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anna_hamilton's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
brunogcarr's review against another edition
4.0
Interessante estreia de NoViolet Bulawayo, com um livro cheio de cores, sabores, cheiros e memórias. Uma história de tradições, de identidade e de pertença. Um testemunho de realidades completamente distintas.
Leitura que se faz em bom ritmo e que convida a voltar a Bulawayo.
Leitura que se faz em bom ritmo e que convida a voltar a Bulawayo.
oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition
(Zimbabwe)
Zingy! Stories told through an intense barrage of images; from a childhood spent running around a slum, in a place of belonging and dreaming big, to America, adrift in a land of 'possibility'. More like a collection of loosely connected short stories than a linear novel, so don't expect a neat wrapping up of plot. Ends abruptly and unconcluded, which might be frustrating for some. Personally, I enjoyed getting swept along in this mad current.
Zingy! Stories told through an intense barrage of images; from a childhood spent running around a slum, in a place of belonging and dreaming big, to America, adrift in a land of 'possibility'. More like a collection of loosely connected short stories than a linear novel, so don't expect a neat wrapping up of plot. Ends abruptly and unconcluded, which might be frustrating for some. Personally, I enjoyed getting swept along in this mad current.
trin's review against another edition
3.0
Powerful, emotionally potent novel about a young girl's childhood in Zimbabwe and teenage years in Michigan, and how neither home holds up to fantasy or nostalgia; in neither does the girl, Darling, find a place where she fits. It's a painful, unforgiving book, although not without humor -- you can feel Bulawayo's immense skill in the slyness of that, and her excellent POV work.
However, I found the book a bit scattered; there's no real thrust to the narrative, just a series of incidents. This is probably more true to life than the conventions of most novels, but it doesn't necessarily make for the best reading experience. Likewise, Darling's rage is blistering and realistic and earned, even/especially as a child of deprivation toward people she later encounters with a wide variety of eating disorders. But I personally found those parts incredibly hard to read, and they take up a not insignificant part of the book.
In spite of these reservations, I am eager to see what Bulawayo writes next.
However, I found the book a bit scattered; there's no real thrust to the narrative, just a series of incidents. This is probably more true to life than the conventions of most novels, but it doesn't necessarily make for the best reading experience. Likewise, Darling's rage is blistering and realistic and earned, even/especially as a child of deprivation toward people she later encounters with a wide variety of eating disorders. But I personally found those parts incredibly hard to read, and they take up a not insignificant part of the book.
In spite of these reservations, I am eager to see what Bulawayo writes next.
emeraldgarnet's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the story of an emigrant who feels alienated in their new country while simultaneously drifting apart from their country of origin.
The writing is easy to understand.
The writing is easy to understand.
searobin's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This took me a bit to get into, and upon reflection, I think that is because this was more like a series of short stories centered around the same person than a novel.
hillersg7's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.5
A compelling read - and quite a stunning debut novel - this story begins in a shanty called Paradise with a group of children making up their own games, dreaming of living in other paradises such as America, Dubai, Europe. As they grow up and find ways to make new homes, the dreams are not quite what they hoped for. Sometimes funny, often heart-breaking, with strong themes of home and exile.
vickihill's review against another edition
5.0
There's two chapters that stood out for me - How They Left, and How They Lived. How They Left is two pages, lyrical and poetic, it's very moving.
interestedinblackbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Have you ever read a book that told your own story so well it seems almost like you whispered the words to the author?