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dzikuskareads's review against another edition
3.0
Kiama is an 18 years old man living with his father Lewis. His mother Emma has died tragically when he was 8. Since then Kiama suffers with night terrors.
He thinks that he can get rid of them if he goes back to Kenya and understands what's happened years ago. The boy thinks that his mum's old friend Yvonne is the perfect travel partner. She agrees to do it out of guilt and that's where the story begins.
I had really high expectations about this book. I'm a somehow disappointed. The whole story was really predictable in my opinion. There was a secret, no doubt about it but I feel the whole thing needed a bit more excitement.
The thing that I really loved about the book was the realness of the characters. It's like I was reading about the people that I could know. The relationship between Levis and his son is something I enjoyed the most. It was really heartwarming.
Returning to the homeland was interesting as well, I always enjoy discovering new cultures and food through the pages of the book.
I'm sure there is a lot of people who will enjoy this kind of contemporary story. Personally I need a bit more action. I'm definitely curious about Luan's debut novel “Nightingale Point” and I'll check it out if I get a chance.
He thinks that he can get rid of them if he goes back to Kenya and understands what's happened years ago. The boy thinks that his mum's old friend Yvonne is the perfect travel partner. She agrees to do it out of guilt and that's where the story begins.
I had really high expectations about this book. I'm a somehow disappointed. The whole story was really predictable in my opinion. There was a secret, no doubt about it but I feel the whole thing needed a bit more excitement.
The thing that I really loved about the book was the realness of the characters. It's like I was reading about the people that I could know. The relationship between Levis and his son is something I enjoyed the most. It was really heartwarming.
Returning to the homeland was interesting as well, I always enjoy discovering new cultures and food through the pages of the book.
I'm sure there is a lot of people who will enjoy this kind of contemporary story. Personally I need a bit more action. I'm definitely curious about Luan's debut novel “Nightingale Point” and I'll check it out if I get a chance.
ruhatts's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Enjoyable enough read but I found the protagonist's flaws and ensuing drawn out plot rather frustrating.
weebitsarcastic's review
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
3.0
serendipitysbooks's review
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Homecoming is a story of love, friendship, family, figuring out who you are and coming to terms with the past. It’s set over a twenty year period, shifts between the UK and Kenya and is centred on the friendship between Emma and Yvonne, Emma’s son Kiama and his father Lewis. Emma died when Kiama was young and now, ten years later, he has decided to return to Kenya where she died, and asks Yvonne to accompany him.
I liked the structure of the book but found many of the characters frustrating. I kept turning pages wanting to find out exactly what had happened to Emma but was ultimately left underwhelmed by the revelation.
I didn’t dislike this book but it is one I’ve quickly forgotten.
I liked the structure of the book but found many of the characters frustrating. I kept turning pages wanting to find out exactly what had happened to Emma but was ultimately left underwhelmed by the revelation.
I didn’t dislike this book but it is one I’ve quickly forgotten.
minaalreads's review
4.0
Spanning across continents and decades, Homecoming is a story about redemption, heartache, loss and love all wrapped up in 384 pages. It feels familiar in the way it’s written in that the characters could be people you know and the things that happen to them could have been things that have happened to you or your loved ones. It is the way that Goldie writes that enables these feelings to come through her words and although the book can be heavy at times, it is written in a way that is digestible and easy to read. The settings of both London and Kenya enrich this book even more, with both places adding to the characters personalities in a way that I think mirrors real life - different countries bring different experiences which bring out different parts of us.
Homecoming is a book about coming home in both its literal sense and in its figurative sense.
Homecoming is a book about coming home in both its literal sense and in its figurative sense.
libbysbookshelf's review
3.0
HOMECOMING by LUAN GOLDIE
What I loved about this book:
- it spanned 20 years so you get a good feel for all the characters.
- Kenya. I don’t think I’ve read about Kenya before so it was nice to have some new descriptions.
- mystery. This is not something I always enjoy in a novel because I’m very impatient, but I found it kept me hooked.
- the writer. I enjoyed Nightingale Point so I was looking forward to something else from Goldie.
What I didn’t like about this book:
- Yvonne
- Emma
- Lewis
- all the extra characters
For me it’s very important to connect with the characters. I normally find it intriguing if I don’t like a character, but in this case I didn’t care about the characters.
I’m sorry to say that this was not a great reading experience for me but I did get some enjoyment out of it, so no regrets and I would still be willing to read other world by Goldie.
What did you think of this?
What I loved about this book:
- it spanned 20 years so you get a good feel for all the characters.
- Kenya. I don’t think I’ve read about Kenya before so it was nice to have some new descriptions.
- mystery. This is not something I always enjoy in a novel because I’m very impatient, but I found it kept me hooked.
- the writer. I enjoyed Nightingale Point so I was looking forward to something else from Goldie.
What I didn’t like about this book:
- Yvonne
- Emma
- Lewis
- all the extra characters
For me it’s very important to connect with the characters. I normally find it intriguing if I don’t like a character, but in this case I didn’t care about the characters.
I’m sorry to say that this was not a great reading experience for me but I did get some enjoyment out of it, so no regrets and I would still be willing to read other world by Goldie.
What did you think of this?