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bergenslabben's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
preston_gubbals's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
zamyatins_fears's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
2.0
I can see why this was given so much attention at the time, but something about the writing style made it a bit of a slog for me. Also there is a particular violent scene which seems to be the author's self insert drawn from his experiences as an abuser. I didn't realize it at the time I picked up this book, but it turns out he rather bragged openly about the mistress he had and how he would beat her. Some of the sentences which he uses to describe that real life dynamic are echoed within his characters almost word for word.
There were some quotable bits and interesting nuggets of insight, but a lot of it just seemed... both racist and misogynistic, with little to redeem it that hasn't been said in much better ways in much better books.
There were some quotable bits and interesting nuggets of insight, but a lot of it just seemed... both racist and misogynistic, with little to redeem it that hasn't been said in much better ways in much better books.
dustysummers's review against another edition
4.0
"But Africa was big. The bush muffled the sound of murder, and the muddy rivers and lakes washed the blood away."
rmkenny2013's review against another edition
1.0
No wonder the main character was such a piece of sexist trash, the author could only write what he himself was. The author has said there are no female writers ever as good as him, spoke about beating his mistress and that “she liked it.”, and in an interview he stated he only got real pleasure from prostitutes, published while his wife was dying of cancer. Screw this man and good riddance that he is now deceased.
txa1265's review against another edition
3.0
Last year I re-read Naipaul’s ‘Guerillas’ which was the first of his books I read on recommendation from a high school teacher in ~1980. The prose and storytelling remain good, but the way the author’s misogyny in particular leaks into the narrative was distracting.
‘A Bend in the RIver’ from 1979 is regarded along with 1961’s ‘A House for Mr Biswas’ as his greatest novels. Told from the perspective of Salim, a merchant and Indian transplant to an unnamed Central African country with similarities to the former Zaire. There are post-colonial themes of the struggles in Africa and the plight of outsiders as the continent seeks to reestablish its identity.
The narrative and growing and spreading tension are all extremely well done - Naipaul is a master in setting up grand scenes that maintain a singular human perspective.
Yet it is in that perspective that I find Naipaul’s greatest weaknesses, things that tell me just as I consider 2022 my final re-read of Guerillas, I will never pick up this novel again - the stunted human views are simply not worth enduring.
Naipaul is well known as a horrible misogynist - some things, like his assertion that all women writers are inherently inferior to men, were known shortly before his death. But his physical abuse and domination and poor treatment of women came out more recently. These revelations make certain scenes in his books more stark and disturbing.
Also disturbing was the inherent base violence and malevolence attributed to African men as if part of some inescapable racial characteristic not found in outsiders. By writing off violence as inherently African, and inferiority as inherently a characteristic of women … Naipaul undercuts any other insights he makes throughout the book.
I was conflicted as I finished and closed my more than 40 year old first edition paperback - Naipaul was an incredibly gifted writer, but an incredibly flawed and limited human. Those things are more broadly on display here than in Guerillas (which is viewed as one of his worst novels, but which I greatly prefer). I will eventually re-read ‘A House for Mr. Biswas’ but need a palate cleanser (or several) first!
‘A Bend in the RIver’ from 1979 is regarded along with 1961’s ‘A House for Mr Biswas’ as his greatest novels. Told from the perspective of Salim, a merchant and Indian transplant to an unnamed Central African country with similarities to the former Zaire. There are post-colonial themes of the struggles in Africa and the plight of outsiders as the continent seeks to reestablish its identity.
The narrative and growing and spreading tension are all extremely well done - Naipaul is a master in setting up grand scenes that maintain a singular human perspective.
Yet it is in that perspective that I find Naipaul’s greatest weaknesses, things that tell me just as I consider 2022 my final re-read of Guerillas, I will never pick up this novel again - the stunted human views are simply not worth enduring.
Naipaul is well known as a horrible misogynist - some things, like his assertion that all women writers are inherently inferior to men, were known shortly before his death. But his physical abuse and domination and poor treatment of women came out more recently. These revelations make certain scenes in his books more stark and disturbing.
Also disturbing was the inherent base violence and malevolence attributed to African men as if part of some inescapable racial characteristic not found in outsiders. By writing off violence as inherently African, and inferiority as inherently a characteristic of women … Naipaul undercuts any other insights he makes throughout the book.
I was conflicted as I finished and closed my more than 40 year old first edition paperback - Naipaul was an incredibly gifted writer, but an incredibly flawed and limited human. Those things are more broadly on display here than in Guerillas (which is viewed as one of his worst novels, but which I greatly prefer). I will eventually re-read ‘A House for Mr. Biswas’ but need a palate cleanser (or several) first!
pream's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This postcolonial literature piece is truly remarkable. While it may be a bit lengthy, the way V.S. Naipaul portrays the concept of hybridity is simply brilliant in my eyes. Personally, I found myself connecting the most with the protagonist Salim and his close friend Indar. They navigate the postcolonial Africa with a sense of disjointedness, grappling with their identities. The motifs used in this book are just different and hard-hitting.
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0