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lizgrr's review
3.0
I’m glad I gave this book a try because it was a different style than I’m used to. It is not particularly plot driven, which made it a bit difficult to read at first until I realized that it wasn’t meant to be. It was an interesting look into the world of an immigrant in France in the modern day and was political in its own right. The language was a bit brusk and tone was a bit young for me. Definitely an interesting read and I learned.
rebecita's review against another edition
3.0
Like Katie said, this was a quick read from a fresh Parisian voice. I was drawn to the narrator and her family, but the story never really went anywhere.
sophiavass's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
vio's review against another edition
5.0
I was thinking of 4 to 5 stars. But then I remembered Faiza Guene got this particular book published when she was 22 years of age, so, yes, 5 stars.
I like the easiness she has in her writing. Very, very much.
I wouldn't say she paints tremendously memorable characters, but I like reading her books (this one has been my second).
I like the easiness she has in her writing. Very, very much.
I wouldn't say she paints tremendously memorable characters, but I like reading her books (this one has been my second).
amanda1793's review
2.0
2.5 stars.
I didn't mind this story... And I feel like the lack of interest and strong writing has to do with the fact that I read the translated version (and I find that can be a problem for some translated books) in terms of very cut storylines and lack of full understanding...
I had a hard time finding this story that interesting and at times found the main character to become annoying.
I would say read this if you are looking for something quick and light... Otherwise I'd skip it.
I didn't mind this story... And I feel like the lack of interest and strong writing has to do with the fact that I read the translated version (and I find that can be a problem for some translated books) in terms of very cut storylines and lack of full understanding...
I had a hard time finding this story that interesting and at times found the main character to become annoying.
I would say read this if you are looking for something quick and light... Otherwise I'd skip it.
williamc's review
3.0
This loosely structured novel uses lots of slang, non sequiturs, and some outrageous imagery -- all from the tongue of twenty-something narrator Ahleme -- to illuminate the adaptation of struggling Algerians to their new lives in France. Woven between Ahleme's criticisms of the boys she meets to date, the friends whose spending outpaces her income, and the family she struggles to help adapt to their lives in Paris' outskirts, are subtle reminders of the xenophobia and outright prejudice that confront immigrants in a world still focused on a nebulously defined 'War on Terror.' The heavier aspects of "Some Dream for Fools," however, easily give way to more accessible stories of family loyalty and economic struggle.
In fact, the novel succeeds because it is much more a universal coming of age story than it is an attempt to write a political novel. Ahleme shares a voice with a long literary line of questionably educated but wholly spirited, angst-ridden young adults struggling, as Holden Caufield did in "Cather in the Rye," with the phonies and frauds that can seem the only representatives of an uncaring and insincere adult world.
"Some Dream for Fools" has a freshness to its voice, an easy and enjoyable humor, and an unvarnished sincerity in Ahleme's narration that may not quite elevate the novel to literature, but certainly create an engaging world that is accessible, enjoyable, and eye-opening to those whose existence the reader might otherwise ignore.
In fact, the novel succeeds because it is much more a universal coming of age story than it is an attempt to write a political novel. Ahleme shares a voice with a long literary line of questionably educated but wholly spirited, angst-ridden young adults struggling, as Holden Caufield did in "Cather in the Rye," with the phonies and frauds that can seem the only representatives of an uncaring and insincere adult world.
"Some Dream for Fools" has a freshness to its voice, an easy and enjoyable humor, and an unvarnished sincerity in Ahleme's narration that may not quite elevate the novel to literature, but certainly create an engaging world that is accessible, enjoyable, and eye-opening to those whose existence the reader might otherwise ignore.
padddawan's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rkk104's review
5.0
LOVED the book. Thought the ending was a bit abrupt at first, but it fit with the whole point of the book - life for immigrants who live in the Parisian banlieues is cyclical. Great read, and very funny as well. My only problem with the book was the translation - I could tell some things were off, but I'm planning on picking up the French version anyway.
balancinghistorybooks's review against another edition
2.0
Guene has been on my radar for quite some time, so I decided to borrow this from the library when I spotted it nestled between two rather enormous books on the fiction shelves. The cultural details here were fascinating, but it felt rather too colloquial in its style; yes, I get that this was probably the point, but it was out of my comfort zone. Hell, I don't even know what 'man dem' means. (NB. My laptop automatically corrected that to 'man den', which sounds miles better to me. Beards and beer. Mmm.)
Whilst Dreams from the Endz was rather fitting to read in the current political situation, and in the face of the 'migrant crisis', I just didn't think it was very good in either its plot or its telling. Its characters were flat, and I would not read another of Guene's books again on this basis.
Whilst Dreams from the Endz was rather fitting to read in the current political situation, and in the face of the 'migrant crisis', I just didn't think it was very good in either its plot or its telling. Its characters were flat, and I would not read another of Guene's books again on this basis.