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_inge_'s review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This a the multi-generational story taking place in Liberia, centering around a man who came back from America and a family that never left Africa and found itself in the free state Liberia. The writing is good and efficient, there is no unnecessary language in this book. The second part from the point of view of Edward was not my favourite. From the reviews I gather that this is the first part of the English version of the book, in Dutch it is the second part. In the third part it takes a long time to figure out which generation we are with, because paople are named after their forefathers.
The book gives a bit of insight into the birth of Liberia from the point of view of (mainly) the people that already lived there. As a reader, you don't always know which party is inciting violence at what time, but the local people wouldn't always have known either. The local spiritual beliefs take a large part in the story. The points of view are very male, the women are either wives, love interests and at one point a decendant of one of a couple in the first chapter. I had to keep reminding myself that the people coming back from America (who were also missionaries) were Black. That's a me-thing though, I've never read about black missionaries before.
Interesting book to read, the language was a bit too sparse for me to fully understand what was going on, and I didn't like the secondary roles of the women much.
The book gives a bit of insight into the birth of Liberia from the point of view of (mainly) the people that already lived there. As a reader, you don't always know which party is inciting violence at what time, but the local people wouldn't always have known either. The local spiritual beliefs take a large part in the story. The points of view are very male, the women are either wives, love interests and at one point a decendant of one of a couple in the first chapter. I had to keep reminding myself that the people coming back from America (who were also missionaries) were Black. That's a me-thing though, I've never read about black missionaries before.
Interesting book to read, the language was a bit too sparse for me to fully understand what was going on, and I didn't like the secondary roles of the women much.
andrewspink's review against another edition
4.0
When I started reading this book I thought it was going to be a rather preachy book about the iniquities of slavery and prepared myself to struggle through it. But I was soon proved wrong. The book is written in a very creative way spanning continents and generations and from an unusual perspective.
In a couple of weeks the author is giving a lecture here in Wageningen and I'm already looking forward to that...
Update; the 'lecture' was an informal group in a local café and very interesting. We heard about how the personal experiences of the author and his family had influenced the book and as a result had a much better understanding of it.
In a couple of weeks the author is giving a lecture here in Wageningen and I'm already looking forward to that...
Update; the 'lecture' was an informal group in a local café and very interesting. We heard about how the personal experiences of the author and his family had influenced the book and as a result had a much better understanding of it.
sannereadstheworld's review against another edition
2.0
This review is on the Dutch edition of this book. From the other reviews I gather that the English edition has some changes to the structure of the novel, and perhaps also the contents, as the Dutch edition doesn't start with Edward's story.
I really enjoyed the first part of the novel, which was set in the 19th century. Sherif paints a wonderful picture of the lives of free African-Americans making their way to Liberia and village life in a small Bembé community. I thought Halay's section was particularly strong.
The second part, however, I did not like. It was set in the late 20th century, but it lacked the focus of the first part. The author was juggling a lot of characters whose role in the story wasn't always clear to me, and the point he was trying to make fell flat.
Considering that this was his debut novel, I'm interested to read a more recent work of his to see how Sherif developed his skills.
I really enjoyed the first part of the novel, which was set in the 19th century. Sherif paints a wonderful picture of the lives of free African-Americans making their way to Liberia and village life in a small Bembé community. I thought Halay's section was particularly strong.
The second part, however, I did not like. It was set in the late 20th century, but it lacked the focus of the first part. The author was juggling a lot of characters whose role in the story wasn't always clear to me, and the point he was trying to make fell flat.
Considering that this was his debut novel, I'm interested to read a more recent work of his to see how Sherif developed his skills.
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