It is a substantial book with a number of intriguing levels, which are testimony to the author's skill and versatility. It is a work of considerable scope and imagination, by turns, inspiring, poignant and hopeful. Although it is a fiction, there is authenticity in the attitudes it takes, and credibility in the characters, settings and situations it portrays.The characterisation of the Africa to America and the conflict created by their subjugated history coming into contact with aroused hopes and aspirations is sensitively and authentically approached. The detail, which is plentiful, brings the story alive and is well selected and intuitively observed. The plot races along without loosing its momentum, aided considerable by the structure of the novel.