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angelofthetardis's review against another edition
While I think the writing is very good, the style severely lets the story down. Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the daughters; one of whom is very young, another of whom is unable to speak and whose brain likes to process and interpret things backwards. It therefore feels like you're reading extracts from four diaries and trying to piece together the wider story from snippets of information the girls include. So as you can imagine, you don't actually get a lot of detail about the wider goings on; everything each girl says has themself at the centre of things. In some places, it almost reads like gibberish. It's clear a lot of thought has gone into the structure and the characters, but I just couldn't figure out what the story was meant to be about or why I was meant to care.
It also didn't help that none of the characters appealed to me. I got frustrated with the typical selfish teen behaviour of the eldest, the submissive mother and the idiocy and obstinacy of the father. Honestly, I think the only character that had even a modicum of appeal was Leah.
The attitudes of the characters reflect the period setting, so there is a lot of dismissal of Congolese culture as 'pagan' or 'idolatrous' compared to the zenith that is Christianity, a strong thread of xenophobia and a fair smattering of sexism and misogyny. And yet the author has managed to illustrate how moronic these attitudes are through the complete lack of understanding Nathan has for his surroundings. This was very cleverly done, but nevertheless does make for quite uncomfortable reading in many places.
It was certainly worth a try, but this was just too far outside my comfort zone to appeal.
Moderate: Xenophobia, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Ableism, Misogyny, Animal death, Religious bigotry, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
sylviet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Classism, Colonisation, Grief, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Child death, Death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and War
Moderate: Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal death
amsswim's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
You follow 4 daughters, their Mother, and Baptist Pastor Father deep into the Congo on their Fathers' mission to convert the people living there to Western Christianity. While the family goes through culture shock regarding that and their new realities, the country is self is trying to shed itself of Belgian colonialism. Despite it taking place in the 1960s, the story and the real world events occuring now still echo the exact same. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a more modern classic.
My favorite quote: "I found ... I had now wings ... I had lost my wings. Don't ask me how I gained them back, the story is too unbearable. I believed too long in false reassurances; believing as we all want to, when men speak of the national interests that it is also ours. In the end, my lot was cast with The Congo. Poor Congo; barefoot bride of men who took her jewels and promised the kingdom"
Graphic: Xenophobia, Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Child death, Ableism, Religious bigotry, Violence, Death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Racism, Misogyny, Animal death, Colonisation, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Trafficking, Genocide, and Medical content
sskinner155's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I liked the structure of this story and found each character pov interesting and distinct and the setting being the Congo before, during and after early independence to be intriguing. How each character reacted to not just their own family trauma and the guilt or lack there of for their country’s involvement in the downfall of Congolese independence.
Graphic: Classism, Domestic abuse, Child death, Racism, Emotional abuse, and Animal death
bookswithcuppatea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Death, Sexism, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
nicolaparty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Child death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Grief, and War
booksandbristol's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, and Racism
raru's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexism, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, and War
maggie_gentner's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Racism, Ableism, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, and Domestic abuse
nialiversuch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, War, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Racism, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Child death, Gore, Genocide, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture, Cannibalism, Sexual content, Vomit, Cursing, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, and Fire/Fire injury