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lminique's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a good book. I loved how the story depicted the affects the economy had on both families, and the realism of how each family had to deal with the struggles of trying to live the American dream.
ttodd86's review against another edition
4.0
It appears a lot of other reviewers see this as a 3.5-star book and that is probably a more appropriate rating. It is good, not great. The story is interesting and important, particularly in the current era, but the writing is not necessarily anything spectacular and the plot holds few surprises.
tildahlia's review against another edition
2.0
Whew! I'm quite confused by the hype for this book. The absolute standout best thing was the reading by Prentice Onayemi who worked incredibly hard to breathe life into this audiobook. After a promising start, this book veered straight into tired cliches, boring and unnecessarily detailed descriptions or insignificant things and plot points and story lines that were hard to reconcile. The characters felt like cardboard cut outs and some of the scenes and dialogue had me absolutely eye-rolling (Clark reading Jende his poetry, spare me!). Wanted to like, but didn't.
heybalestoo's review against another edition
4.0
Imbolo Mbue’s debut novel, “Behold the Dreamers" looks at the immigrant dream of a better life in the United States and the reality of holding onto that dream in today's America.
The story is set in NYC, 2007 right before the Wall Street crash. Jende Jongo, a new immigrant from Limbe, Cameroon, finds a dream job as a chauffeur for an executive at Lehman Brothers--a job which provides better pay an opportunities then his previous work driving a cab.
Mbue’s shares the challenges and joys of everyday life in America from the perspective of an immigrant. Her characters are flawed, imperfect, and very human. It is a compelling and deeply felt story. And, though it is set in 2007-2008, you can't help thinking about how this story might unfold in the current political climate.
The story is set in NYC, 2007 right before the Wall Street crash. Jende Jongo, a new immigrant from Limbe, Cameroon, finds a dream job as a chauffeur for an executive at Lehman Brothers--a job which provides better pay an opportunities then his previous work driving a cab.
Mbue’s shares the challenges and joys of everyday life in America from the perspective of an immigrant. Her characters are flawed, imperfect, and very human. It is a compelling and deeply felt story. And, though it is set in 2007-2008, you can't help thinking about how this story might unfold in the current political climate.
melodys_library's review against another edition
4.0
An honest story about two families at the intersection of hopes, dreams, despair and economic recession. The focus is on the immigrant experience in the USA, and oscillates between hope and desperation, joy and sorrow, happiness and pain and suffering as each family member strives to attain their version of the American Dream. The storytelling is simple with a lot of dialogue and not a lot of action. I did appreciate the authentic flavor of Cameroon in the descriptions of food, culture, and language as the author herself is from Limbe, Cameroon.
cosmetic_wave's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
michalow's review against another edition
3.0
Mbue's writing and characters drew me in to this story, but the ending, despite being a turning point in the characters' lives, felt muddled and unsatisfying.