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macondo_soul's review against another edition
3.0
I got the pleasure of meeting Aminatta and hearing her talk about her life journey. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, it was a bit repetitive at times, and one of the questions from a reader's perspective, what happened with her mom during the last years of the book?
aguaa's review against another edition
5.0
um. i feel ridiculously connected to the protagonist and her life experiences,, also i'm so mad. so tired. things could've been different. they could be
"i had the map in my hand and i was in the act of agreeing a price for it, haggling in a mixture of creole and english, when i heard a series of sharp cracks, like the sound of burning bamboo splitting in the heat of the fire. the stallholder heard it too. he looked from left to right and without a word he disappeared, ducking out of sight behind his stall. the crackling sounded a second time. somewhere in the back of my brain i dimly recognised the sound. i had heard it before somewhere. behind a voice, distantly over a telephone wire. gunfire! the strange thing was how silently we all ran. no one screamed. people rushed up the hill towards state house, young men, women carrying babies; vendors left their display boxes by the kerb, children scattered. a poda poda had lurched to a stop and the passengers burst out of the back doors. one man dived through the passenger-seat window, was momentarily stuck half in, half out, and then scrambled to freedom. i ran a few yards and then veered sharply to my right, down the side of the booths. i saw a hairdresser's shop and headed for the door. i turned to look for morlai. i caught sight of him running up the street, hemmed in by the crowd, his head turning frantically from side to side as he sought me. 'morlai!' morlai saw me and struggled to break free of the mass. i reached out my hand, searching for his. i grasped his hand and pulled him bodily out of the crowd. 'it's all right! it's all right!' said morlai – he was grinning suddenly. the stampede had stopped, people were standing around. i heard laughter. 'it's the electricity,' explained morlai, panting, pointing at the overhead wires. we walked back a few paces and looked down the street. a broken electric cable danced on the road, crackling and sending up showers of sparks like a firework. the man who had leapt from the window of the minibus stood nearby. he was young, lanky and dressed in jeans and gold chains; now he looked sheepish. my heart was still beating fast. people began to tease each other, falling about, laughing hard, too hard. a woman next to me in a tight tamula and lappa shrieked at the sight of the map seller as he re-emerged from beneath his stall. her neck was taut and knotted with veins as she pushed her face forward. her laugh was shrill and unending, a cascade of discordant notes."
"i had the map in my hand and i was in the act of agreeing a price for it, haggling in a mixture of creole and english, when i heard a series of sharp cracks, like the sound of burning bamboo splitting in the heat of the fire. the stallholder heard it too. he looked from left to right and without a word he disappeared, ducking out of sight behind his stall. the crackling sounded a second time. somewhere in the back of my brain i dimly recognised the sound. i had heard it before somewhere. behind a voice, distantly over a telephone wire. gunfire! the strange thing was how silently we all ran. no one screamed. people rushed up the hill towards state house, young men, women carrying babies; vendors left their display boxes by the kerb, children scattered. a poda poda had lurched to a stop and the passengers burst out of the back doors. one man dived through the passenger-seat window, was momentarily stuck half in, half out, and then scrambled to freedom. i ran a few yards and then veered sharply to my right, down the side of the booths. i saw a hairdresser's shop and headed for the door. i turned to look for morlai. i caught sight of him running up the street, hemmed in by the crowd, his head turning frantically from side to side as he sought me. 'morlai!' morlai saw me and struggled to break free of the mass. i reached out my hand, searching for his. i grasped his hand and pulled him bodily out of the crowd. 'it's all right! it's all right!' said morlai – he was grinning suddenly. the stampede had stopped, people were standing around. i heard laughter. 'it's the electricity,' explained morlai, panting, pointing at the overhead wires. we walked back a few paces and looked down the street. a broken electric cable danced on the road, crackling and sending up showers of sparks like a firework. the man who had leapt from the window of the minibus stood nearby. he was young, lanky and dressed in jeans and gold chains; now he looked sheepish. my heart was still beating fast. people began to tease each other, falling about, laughing hard, too hard. a woman next to me in a tight tamula and lappa shrieked at the sight of the map seller as he re-emerged from beneath his stall. her neck was taut and knotted with veins as she pushed her face forward. her laugh was shrill and unending, a cascade of discordant notes."
babsellen's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this memoir. It was very moving, engaging and informative about the recent history of Sierra Leone, a country I knew nothing about. Forna is a gifted writer, and I look forward to reading her novels. This memoir was written to honor her father's memory and to put closure to the events and people surrounding his death.
Part I plunges us into Forna's quixotic childhood in Africa, Scotland and London. The chronology is scattered, which can be confusing for the reader, who yearns to know where she is at what age. All we can gather is that most of the first part she is age 0-10. We meet a host of characters important to her life, mostly family (including extended) but also family friends and employees who helped raise her and her siblings. I found the gorgeous use of language, stream of consciousness and even a bit of magic realism extremely enticing. All this and a decidedly compelling story.
Part II deals with the adult Aminatta's search for the truth of her father's mysterious death. Riddled with names and places, I found the writing quite tedious for the most part, with exciting plot-driven breaks in the monotony now and then. To be fair, I believe this author to be more at home in fiction writing, though this memoir with all her research is a tribute to her much beloved father and her only way of memorializing him. I think she has succeeded. By the end of her searching she has managed to appreciate the beauty of her country and its people amidst the horror and political violence.
Part I plunges us into Forna's quixotic childhood in Africa, Scotland and London. The chronology is scattered, which can be confusing for the reader, who yearns to know where she is at what age. All we can gather is that most of the first part she is age 0-10. We meet a host of characters important to her life, mostly family (including extended) but also family friends and employees who helped raise her and her siblings. I found the gorgeous use of language, stream of consciousness and even a bit of magic realism extremely enticing. All this and a decidedly compelling story.
Part II deals with the adult Aminatta's search for the truth of her father's mysterious death. Riddled with names and places, I found the writing quite tedious for the most part, with exciting plot-driven breaks in the monotony now and then. To be fair, I believe this author to be more at home in fiction writing, though this memoir with all her research is a tribute to her much beloved father and her only way of memorializing him. I think she has succeeded. By the end of her searching she has managed to appreciate the beauty of her country and its people amidst the horror and political violence.
chrissireads's review against another edition
1.0
I thought this book had some interesting parts in it, but overall it didn't interest me as much as I had hoped.
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
3.0
A really interesting book that I felt I learned a lot from. Heartbreaking at points, but with a lot of characters to get your head round. At times, this felt a bit overwhelming. Definitely worth a read though for anybody interested in African history/politics.
brmills's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
I grew up in Liberia at the time in which this book was set so it was a very personal read for me - everyone would learn so much from reading this however.