colour book cover.png
Author Julia Blackburn
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Pantheon Books
Publication date
September 12, 1995
Publication placeUSA

The Book of Colour is a novel by British author Julia Blackburn, published in 1995 by Pantheon Books. Blackburn's first novel, the book was praised by critics and shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction.

Contents

Background

The Book of Colour was the first novel by Blackburn, a writer previously best-known for her biographies. [1] Blackburn stated the novel was based on her own family history. [2] [ non-primary source needed ]

Summary

The narrative begins with a missionary on a 19th-century island in the Indian Ocean. His actions form the basis for the remainder of the story which follows his descendants. The novel explores themes of racial intolerance and guilt. [1]

Reception

The Book of Colour was mostly well-received by critics. Writing in the New York Times , Michiko Kakutani called the book "a dense, poetic tale of a family's inheritance." [3] Kirkus Reviews said the book was a "first novel of beauty and accomplishment". [1] Publishers Weekly offered a mixed review, describing the novel's central question as "dishearteningly rhetorical". [4]

Awards

The Book of Colour was shortlisted for the inaugural Women's Prize for Fiction in 1996.[ citation needed ]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Book of Colour". Kirkus Reviews . June 15, 1995. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  2. "The Book of Colour". Julia Blackburn. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  3. Lesher, Linda Parent (17 November 2015). The Best Novels of the Nineties: A Reader's Guide. McFarland. ISBN   9781476603896.
  4. "The Book of Color by Julia Blackburn". Publishers Weekly . July 31, 1995. Retrieved August 12, 2024.