Reviews

Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

iamdeonna's review

emotional medium-paced

4.0

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.

melodys_library's review

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

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

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.

maggienolin's review

adventurous hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

aoifemoore's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

naomiflopes's review

adventurous challenging reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ourwhovian's review

emotional sad slow-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

3.0

 The story was definitely compelling and I will never forget the main characters, Jende and Neni. I am pretty sure that the author was trying to convey the theme of "family is everything", but that theme seemed lost on the Edwardes side of the story. Comparing the different perspectives and values of family between these two families was extremely eye-opening for me, yet it felt that the author had to explicitly restate the theme in order to prevent it from being lost amongst the characters' shifting motivations. 

curlyc90's review

4.0

An absolutely relevant story about American Dreams. Two very different families get entangled in this novels. Both a family fighting for their dreams. The struggle, the happiness, and the loss of what it takes to get there. This book was a slow start for me but that's not to say I didn't find it enjoyable and relatable. I really liked it and the unexpected twist in the ending.