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rosebarraclough18's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
sturgeonfish's review against another edition
4.0
very beautiful and well written!! i always love when i think adults capture perfectly the voice and feelings of childhood so i particularly enjoyed the first half of this book. i suppose i didnt completely love the pacing of it - something felt a bit disjointed about it but that’s about it otherwise i really enjoyed the story and i love noviolet bulawayo’s writing.
africanbookaddict's review against another edition
2.0
!!! http://africanbookaddict.com/2015/10/03/we-need-new-names-by-noviolet-bulawayo/
Hmmmm... I think appreciated this story as a whole. I read NoViolet's short story that rightfully won the Caine Prize back in 2011. The first chapter of this book is actually that Caine Prize short story. But I was really tired of the shanty life storyline in the beginning. There seemed to be no plot and I was struggling to get into the book. In 2013, I remember when this was popular and how I was only into 'Americanah' at the time. A few friends told me this book was boring, and I get where they were coming from hahaa. I enjoyed the story more once Darling moved to Michigan (which is like, after page 150). Some stuff Darling was getting into after she moved to the US was stupid to me though - why was she so into watching porn with her friends? That was a bit random, even though I guess that's what young girls of today are into? I don't know! That bit of the book was awkward...
Darling became a brand-new person after she lived in America for some time and I was over her new attitude. Towards the end of the book, I was over the plethora of stereotypes NoViolet dumped onto the pages. In Zim, all the people in the shanty town were stereotyped (abject poverty - while I know poverty and the gap between the rich and the poor is terrible back in Zim, the lack of a solid plot made it hard to ignore the excessiveness of the sad living conditions); all the people Darling encountered in Michigan were stereotyped too - especially Mr. Eliot's daughter who just had to be white, rich, spoiled, in an Ivy League school, had an eating disorder (bulimia), was generally depressed and had a cute dog that donned designer fashions.
I have a feeling this book was nominated for several awards and won some because this is what the West loves - to read a story on African struggles with excessive stereotypes (this is just MY opinion!). Don't get me wrong, there is a uniqueness to this book, especially in the writing style... I wouldn't say this is written 'beautifully' as everyone claims, but it is surely unique.
My favorite chapter is chapter 16 - 'How They Lived' where NoViolet speaks in general on the African immigrant experience in the West. It seemed pretty spot on and I enjoyed that. I also enjoyed how Darling's English changed from her time in Zim to her stay in the US. The diction of the book changed from broken english to 'standard' english. It was also interesting to witness Darling practice her American accent etc etc. Other than that, this book was a struggle for me to get into and I found myself rolling my eyes a lot. If I wasn't buddy-reading this with Zainab, I would have given up after the first 30 pages. This is more 2.5 stars for me. [MORE ON THE BOOK BLOG SOON!]
Hmmmm... I think appreciated this story as a whole. I read NoViolet's short story that rightfully won the Caine Prize back in 2011. The first chapter of this book is actually that Caine Prize short story. But I was really tired of the shanty life storyline in the beginning. There seemed to be no plot and I was struggling to get into the book. In 2013, I remember when this was popular and how I was only into 'Americanah' at the time. A few friends told me this book was boring, and I get where they were coming from hahaa. I enjoyed the story more once Darling moved to Michigan (which is like, after page 150). Some stuff Darling was getting into after she moved to the US was stupid to me though - why was she so into watching porn with her friends? That was a bit random, even though I guess that's what young girls of today are into? I don't know! That bit of the book was awkward...
Darling became a brand-new person after she lived in America for some time and I was over her new attitude. Towards the end of the book, I was over the plethora of stereotypes NoViolet dumped onto the pages. In Zim, all the people in the shanty town were stereotyped (abject poverty - while I know poverty and the gap between the rich and the poor is terrible back in Zim, the lack of a solid plot made it hard to ignore the excessiveness of the sad living conditions); all the people Darling encountered in Michigan were stereotyped too - especially Mr. Eliot's daughter who just had to be white, rich, spoiled, in an Ivy League school, had an eating disorder (bulimia), was generally depressed and had a cute dog that donned designer fashions.
I have a feeling this book was nominated for several awards and won some because this is what the West loves - to read a story on African struggles with excessive stereotypes (this is just MY opinion!). Don't get me wrong, there is a uniqueness to this book, especially in the writing style... I wouldn't say this is written 'beautifully' as everyone claims, but it is surely unique.
