The White Woman on the Green Bicycle, Monique Roffey
The White Woman on the Green Bicycle, Monique Roffey
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The White Woman on the Green Bicycle

Author: Monique Roffey

Narrator: Adjoa Andoh

Unabridged: 12 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/17/2011

Synopsis

A beautifully written, unforgettable novel of a troubled marriage, set against the lush landscape and political turmoil of Trinidad. Monique Roffey’s Orange Prize-shortlisted novel is a gripping portrait of post-colonialism that stands among great works by Caribbean writers like Jamaica Kincaid and Andrea Levy. When George and Sabine Harwood arrive in Trinidad from England, George is immediately seduced by the beguiling island, while Sabine feels isolated, heat-fatigued, and ill-at-ease. As they adapt to new circumstances, their marriage endures for better or worse, despite growing political unrest and racial tensions that affect their daily lives. But when George finds a cache of letters that Sabine has hidden from him, the discovery sets off a devastating series of consequences as other secrets begin to emerge.

About Monique Roffey

Monique Roffey was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and educated in the UK. Since then she has worked as a center director for the Arvon Foundation and has held the post of Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Sussex, Chichester, and Greenwich universities. She is the author of several highly acclaimed including novels Sun Dog and Archipelago, which is a finalist for the 2013 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature. She has also written a memoir, With the Kisses of His Mouth.

About Adjoa Andoh

Adjoa Andoh is an Audie Award and Earphones Award–winning narrator and an actress of British film, television, stage, and radio. In 2022, she was awarded the AudioFile Golden Voice Award. She is known on the UK stage for lead roles at the RSC, the National Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre, and the Almeida Theatre, and she is a familiar face on British television. She made her Hollywood debut starring as Nelson Mandela’s chief of staff, Brenda Mazikubo, alongside Morgan Freeman as Mandela in Clint Eastwood’s Invictus.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Adanma on August 07, 2011

It frightens me that this novel could be nominated for an internationally recognized literary award. I have given it two stars only for its offering of a rare snapshot of Trinidadian daily life before 1990. This snapshot however is on a purely superficial level, with fantastic imagery but nearly juv......more

Goodreads review by Stacey on March 16, 2024

After reading Roffey's novel, The Mermaid of Black Conch I knew I needed to read more of her books. The White Woman on the Green Bicycle 🚲 tells the story of married couple, George and Sabine Harwood, spanning 50 years in Trinidad. The book begins in 2006 when Sabine is now in her 70s, reflecting o......more

Goodreads review by BookOfCinz on March 09, 2020

In the 1950s British couple George and Sabine Harwood arrive in Trinidad and Tobago for George to start his new role. The couple's goal was to be there for 2 year- 3 years max but by 2006 we realize they are there for life. A lot happens over the next 5 decades- George assimilates to Trinidad, buys......more

Goodreads review by Daniel on July 10, 2021

This lushly written novel blends politics, colonialism and race with an intimate depiction of a couple’s marriage over a fifty year span in post colonial Trinidad.Narrated with shifting time frames and alternating perspectives, we glimpse a portrait of a complex and evolving society that is reconcil......more

Goodreads review by Misha on May 29, 2021

My reaction to The White Woman on the Green Bicycle can only be described as a mixed bag. There are parts I really liked and parts I didn't. Monique Roffey's vivid depiction of Trinidad along with the lush imagery, is my favorite part about the book. Before this, I wasn't curious or even knowledgeabl......more

Awards

  • Orange Prize Shortlist
  • AudioFile Earphones Award
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