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screeching_dread's review against another edition
5.0
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I know you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but this one in particular caught my eye when I was browsing the available titles on Netgalley. After reading the book, however, I found that it wasn't representative of the story. Or perhaps I'm missing something. I'm so glad it piqued my interest, though!
The book description says that it is “more than a dramatic tale of rural life in western Kenya”. That's exactly right. It's a good story, with lovable and unlovable characters and it feels like a nice walk around Maragoli most of the time. In the middle of what seems like a tale of everyday life, you see raw human nature, tinted by the particularities of Kenyan culture, where you can recognise yourself in their virtues and defects, sort of like having a mirror put in front of your face. All the time feeling like you are standing right there, living it with the rest of them and found myself trying to get into their shoes.
I don't know what I was expecting when I picked up this book -and well into the first quarter- but it wasn't what I got. It went in a completely different direction than the one I was expecting and I love it when an author does that successfully!
One of the things I liked about this book was that it taught me a lot about a culture completely different from mine. The descriptions sometimes made me feel like I was there, seeing, hearing, smelling and touching the things described. That's a very rare talent, and Stanley Gazemba definitely has it. It's an interesting story; and, if like me you are relatively ignorant of Kenyan culture, it's also a super interesting source of information.
I'd really recommend it and this won't be the last book by the author I’ll read. The man’s got talent!
I know you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but this one in particular caught my eye when I was browsing the available titles on Netgalley. After reading the book, however, I found that it wasn't representative of the story. Or perhaps I'm missing something. I'm so glad it piqued my interest, though!
The book description says that it is “more than a dramatic tale of rural life in western Kenya”. That's exactly right. It's a good story, with lovable and unlovable characters and it feels like a nice walk around Maragoli most of the time. In the middle of what seems like a tale of everyday life, you see raw human nature, tinted by the particularities of Kenyan culture, where you can recognise yourself in their virtues and defects, sort of like having a mirror put in front of your face. All the time feeling like you are standing right there, living it with the rest of them and found myself trying to get into their shoes.
I don't know what I was expecting when I picked up this book -and well into the first quarter- but it wasn't what I got. It went in a completely different direction than the one I was expecting and I love it when an author does that successfully!
One of the things I liked about this book was that it taught me a lot about a culture completely different from mine. The descriptions sometimes made me feel like I was there, seeing, hearing, smelling and touching the things described. That's a very rare talent, and Stanley Gazemba definitely has it. It's an interesting story; and, if like me you are relatively ignorant of Kenyan culture, it's also a super interesting source of information.
I'd really recommend it and this won't be the last book by the author I’ll read. The man’s got talent!
kheniges's review against another edition
4.0
This book was beautifully written. It's tragic and dramatic, but there's also humor and happiness. The book is well paced and feels balanced. I found the plot really engaging (who doesn't love stories about greed and forbidden romance?), and grew to love the characters.
Forbidden Fruit follow Ombima, an impoverished laborer from a Kenyan village, as he attempts to navigate the drama, mystery, and inequity rife in his life. Ombima steals from the farm he works on to feed his family. The Madame of the farm sees him steal but rather than punishing him she asks him to find the thief.
Gazemba beautifully depicts Kenyan life and has a talent for drama and vivid imagery.
Forbidden Fruit follow Ombima, an impoverished laborer from a Kenyan village, as he attempts to navigate the drama, mystery, and inequity rife in his life. Ombima steals from the farm he works on to feed his family. The Madame of the farm sees him steal but rather than punishing him she asks him to find the thief.
Gazemba beautifully depicts Kenyan life and has a talent for drama and vivid imagery.
aimeedarsreads's review against another edition
3.0
Set in a small Kenyan hamlet, Forbidden Fruit follows Ombima and his family after he makes the fateful decision to steal fruit from the garden of Andimi, his boss and the richest man in town. Ombima believed his reasons were good: his family didn’t have enough to eat, and Andimi had so much. But Ombima’s actions set in motion a series of tragedies befalling his family and those around him.
Forbidden Fruit excels in describing the land and cultural setting of the book. One notable scene is a ritual funeral attended by the entire village. Another highlight is a Christmas procession of excited bodies singing and dancing to drum beats and becoming a single entity. The same level of detail, though, does not go into the characters, so I felt some emotional distance from them.
Ultimately, the novel felt very traditional. The characters who accepted their station in life and didn’t desire change, even if their station was poverty and hunger, were spared tragedy and seen as “good.” Those who had ambition or desires that challenged the existing social order were punished through misery, banishment, injury, or death.
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