My favorite chapter is chapter 16 - 'How They Lived' where NoViolet speaks in general on the African immigrant experience in the West. It seemed pretty spot on and I enjoyed that. I also enjoyed how Darling's English changed from her time in Zim to her stay in the US. The diction of the book changed from broken english to 'standard' english. It was also interesting to witness Darling practice her American accent etc etc. Other than that, this book was a struggle for me to get into and I found myself rolling my eyes a lot. If I wasn't buddy-reading this with Zainab, I would have given up after the first 30 pages. This is more 2.5 stars for me. [MORE ON THE BOOK BLOG SOON!]
timna_wyckoff's review against another edition
5.0
Definitely deserving of all of the hype. An honest voice, unlike anything I've read: lyrical, sometimes bordering on stream-of-consciousness, but never losing sight of the story being told.
year23's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This reads more like vignettes or a series of very short stories, all from the perspective of the MC, Darling. It follows her life in Zimbabwe and in the US during college (and maybe after though I’m not clear on that).
I think it’s important to read this as a character study, which provides a lens into the experience of one woman and her life in Zimbabwe and as an immigrant to the US. It’s not exactly plot focused - but is an incisive look at the impact of violence and imperialism. I don’t think I got this until half way through and it changed my experience (mainly confusion!) to a more positive one as I was able to follow better and look less for a linear, traditional type plot or characters. It reads more like a memoir and for those looking for that, especially in understanding more about life in Zimbabwe, I would recommend.
If you like this, I would highly recommend The History of the Difficult Child by Mihrey Sibhat.
I think it’s important to read this as a character study, which provides a lens into the experience of one woman and her life in Zimbabwe and as an immigrant to the US. It’s not exactly plot focused - but is an incisive look at the impact of violence and imperialism. I don’t think I got this until half way through and it changed my experience (mainly confusion!) to a more positive one as I was able to follow better and look less for a linear, traditional type plot or characters. It reads more like a memoir and for those looking for that, especially in understanding more about life in Zimbabwe, I would recommend.
If you like this, I would highly recommend The History of the Difficult Child by Mihrey Sibhat.
barnesbookshelf's review
4.0
This book provides an incredibly interesting perspective of a young girl immigrating to the US from Zimbabwe. I was struck by how the story jumps in time, skipping months or years to get to the next event. It reminded me a bit of "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros in that regard. Watching Darling grow up and see how her time in the US changes her from who she was in Zimbabwe is very poignant. There is a lot to think about with this book, and I feel it would make a good book club book.
kuda's review against another edition
5.0
"We are careful not to touch the NGO people, though, because we can see that even though they are giving us things, they do not want to touch us or for us to touch them. They just like taking pictures, these NGO people, like maybe we are their real friends and relatives and they will look at the pictures later and point us out by name to other friends and relatives once they get back to their homes. They don't care that we are embarrassed by our dirt and torn clothing, that we would prefer they didn't do it; they just take the pictures anyway, take and take. We don't complain because we know that after the picture-taking comes the giving of gifts."
I first read this book while I was in high school and instantly loved the sparkling prose that almost sounded like poetry. The novel is written in the first person point of view from 10 year old Darling's perspective. It tackles various themes that include gender, childhood (where children living in situations of poverty or war often have to mature quickly), religion (which is shown with a critical and ironic tone with regard to Western religion's influence in Zimbabwe), social class and politics.
I first read this book while I was in high school and instantly loved the sparkling prose that almost sounded like poetry. The novel is written in the first person point of view from 10 year old Darling's perspective. It tackles various themes that include gender, childhood (where children living in situations of poverty or war often have to mature quickly), religion (which is shown with a critical and ironic tone with regard to Western religion's influence in Zimbabwe), social class and politics.
alisonhori's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely adored this book from start to finish. I listened to the audiobook which was fantastic with the African accent getting stronger and weaker as appropriate for the story. Amazing story and amazing insight into a whole different life experience than my own.
varsh31's review against another edition
4.0
I think what I find really remarkable about this book is that it's funny. We often believe books from the 'dark continent' will be dreary and depressing. NoViolet has written a poignant, witty and dry story set in Zimbabwe and later in the US. She explores the desperation and isolation that diasporic communities feel. This truly is a remarkable book that I'd recommend time and time again. She well deserved the Man Booker nomination.