Reviews

Abandoned Baobab by Ken Bugul

_martapimi_'s review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

chenescape's review

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful medium-paced

4.0

froggyc's review

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dark informative

2.25

tithiam's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional fast-paced

3.5

negritudexo's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced

3.0

themiscyra_anna's review against another edition

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4.0

Eine spannend geschriebene Autobiografie und gleichzeitig eine aktuelle Erzählung einer Suche nach Bedeutung in der Moderne.
CNs: Suizidalität, Vergewaltigung, sexuelle Übergriffe (teilweise an Kindern), (auch internalisierter) Rassismus, (auch internalisierte) Homofeindlichkeit, Polyam-Feindlichkeit, Drogen, Misogynie

selinasandra's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

3.5

Je suis très contente d‘avoir lu ce livre car il montre aux lecteurs/-trices les difficultés auxquelles une femme africaine, venant en Europe aux années 1970, devait faire face. En plus, l‘oscillation de la narratrice entre les valeurs traditionnelles qui lui ont été transmises par sa famille et les valeurs libérales de la bourgeoisie bruxelloise, ainsi que l‘aliénation qu‘elle ressent en Afrique aussi bien qu‘en Europe, ce qui résulte dans une vraie quête de soi, sont très émouvantes et parfois troublantes.
Néanmoins, j‘avais l‘impression que la narratrice reste assez distante envers les lecteurs et parfois j‘aurais souhaité qu‘elle élabore un peu plus certains événements.

sofiasko's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

lyricallit's review

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2.0

I didn't much enjoy this book. Perhaps once I have a chance to talk about it with my classmates, I can get a better understanding of the novel. I don't have high hopes, though. The overall narrative structure of the novel was very off-putting; the speaker felt quite distanced from her audience. At times it felt like listening to someone talk to herself -- you feel like you're intruding, a little awkward and confused at hearing only one side of a conversation. Additionally, the chronology jumped around without a lot of warning or explanation. By the end of the novel, I was downright frustrated with the speaker. I felt sorry for her, yes; she absolutely experienced awful events in life no one should have to experience. But she hinted at moments, especially towards the end in scenarios with her family, where I saw intimations at opportunities for her to reach out but instead she retreats, psychologically arrested in continually mourning a past she cannot change. Again, maybe my classmates can help me better understand this novel and this character. For me, she did very little in the narrative form to help me really understand and connect to her.

*edit* After discussing this in class, I can at least appreciate what this novel tries to discuss and address. I still don't think it's a book I would recommend to others, but I can at least respect the discussion it evokes.
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