You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum!

by Andy Stanton, David Tazzyman
You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum! cover
Good Books rating 4.19
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  • ID: 2945
  • Added: 2025-10-16
  • Updated: 2025-10-16
  • Reviews: 4
Reviews
goodreads.com · Unknown · 2025-10-21
compelling 4.50

The novel intertwines themes of familial love and the inescapability of history, focusing on the Bradshaw family in the Virgin Islands. The story explores complex relationships, the impact of historical events, and the struggle for independence against a backdrop of myth and magical realism.

Tiphanie Yanique's novel Land of Love and Drowning is a rich tapestry of familial love and the inescapable grip of history. The story centers on the Bradshaw family, particularly sisters Eeona and Anette, as they navigate their lives in the Virgin Islands during a time of significant historical change. The novel delves into the complexities of family relationships, love, and the impact of historical events on personal lives. The characters' struggles against their family history and the broader historical context are vividly portrayed, making the narrative both deeply personal and universally resonant. Yanique's use of magical realism and multiple narrative voices adds depth and intrigue, creating a world that is both real and mythical. The novel's exploration of themes such as love, history, and identity makes it a compelling read that invites reflection on the forces that shape our lives.

Quick quotes

    Family will always kill you — some bit by bit, others all at once. It is the love that does it.

    History could do that, change a person’s name. History was something so simple and insistent that none of us has escaped it.

    The Duene do not want us to follow them because they protect the wild things from our destruction. The women protect the sea. The men protect the land.

summerreadingchallenge.org.uk · Unknown · 2025-10-21
engaging 4.00

The novel follows the Bradshaw family across generations in the Virgin Islands, exploring themes of love, magic, and identity. The characters, particularly Eeona and Anette, are compelling and contrasting, with the story offering a rich blend of historical and magical elements.

Land of Love and Drowning is a multigenerational epic set in the Virgin Islands, spanning from 1916 to the 1970s. The story revolves around the Bradshaw family, focusing on the sisters Eeona and Anette, and their half-brother Jacob. Eeona is portrayed as a beautiful but cold woman, burdened by her family's secrets and her own self-perception. Her sister Anette, on the other hand, embodies freedom and impulsiveness, contrasting sharply with Eeona's restrained nature. The novel delves into themes of love, fate, and the complexities of identity in a colonial context. The magical realism elements are woven seamlessly into the narrative, enhancing the rich descriptions and character development. While the story may feel disjointed at times, the depth of the characters and the vivid setting make it a compelling read.

Quick quotes

    She was seeing herself running alongside the beach that flanked them now on the left. Seeing herself like a beautiful animal with hair flying behind her. She was galloping. She was something to be feared. She loved herself most like that. She also hated herself most like that. But no matter, because she missed herself most like that.

    Eeona never forget that she a lady from a genteel family. Me? I forget all the time. I laugh with my mouth open wide-wide.

    The story is told through the two Bradshaw daughters, Eeona and Anette, and their half-brother Jacob.

goodreads.com · Unknown · 2025-10-21
mixed 3.75

The book is praised for its lush writing and beautiful Virgin Islands-specific details, with historical elements artfully woven into the story. The characters are complex and flawed, with the incestuous relationship between the eldest sister and her father being a controversial aspect. The book is seen as an epic for the Virgin Islands, but some readers found the characters lacking empathy or understanding.

The book is highly regarded for its lush and delicious writing, filled with beautiful Virgin Islands-specific details. The author skillfully weaves elements from history into the story, creating a rich and immersive narrative. The characters are complex and flawed, with the incestuous relationship between the eldest sister and her father being a particularly controversial aspect. Some readers found this relationship to be a limiting factor, while others saw it as a representation of broader societal issues. The book is seen as an epic for the Virgin Islands, but some readers found the characters lacking in empathy or understanding, making it difficult to connect with their stories. Despite this, the unique and beautiful writing, set against the backdrop of a unique place in time, makes the book a memorable read.

Quick quotes

    The writing is lush and delicious, and full of beautiful Virgin Islands-specific details.

    The texture, world. And characters of the book are fully fleshed out.

    I feel so terribly ignorant when I read books like this that are about places that should be better known and yet are not.

harpercollins.com · Unknown · 2025-10-21
brilliant 4.50

The Land of Love and Drowning is a family drama intertwined with the history of St. Thomas, exploring themes of belonging and identity. The Bradshaw sisters, Eeona and Anette, navigate their lives against the backdrop of cultural and personal upheaval, with the author's beautiful prose and use of dialect adding depth to the narrative.

The Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique is a richly layered family drama that delves into the complexities of belonging and identity. The story follows the Bradshaw sisters, Eeona and Anette, as they navigate their lives on the island of St. Thomas, which is undergoing significant cultural and political changes. The novel beautifully captures the tension between tradition and modernity, as well as the personal struggles of the characters. The author's use of dialect, particularly in Anette's chapters, adds a unique and compelling voice to the narrative. The prose is evocative and poetic, making the reading experience immersive and emotionally resonant. The themes of family secrets, personal destiny, and the impact of historical events on individual lives are explored with depth and sensitivity. The novel's strength lies in its ability to weave together personal and historical narratives, creating a tapestry that is both intimate and expansive.

Quick quotes

    her running away had finally taken her to a haunted place where the past greets you at the door.

    This is not so much a speculative fiction story as a novel with speculative elements.

    The way the fantasy elements are treated reminded me a little of Jo Walton’s Among Others, where the plot of the story doesn’t orbit around the magic (except when it does).

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