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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
This is one of those books where I really needed a half-star rating system. I want to give this book 3.5 stars and have a hard time deciding whether to round up or down. The only reason I would want to round up is the fact that this is written from the perspective of a child and unreliable narrator. I had a very hard time making progress and wanted to stop reading. It wasn't until about halfway into the book that it finally drew me in somewhat enough to keep reading.
Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad book, but it is not one of my favorite books ones either. I loved diving into the mind of a displaced child, the confusion, the fears, the expectations, past experiences, etc. That was a great perspective. But I think that also made it a so-so book for me because of the language/expressions used in conversations and when pondering.
Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad book, but it is not one of my favorite books ones either. I loved diving into the mind of a displaced child, the confusion, the fears, the expectations, past experiences, etc. That was a great perspective. But I think that also made it a so-so book for me because of the language/expressions used in conversations and when pondering.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Suicide, War
a little heartbreaking :(
"when we die, our children will not know how to wail, how to mourn us the right way. they will not go mad with grief, they will not pin black cloth on their arms, they will not spill beer and tobacco on the earth, they will not sing till their voices are hoarse. they will not put our plates and cups on our graves; they will not send us away with mphafa trees. we will leave for the land of the dead naked, without the things we need to enter the castle of our ancestors. because we will not be proper, the spirits will not come running to meet us, and so we will wait and wait and wait-forever waiting in the air like flags of unsung countries."
"when we die, our children will not know how to wail, how to mourn us the right way. they will not go mad with grief, they will not pin black cloth on their arms, they will not spill beer and tobacco on the earth, they will not sing till their voices are hoarse. they will not put our plates and cups on our graves; they will not send us away with mphafa trees. we will leave for the land of the dead naked, without the things we need to enter the castle of our ancestors. because we will not be proper, the spirits will not come running to meet us, and so we will wait and wait and wait-forever waiting in the air like flags of unsung countries."
This is probably the only novel that I have read that has had the POV of a child but written for adults. And, oh boy, did that have a strong impact on me. As this is a novel that we are studying at school, I have been forced to analyze it more than I would have otherwise and am I ever glad that we are intensely analyzing it as without doing so, I would have never realized how amazing and impactful this book is.
If you're going to read this, get the audiobook. Robin Miles brings NoViolet Bulawayo's incredible words to life, and her accent changes as the story progresses, so it's like you really experience the main character journey's from a little girl growing up in her home country Zimbabwe to a young adult immigrant adapting to America.
I tend to skim through the other reviews before I review myself. Not a deep dive, but to see what others have said and if there is something I need to address. Most of the time, I don't. This is not those times.
I found this skim interesting. Most people loved the first half of the book. I appreciated the writing but it was hard content. I mean, poverty everywhere, revolution and the subsequent squashing, sexual/physical assault in the name of religion, suicide, and in the third or fourth page the obvious child rape of a 10 year old. Literature is a safe and IMPORTANT way to explore these big bloody issues that exist in society. We can hand wring all we like, it doesn't stop this being reality. And books and stories allow us to process these big issues in a safe and emphatic way. So necessary, but I was glad when it finished.
The other thing that annoys me is people talking about the fact that it is not an novel as it jumps around in stories, albeit, ones tied together. I am sorry. But if I was to relay every single thing that happened each day from when I was 10-18, I would be bored. Woke up, freaked out as I cut all my hair off yesterday into a fashionable 90s bob but forgot, mum reassured me, ate breakfast... And that was an eventful morning I remember from being 10. I am already bored. Novels are groups of short stories tied together already, we just don't realise we are being manipulated in that way (what happened to the last 48 hours/minutes?!?!).
All of that aside. I found the first half of the book hard to read and confronting and important. The second half of the book is just as important of understanding the migrant experience in middle America as an illegal (but not Latina which is most stories we get about illegal immigrants in America over here) and how do you navigate and change. Because you have to, as much as those around you tell you not to.
I found this skim interesting. Most people loved the first half of the book. I appreciated the writing but it was hard content. I mean, poverty everywhere, revolution and the subsequent squashing, sexual/physical assault in the name of religion, suicide, and in the third or fourth page the obvious child rape of a 10 year old. Literature is a safe and IMPORTANT way to explore these big bloody issues that exist in society. We can hand wring all we like, it doesn't stop this being reality. And books and stories allow us to process these big issues in a safe and emphatic way. So necessary, but I was glad when it finished.
The other thing that annoys me is people talking about the fact that it is not an novel as it jumps around in stories, albeit, ones tied together. I am sorry. But if I was to relay every single thing that happened each day from when I was 10-18, I would be bored. Woke up, freaked out as I cut all my hair off yesterday into a fashionable 90s bob but forgot, mum reassured me, ate breakfast... And that was an eventful morning I remember from being 10. I am already bored. Novels are groups of short stories tied together already, we just don't realise we are being manipulated in that way (what happened to the last 48 hours/minutes?!?!).
All of that aside. I found the first half of the book hard to read and confronting and important. The second half of the book is just as important of understanding the migrant experience in middle America as an illegal (but not Latina which is most stories we get about illegal immigrants in America over here) and how do you navigate and change. Because you have to, as much as those around you tell you not to.
This book was so good! It starts out with the main character Darling in Zimbabwe. She eventually goes to America and is torn between her past life and her new life. She realizes being in America isn’t all that great either. Near the end my favorite quote is when Chipo says “no matter where you go there’s suffering everywhere. It really shows the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
En sån där bok som borde nå en större publik just rör att den berättar en historia som länge glömts bort
This was an incredible novel. I found it very hard to put down and it has popped into my head even in the days since I finished it. It was very difficult to decide whether to give it 4 or 5 stars, but I ended up with a 4 for one very notable reason: it does not read like a single book. It features two distinctly different parts of the protagonist's life, and each part tackles very different issues. Either story on their own would be more than deserving of 5 stars, but the progression from one part to the other is not as smooth as it could be.
Underwhelming, though prize-winning, novel about Africa, America & immigration. Click here to read my full review, on my book blog.