Genre: FictionYear Published: 1998
Pages: 543
Rating: 5/5
This was my third attempt to read this book, spanning the last four years. I'm glad I never gave it up entirely, because this is one of the best books I've ever read. From the author's voice (the story is narrated by five different characters, each with their own nuances and style) to the subject matter, this book was captivating. Detailing almost the entire life span of a family of six who travels to the Congo as missionaries in the 1960s, it is informative (I can't imagine the research that must have gone into this novel) and heartbreaking. I found that it started slow, but the third time I picked it up I guess I passed that danger zone of slowness, because I was unable to put it down. I had basically zero knowledge of the historical position of this novel, and feel I've emerged both sadder and wiser. I should also say that I shed copious amounts of tears while reading this novel, so be forewarned.
Challenge/s: TBR, New Classics, 1% Well-Read, Well-Rounded
Book-a-Week #: 40
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8 comments:
I had a hard reading this one too. I still haven't finished. Sometimes I think about going back to it but you say it get sadder. I maybe less then half and I remember it being pretty sad.
It definately gets sad--but it is only devastatingly sad somewhere in the middle of the book.
I'm so glad you stuck with this one! I read this book just last month and loved it. It will make my top ten of 2008 list for sure. Here is my review if you are interested.
This is one of my all time favorite books!
I have this at home and really need to find time to read it. I only heard of it since I started blogging. Thanks for the review.
I listened to the audio edition of this novel and it was amazing, especially considering the round-robin narrative from the various point of view characters.
I find I can get into difficult books when I listen because I have more patience with audio books, and I like the slow pace of the spoken word, allowing me to digest the story.
This is one of my very favorite books. After I read it, I chose it for my book club to read. They didn't want to read it ("it's too long!", "the topic doesn't sound interesting", etc.) but in the end they all loved it. I'm glad you finally made it through. :)
I've been toying with reading this one. Based on your review and others' comments, I think I'll put it on my list for 2009.
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