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2.98 AVERAGE
2.98 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Hold did sound good: Belinda a diligent housegirl from Ghana goes to live with friends of her employers in London as they think she’ll be a good influence on their daughter, Amma. They offer her an education in return, but Belinda struggles to adapt and become friends with Amma. However, the secrets of both girls are eventually revealed…
It sounds interesting but unfortunately it’s really quite boring. There was a lot of potential for a good story but it didn’t hold my interest and it took me much longer than I expected to read. The part about the girls’ secrets is quite anti-climactic. I don’t know what I was expecting but I thought: is that all? (That’s not to say the issues are small to the people who deal with them, or insignificant in Ghanian culture, but in the context of the book I wanted something more.)
Also, the ending dragged on for a long time. This is a pet-hate of mine, the ‘final event’ happens then takes a long time to end – if you know what I mean. Ultimately, I was confused by the very end of the book and I wasn’t sure what it all meant, which pulled my rating down a little more.
There will be people who like this book but it’s not one I would recommend. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend another book set in Ghana as I can’t say I’ve read one… have you? (I have Homegoing on my TBR!)
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In the same vein as Zadie Smith's various works, Andrea Levy’s Small Island, and Monica Ali’s Brick Lane, Michael Donkor succinctly captures an ordinary life that often goes unwritten.
Aside from the dignity in each of the lives he captures on the page Donkor has gifted us a truly great piece of literature. His writing is faultless, and his storytelling sublime. His characters are complex, and his descriptions piercing; nothing is superfluous. I just wanted it to go on and on.
Aside from the dignity in each of the lives he captures on the page Donkor has gifted us a truly great piece of literature. His writing is faultless, and his storytelling sublime. His characters are complex, and his descriptions piercing; nothing is superfluous. I just wanted it to go on and on.
Unfortunately, DNF. I wanted to like this book and perhaps I'll pick it back up in a paper copy. But this is not a great choice for an audiobook format. The broken English and Ghanaian slang in an accented performance was too much to grasp for me. Perhaps written is more effective. I also was having a hard time connecting with any of the characters so we'll push it to the side and maybe try later.
I read this title for a college literary fiction class, but was so excited to dive into it. This would make a fantastic book club pick particularly because of the opportunity to discuss the author’s life, the title change between the UK/US, immigrant stories in the recent era, and the evolution of the LGBTQIA+ community’s depiction in modern media. I absolutely loved this one.
I received this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
DNF - 25%
Hold follows the story of Belinda who is a housegirl in Ghana before she is employed to travel to London and become the companion of the wayward Amma, and the friendship between the two girls.
I was hoping to enjoy this book as the cover is absolutely stunning, and I generally love books that original start off, or have strong ties to African countries as I normally find the setting and culture so beautiful and interesting to explore via literature. However the writing style with Hold just didn't capture me or suit my reading tastes at all.
There is a strange use of English used conversationally between the people in this book from Ghana, and I couldn't understand if this was, culturally, the way Ghanaian people would speak English or if the author was trying to do something. It was hard to read though, as it felt like it had originally been written in another language and then put through Google translate to transform into English. It wasn't nice to read and I felt it interrupted the flow of the story sometimes and made it stilted and awkward.
I know from other reviews that the second half of this book is better than the first but I just couldn't quite get there.
DNF - 25%
Hold follows the story of Belinda who is a housegirl in Ghana before she is employed to travel to London and become the companion of the wayward Amma, and the friendship between the two girls.
I was hoping to enjoy this book as the cover is absolutely stunning, and I generally love books that original start off, or have strong ties to African countries as I normally find the setting and culture so beautiful and interesting to explore via literature. However the writing style with Hold just didn't capture me or suit my reading tastes at all.
There is a strange use of English used conversationally between the people in this book from Ghana, and I couldn't understand if this was, culturally, the way Ghanaian people would speak English or if the author was trying to do something. It was hard to read though, as it felt like it had originally been written in another language and then put through Google translate to transform into English. It wasn't nice to read and I felt it interrupted the flow of the story sometimes and made it stilted and awkward.
I know from other reviews that the second half of this book is better than the first but I just couldn't quite get there.
2.5 stars. This had so much potential but ultimately failed to deliver. Stuff happened, but also nothing happened.
Really a 3.5. The writing was hard to get into in the beginning and very choppy, but got more into it about halfway through the book when the two main characters started revealing their personalities and perspectives and interacting with each other.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed the premise of throwing together Belinda and Amma, two teenagers from Ghanaian families but with very different childhoods - Belinda has grown up in Ghana and at a young age left her mother to be the house girl to a middle class Ghanaian couple, Amma’s parents are old friends of the couple Belinda works for. Amma has had a pretty privileged upbringing in London where her father has a high-earning job that keeps him at work long hours and largely distant from his family.
Belinda is brought over to be a companion to Amma who her parents feel isn’t growing up to be the sort of good Ghanaian girl they would like. Obviously putting Amma and Belinda in this situation is deeply misguided and things do not go smoothly. Both have secrets of their own that the adults do not and could not comprehend. Amma is reeling from the fall out of her first serious relationship and is struggling to get her head round how she will ever come out to her family as a lesbian. Her first attempt to be honest about her identity massively backfires when Belinda reacts really badly to the news, but Amma herself has been very unkind to Belinda, feeling naturally hostile to this stranger who has been brought in to spy on her. There are moments where they come to greater understanding of each other but then just as soon things fall apart again, unable to bridge the cultural gulf between them.
Donkor’s writing is beautiful and full of really well observed details and accurate dialogue. There were period details about the music that Amma is into and the clothes that she wears that were just right. Really quite amazed how well he can write about teenage girls!
Ultimately tragedy drags Belinda back to Ghana, and she is thrust back into a society where she must conform but is less willing to do that after seeing how things could be different. I really loved how the ending was handled, you sense that this turbulent year has at least allowed her to recalibrate what is important in life and finally have the courage to do something entirely for herself.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes