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alonewithnutella's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
la_karina1818's review
The writing was quite nice and the novel had great intentions but it just didn't grab my attention enough. I skimmed through all of it but I didn't really want to continue if I was gonna skim for all of the book.
usmanzuh123's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I’ll give this story a 3/5 not too good, not too bad it’s just not my genre, for me. The story of this book is about a man a journalist who spontaneously runs away with his work, traveled by himself, and goes to Guyana. And he was mesmerized by the country and not only by the country, but he was also mesmerized by the girl name Jan that she meet along with his journey and they make love and all in all. This story also, it also tackles how racist the people in Guyana are towards the Africans they always said that Africans are lazy, black, with wide noses and they don’t know how to work. It makes me sad how racist people are in these past times, also in this book, also tackles how inequality is shown in this book, how the men go down the women and treat them like a slave. They always said that women are all slaves. So to those people who really like women empowerment, racism, equality, and colonialism. Well, this one is for you, happy reading.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
kbc's review
2.0
The style of this book is so similar to Open City that I'm baffled by my reaction to it. I suspect it is linked to my own prejudices. Cole's narrator moved partially in a realm I was comfortable with - that of a highly educated person in America, whereas Bhattacharya dealt with the lower-class people of Guyana, who are experts in everything I am not.
The description of Guyana and the surrounding areas are wonderful and lush. I enjoyed that he gave us the history of the country and explained how racial tensions filled almost every action. Sometimes the description of food seemed too much but at other times it was mouthwatering.
I also think my reaction had to deal with each narrator's victim. Cole's narrator's victim grew up and became successful - embodying the adage that the best revenge is a well-lived life. Bhattacharya's narrator's victim, however, we have no idea what will happen and the possibilities are scary.
The description of Guyana and the surrounding areas are wonderful and lush. I enjoyed that he gave us the history of the country and explained how racial tensions filled almost every action. Sometimes the description of food seemed too much but at other times it was mouthwatering.
I also think my reaction had to deal with each narrator's victim. Cole's narrator's victim grew up and became successful - embodying the adage that the best revenge is a well-lived life. Bhattacharya's narrator's victim, however, we have no idea what will happen and the possibilities are scary.
encgolsen's review
4.0
This read more like an exceptionally well written travel memoir than a novel, but I genuinely enjoyed the stories told about Guyana, a place I knew nothing about. The leisurely pacing was well suited to the subject matter and the descriptions kept me interested (normally I skim that sort of thing.)
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