Reviews

Petit pays: Französische Lektüre für die Oberstufe by Gaël Faye

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racqthebelle's review against another edition

2.0

This book has beautiful prose, but the narrator’s privileged indifference is such a turn off. The chapters seemed to jump forward in time abruptly after really traumatic or hurtful events, but I wonder if that was supposed to be a reflection of how Gaby chose willful blindness and romanticism to separate himself from what was going on around him? As a reader, it’s really jarring how indifferent he is to the deaths and mistreatments of certain characters who he should empathize with.

janey's review against another edition

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5.0

Startlingly fresh and delicately written. As beautiful as it is heartbreaking.

annacabrespina's review against another edition

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3.0

a veure, no m’ha agradat gens haver-li de llegir ara, obligatori. al principi no podia no entenia res i la història tampoc m estava agradant peròa mesura que va avançant es va entenent i he d reconèixer que la segona meitat del llibre m ha agradat bastant

tot i això, sense més, hagues preferit llegir algun dels llibres que tinc pendents

jaclyncrupi's review against another edition

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4.0

This beautiful book asks what effect war and genocide has on the identity of a young boy coming of age amongst unimaginable horrors. Set in Burundi and Rwanda in the early 90s it tells of the trauma of those places at that time. But it also highlights the beauty and innocence of life before war and the desire to return to it (the book is fairly evenly split in two). I have no doubt that in 20 years time I’ll be reading a similar story from a Syrian writer. The translation by Sarah Ardizzone is excellent.

katakanax's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

marinecanread's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

ireneriart's review against another edition

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5.0

“An incredible story about the social conflicts in Burundi and Rwanda during the 90s told by an innocent child”

Petit Pays is the first novel of Gaël Faye, a Rwandan singer. This author was new to me, as well as the main theme of the book: the conflicts in Burundi and Rwanda. This may sound very strange to you as it sounded to me the first time I was given the book. But I have to admit I was wrong, this book had completely hooked me.

The story is based on Gabriel -the main character- and his childhood memories. The novel starts with a big flashback to all his family experiences in his natal Burundi. However, the happiness began to disappear due to the difficult times the country faces at that time such as war and political instability but also personal problems in Gabriel’s family.

The author’s narrative style turns this book into a touching and emotive story, full of nostalgia. It makes you smile and cry at the same time. The characters are very well described, most of them are a representation of a complicated society: different ideologies or even different ways to understand how life is.

I loved so much how the author described his country: a red sand landscape, with exotic vegetation and beautiful people. The book also reflects the contrast between local people and some expats who have a rich life in Burundi.

It’s a moving story, it would definitely surprise you!