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hayleyyyyy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
silk4k's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
alisonjfields's review
4.0
This is an absolutely marvelous, sprawling, multi-generational novel that will totally get under your skin. Wonderful characters, a touch of magical-realism (subtly applied and without the preciousness that so often undermines it in less-skilled hands). Brutal and beautiful.
mickstrauther's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Hmmm there’s a lot I could say about this book, but I could start by saying that if you’re into family sagas, I would recommend this for sure. Makumbi tackles the tangled web of family trauma and national trauma in a way that has you invested in each individual character, despite their sections being relatively brief. While I wish their connecting stories could have been stronger (i.e. seeing them interact throughout the book, not just at the end, perhaps having their lives collide and affect one another?) I appreciate the conversations each section is engaging with. It’s just that without a stronger and more consistent reaction between characters, I found myself losing the details of each person’s individual story as the novel continued
On a line level, I enjoy Makumbi’s writing style. She is thoughtful and also funny at times, yet honest, and her language is accessible yet conceptually challenging at the same time.
And thematically, again, Makumbi’s overall discussion of trauma and the notion of family “curses” is an interesting one. I do think I will have to think harder on what statement she is making about the connection between these two. Im not Sure I fully understand how the curse’s inception with Kintu thematically ties to the rest of the character’s lives. In other words, the other characters’ traumas are often linked to colonialism, periods of civil war, and a familial neglect that seems to mirror the country’s neglect for itself. Is the insinuation here that Kintuaccidentally killing his son can also be a mirror to the start of a colonial downfall? That killing his own child and not admitting to it is a metaphor for how Uganda may have been complicit in its own colonial downfall, and the lack of ownership of that fact has cursed it? Yikes, not to imply that Uganda is in fact cursed, or that it was “complicit” in a colonialism completely of European fault. Rather, to what extent do modern Africans ignore the horrors of colonialism and avoid grappling with the effects that carry into the present day? Like faisi and kanani who are devotedly Christian but do not catch the irony of their religion….
On a line level, I enjoy Makumbi’s writing style. She is thoughtful and also funny at times, yet honest, and her language is accessible yet conceptually challenging at the same time.
And thematically, again, Makumbi’s overall discussion of trauma and the notion of family “curses” is an interesting one. I do think I will have to think harder on what statement she is making about the connection between these two. Im not Sure I fully understand how the curse’s inception with Kintu thematically ties to the rest of the character’s lives. In other words, the other characters’ traumas are often linked to colonialism, periods of civil war, and a familial neglect that seems to mirror the country’s neglect for itself. Is the insinuation here that Kintu
ketekete's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
gottarun31's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite books that I've read as of recent. I was intimidated at first by the size of this book and some reviews claiming it was confusing to follow. Kintu is about the history and current lives of the Kintu clan in Uganda. To set the stage, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi starts with the original Kintu Kidda and marries it with the stories of his descendents, 250 years after the OG Kintu lived. I did have to check myself occasionally to make sure I was thinking of the right descendent. It wasn't difficult to follow.
I love the way the book deals with myths, religion, and real life. There is a curse that has outlived all Kintu family members. I also particularly liked the way Jennifer depicts Uganda. This book is about Uganda, for Ugandans. I've never been; that's a part of the world I don't know much about. Along side of the main plotline, she plants culture and identity questions people in Africa struggle with. Thank God she shared this piece of work with the world!
I love the way the book deals with myths, religion, and real life. There is a curse that has outlived all Kintu family members. I also particularly liked the way Jennifer depicts Uganda. This book is about Uganda, for Ugandans. I've never been; that's a part of the world I don't know much about. Along side of the main plotline, she plants culture and identity questions people in Africa struggle with. Thank God she shared this piece of work with the world!
scarletohhara's review
4.0
This is a multi-generational saga of a family belonging to the Kintu clan in Uganda. While taking us through the lives of six members of this clan from 1750 to 2005, Makumbi takes us through some key elements of Uganda - from its colonization to post-independence.
Makumbi also touches on some challenges the Ugandan society faced - depletion of native customs in the post-colonized country, Idi Amin's regime, AIDS epidemic, class conflicts between the natives and Tutsis, poverty and its impact on people - are what stood out for me.
Though all but one of the six sections are told from a male perspective, this book felt feminist to me - I did not get a sense of gender discrimination in the stories. I loved how Makumbi questioned, as a matter of fact, the concepts of gender and religion.
Though the curse affects everyone, I was interested in the stories of Kidda Kintu, the Ppookino who loved one wife above all, and who was fair to his children; Miisi Kintu, the academic and his many children; Issac Newton Kintu, the poor child of a rapist who thinks he has HIV+ - I was lost in these stories and the dilemmas these protaganists faced.
I was also interested in this book because of the introduction - how this book could not find a publisher in the UK because it is too Ugandan and was published in the US. The fact that Makumbi took a decade to write this book is seen in the detail this book has.
Am going to remember this book the way I remembered Pearl S. Buck's Good Earth or Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.
Makumbi also touches on some challenges the Ugandan society faced - depletion of native customs in the post-colonized country, Idi Amin's regime, AIDS epidemic, class conflicts between the natives and Tutsis, poverty and its impact on people - are what stood out for me.
Though all but one of the six sections are told from a male perspective, this book felt feminist to me - I did not get a sense of gender discrimination in the stories. I loved how Makumbi questioned, as a matter of fact, the concepts of gender and religion.
Though the curse affects everyone, I was interested in the stories of Kidda Kintu, the Ppookino who loved one wife above all, and who was fair to his children; Miisi Kintu, the academic and his many children; Issac Newton Kintu, the poor child of a rapist who thinks he has HIV+ - I was lost in these stories and the dilemmas these protaganists faced.
I was also interested in this book because of the introduction - how this book could not find a publisher in the UK because it is too Ugandan and was published in the US. The fact that Makumbi took a decade to write this book is seen in the detail this book has.
Am going to remember this book the way I remembered Pearl S. Buck's Good Earth or Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.
adru's review
5.0
Ma ei mäleta enam, kust ma sellest raamatust lugesin, aga vedas mul, suur lugu, laiuti ja sygavuti, on inimesi ja ajalugu, mytoloogiat ja päritavaid needusi/vaimuhaigusi, eluraskust ja lihtsalt elu maal, mis on peaaegu tundmatu. Tahaks võtta eluplaani vähemalt yhe raamatu igast Aafrika riigist - mis toimub Madagaskari kirjanduses? Kellele Burkina Faso Nobelit loodab? Kui erinev on Sudaani kirjanduspilt Lõuna-Sudaani omast? Põnev.