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utahmomreads's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks to Putnam for a complimentary copy of the books. This review originally posted on my blog:
http://utahmomslife.blogspot.com/2019/07/if-you-want-to-make-god-laugh-book.html?m=1
The end of Apartheid. Nelson Mandela has been elected the president of South Africa. AIDS is becoming an epidemic.
Seventeen year old Zodwa lives in a squatter camp with her sick mother. Zodwa is expecting a baby she doesn't want and hiding a secret that could get her killed.
Dee is helping children in an orphanage in Zaire but when she gets word that Daniel is dying she return home to South Africa for the first time in over forty years.
Ruth stages her own suicide attempt to win back her husband but he is unmoved and she has no where else to go except home to the farm she hopes to sell. But her sister has returned and has no intention of selling the home she left as a teen to become a nun.
Binding them all together is a baby boy.
* * * * *
I very much enjoyed Bianca Marsais's novel Hum If You Don't Know the Words that released in 2017 so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read her newest novel If You Want to Make God Laugh. Besides the long titles, the books stand out with the colorful covers and call to me. They immediately draw me in with the South African settings and their rich characters.
If You Want to Make God Laugh captured my attention from the first page and the pacing of short chapters kept me turning the pages late into the night. The plot is emotional and thrilling but the characters, broken and determined, made me fall in love with the novel. I read with my heart in my throat as they struggled to make the best of the terrible situations. Each character was motivated by love and they felt deeply human.
It's a world without fairy tale endings, but If You Want to Make God Laugh offers hope. It is a journey of emotion--a beautiful book that tells a story I won't soon forget.
http://utahmomslife.blogspot.com/2019/07/if-you-want-to-make-god-laugh-book.html?m=1
The end of Apartheid. Nelson Mandela has been elected the president of South Africa. AIDS is becoming an epidemic.
Seventeen year old Zodwa lives in a squatter camp with her sick mother. Zodwa is expecting a baby she doesn't want and hiding a secret that could get her killed.
Dee is helping children in an orphanage in Zaire but when she gets word that Daniel is dying she return home to South Africa for the first time in over forty years.
Ruth stages her own suicide attempt to win back her husband but he is unmoved and she has no where else to go except home to the farm she hopes to sell. But her sister has returned and has no intention of selling the home she left as a teen to become a nun.
Binding them all together is a baby boy.
* * * * *
I very much enjoyed Bianca Marsais's novel Hum If You Don't Know the Words that released in 2017 so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read her newest novel If You Want to Make God Laugh. Besides the long titles, the books stand out with the colorful covers and call to me. They immediately draw me in with the South African settings and their rich characters.
If You Want to Make God Laugh captured my attention from the first page and the pacing of short chapters kept me turning the pages late into the night. The plot is emotional and thrilling but the characters, broken and determined, made me fall in love with the novel. I read with my heart in my throat as they struggled to make the best of the terrible situations. Each character was motivated by love and they felt deeply human.
It's a world without fairy tale endings, but If You Want to Make God Laugh offers hope. It is a journey of emotion--a beautiful book that tells a story I won't soon forget.
ranti's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
3.75
nenye_sage's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
alenezela99's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lipglossmaffia's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
bukolayemi's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-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? Yes
4.75
Set in South Africa right after apartheid and at the onset of the AIDS pandemic, this book is told from the perspective of three women.
Ruth and Delilah are white women, sisters who couldn’t be more different, Ruth is an ex stripper going through a divorce who drinks a lot. Delilah and excommunicated nun. Zodwa is a Black young Zulu woman living in abject poverty who finds herself pregnant.
Themes covered in this book are racism (overt and covert), faith, poverty, aids, foster care, adoption, mental health, rape. same sex attraction and motherhood.
These themes make this book a great book club or buddy read pick. I especially like the discussion between the sisters about racism and the white saviour complex.
It was compelling to see characters evolve, especially when they shifted from villains to good people or vice versa. It added depth to their personalities and made the story more engaging
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; it was so captivating that I breezed through it in just a few days.
bolaawe's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
musingsonliving's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Death
jeankwemoi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0