I'm sorry that you found The Coloured Girl in the Ring a "sluggish read." Perhaps you may find its sequel, Calabash Parkway, somewhat less so.
By the way, "due to" as you write in "due to poverty..." does not mean "because of." It means "caused by."
You may find the following reviews on The Coloured Girl in the Ring of some interest: One is written by Dr. Frank Birbalsingh, a professor of English at York University in Toronto, and the other by Mr. Gokarran Sukhdeo who teaches English in Queens, New York.
I've always thought that of all the reviews I've read on The Coloured Girl in the Ring, theirs indicated a perfect grasp of what I was trying to do--not because the reviews were positive, but because as experienced teachers of English, they had a very clear understanding of my literary intention.
I'm currently writing a novel named Sweet Sugar Water which is set largely in British Guiana during the sugar plantation era and which explores feminist themes related to the hardship of plantation living for Guianese women, as well as to their confrontation with breast cancer even in those times. I expect that this novel will be out in the spring.
Again, thank you for your interest in my work and I hope we get an opportunity to meet some time if my health permits.
Sincerely,
Brenda DoH
