rdrzjackie's review against another edition
2.0
This book almost became a DNF so many times, but I managed to struggle my way through to the end. As I first began reading this book, my immediate thought was that this book was simply not for me…as in I was not the intended audience for this book. The Twi and Ghanaian pidgin in this book made it really hard to follow, but I initially dismissed it as it being due to the fact that this book was not intended for American readers. I’m disappointed to read that many Ghanaians are offended by the poor/incorrect use of Ghanaian pidgin & Twi. The author does state that his mother helped to edit his Twi, but all of the other listed early readers appear to not be Ghanaian, based on their very English sounding names. Maybe having more Ghanaians read the book would have prevented this from becoming the author’s poor disaporic attempt to connect to his heritage culture? This is really neither here nor there though, because I’m not a part of that culture and my opinion is irrelevant.
With that being said, the writing style in this book was all over the place. I often found myself unsure of what was even happening due to the author’s poor story telling throughout this book. There were so many scenes that just happened without enough details to help the reader follow along. Then other scenes were excruciatingly boring because they were full of excessive unnecessary details. While I think the author intended to contrast Belinda’s life in Ghana with that in London, the move to London just felt like a sudden plot change. Mary all but disappears throughout the majority of the book, but then becomes vital at the end. There were also many loose ends with Amma’s story.
Ultimately, I think I get the idea that the author intended, but it was poorly executed. With better editing and guidance, this could have been a much better story. Would not recommend this book.
With that being said, the writing style in this book was all over the place. I often found myself unsure of what was even happening due to the author’s poor story telling throughout this book. There were so many scenes that just happened without enough details to help the reader follow along. Then other scenes were excruciatingly boring because they were full of excessive unnecessary details. While I think the author intended to contrast Belinda’s life in Ghana with that in London, the move to London just felt like a sudden plot change. Mary all but disappears throughout the majority of the book, but then becomes vital at the end. There were also many loose ends with Amma’s story.
Ultimately, I think I get the idea that the author intended, but it was poorly executed. With better editing and guidance, this could have been a much better story. Would not recommend this book.
soundslikeelle's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
lilopalu's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked the topics that this book was discussing and that it mainly focussed on the characters. The characters were complex and it was interesting to see them struggle with their situation in life, the expectations of others etc. However, the writing style was not for me at all. Even though I am sure it was intentional, it made it very difficult for me to get close to the characters and really feel for them and understand them.
thedarkagez's review against another edition
I couldn’t get into the writing style. To me, it felt like an A.I. was writing it
myliteraryera's review against another edition
2.0
I hate to be a harsh critic but this book just wasn’t for me. I read up to page 250 but couldn’t bear it any longer. The broken English, lack of connection to the characters and pace of the book were the real issues for me
michmatched's review against another edition
3.0
Quick easy read. Bit of a Cinderella type vibe to the story. A critique could be that this story romanizes some serious issues but I did have some thought provoking moments while reading and also found it interesting to draw parallels between the life of Amma and Belinda. Recommended read.
nsabrekwa's review against another edition
2.0
Two stars because the cover is beautiful and the synopsis was promising but I'm sorry this book is not it.
I was lost, so lost. Maybe this book targets a different audience.
Won't recommend.
I was lost, so lost. Maybe this book targets a different audience.
Won't recommend.
katenorman17's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t actually hate the writing style, which I originally thought I would when I started reading. I can see some reviews thinking that this was unintentional and a product of the authors broken English, but I’m leaning towards disagreeing and I do think it reflects the spoken style that I saw when travelling. I didn’t pick up on it as being incorrect English, but rather a stylistic choice that I could really imagine hearing out loud. I thought the topic of homosexuality was covered generally very well and I felt a lot of nuance in both characters as they dealt with that theme. The three stars come from the books tailing off and lack of ending… I really wanted some resolution, and I thought Belinda’s reaction to the final events in the book was quite out of character for her as she had clearly dealt with so much in silence and with kind heartedness… but I guess she finally felt like she didn’t owe anyone anything and didn’t feel forced to hide her feelings for everyone else’s sake anymore? Maybe that does suit her character development, but in terms of the plot, I think it trailed off and needed that tiny bit of something just to wrap it all up.
sawyerbell's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars. This started out well but I never fully engaged with the characters.
getlitwithamy's review against another edition
2.0
I hate to be a harsh critic but this book just wasn’t for me. I read up to page 250 but couldn’t bear it any longer. The broken English, lack of connection to the characters and pace of the book were the real issues for me