Memories of MontserratDr. Irene S. Prospere has written a beautiful anthology of endemic colloquialisms from the perspective of one versed in the wit and nuances of the island people of Montserrat. Every syllable is heavily laced with the lilt and sharpness of a happy and carefree people, rich with the mixture of Irish brogue and colonial English. She conjures the sweet memories of her home and of days past, growing up with her siblings, cousins, and friends in her beloved village of Collins Ghaut in St. John's, Montserrat. Walking barefoot to and from school and getting up before the sun to do all her chores are fond memories of a time long gone. The characters in her stories are family, her mother and father, her brothers Wellington, Daniel, Stanley, Clyde, and Everton and her sisters Mildred, Inez and Elizabeth (affectionately called Babylyn). Her main purpose in putting pen to paper is to capture all the memories, telling stories she heard of people she used to know and her many treasured friends, so that someday future generations can read Memories of Montserrat and never forget that the most important things in life are not riches or fame but family. |
