It begins in an orphanage in Pointe-Noir in the Congo on the eve of the country's rebranding as The People's Republic of the Congo, and it follows Moses' adventures in this new world. I wish I could say it intrigued me, it didn't. I wish I could say it held my interest, but I'd be lying because I had to read virtually every page at least twice. Maybe this is a failing on my part, but I never connected with the narrative. When a book makes me mutter "I really don't care.
I know there's no point in pushing myself. Your mileage may vary. God I miss Africa! Petit Piment vivra tout au long de sa vie divers abandon ce qui l'affectera plus tard. Par pur plaisir personnel, parce que parfois, l'Afrique me manque. Jul 27, Atharv G. I felt more connected to Moses in the first half of the book, and I really liked the descriptions of Congolese history that we got.
However, the second half of the book lost me.
Ecrire l'Afrique à partir de l'autre rive | Africultures
The story seemed to fall apart and I felt that Moses's health issues could have been much better represented. At times they felt like a gimmick, for humor's sake, lacking the seriousness they should have carried. Additionally, the story itself felt rushed and the ending was e 2.
Additionally, the story itself felt rushed and the ending was extremely abrupt. I didn't understand what the point of the story ended up being. Although I did enjoy the humor at times and the historical aspects, the story itself was not nearly as cohesive as I had hoped it would be. Longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize This short novel about a Congolese boy Moses who escapes a corruptly-run orphanage and lives on the streets takes place in the late s and early s, when the Republic of Congo was transitioning to a hard-core communist state.
Unfortunately, the novel is too short to adequately explore Longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize Unfortunately, the novel is too short to adequately explore in detail the topics raised. In addition, many of the characters — the lovable priest, the sadistic twin orphans, the corrupt head of the orphanage, the gang members, the pretend Robin Hood, the benevolent madame, the kindly ex-boxer — are entertaining, but they are also stereotypes. As other reviewers have said, this book can essentially be divided into two parts that don't necessarily seem like they connect together.
The first half is about this young boy's experiences at an orphanage in Loango in the Republic of the Congo, and the second half is what happens after he decides to leave with a couple of other boys from the orphanage. The first half felt like a very long introduction, leading up to I-don't-know-what. But what those events led to by the end of the book was def As other reviewers have said, this book can essentially be divided into two parts that don't necessarily seem like they connect together.
But what those events led to by the end of the book was definitely NOT what I expected at all, and when finishing the book my immediate reaction was, "huh? This just never quite clicked with me. There's some parts that are real good, but in general I didn't feel like it came together. Like the ending didn't really fit the beginning and didn't get there in a way that felt like it justified half the book being about the orphanage.
The youth gang without the guns and the cocaine. Compared to Oliver Twist, though I didn't see it. There was no Fagin figure leading these kids, they were on their own. Kind of a companion to Ondjaki's Grandma 19 and the Soviet's Secret, about communist influence in s Africa. Et que dire du style de l'auteur?
So you was it once with bleach, you wash it twice with alcohol, then you stop washing altogether, you accept your acts as your own, because no water on earth ever gave anyone back their purity. If it could, surely with all the streams and rivers and seas and oceans there are on earth, all men and women here below would be pure and innocent.
However, the style also made me feel disconnected from the main character and his journey, which was disconcerting considering some of the disturbing aspects of the book, though I believe this was intentional. This is a book I wish I could read in its original language, French. I felt a bit disconnected from the story, while I believe this was partly intentional, I think a large portion was due to the fact that I read a translation and am not familiar with Congolese history.
- French Courses.
- El pluralismo religioso y los derechos de las minorías religiosas en España (Spanish Edition).
- La traición de Natalie Hargrove (Spanish Edition)?
- Zeitkritik in William Blakes „Songs of Innocence and of Experience“ (German Edition).
- [Ethiopiques - Revue negro-africaine de littérature et de philosophie.].
- Dominique de Saint Pern (auteur de Baronne Blixen) - Babelio.
A quick and very interesting read. The affection we showed our priest came from the bottom of ou Review published: The way people looked at us said it all: Moses eventually gets taken in by a brothel full of women who mother him in exchange for errand-running and heartfelt devotion. Moses, whose life has been neither easy nor innocent, is exposed to political corruption and the unrest which grips Congo. He sees first hand the hypocritical leaders who frequent the brothel under cloak of night, then persecute them in light of day, all for political gain.
Mabanckou seemingly has created Moses as the personification of his country. They taught us to pray with our eyes closed: They are privy to the underhanded dealings and nefarious ambitions of so many men in their country. And as the country seems in danger of devolving, Moses himself degenerates into total madness. Many thanks to The New Press for providing a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review. He is raised in an orphanage, which starts out as a Christian charity, but is then taken over by communists. Moses escapes from the orphanage and becomes a homeless gang member in the town of Pointe-Noire with the nickname of Little Pepper.
He befriends the madam of a brothel, who is from Zaire and living in Congo illegally. After a series of betrayals by his fellow gang members and the Congolese government, Little Pepper begins to suffer from alcoholism and memory problems. After committing a serious crime, he ends up in a prison, which is located at the same site as his old orphanage, bringing the story full circle.
It was easy to read and short, which are good things. This book is fine. I was entertained by it, but not exactly intrigued enough to want to do the kind of thinking that I probably need to do in order to really appreciate it. Alain Mabanckou brings an extraordinary positive energy, good humour and a wide-eyed honesty to everything he touches. What an amazing way to talk about the unbearable cruelty of life for a boy abandoned by his parents into an orphanage in the Congo - only to have the few scraps of caring in the institution blown away by political manoeuvring in the wake of the "People's Revolution.
I felt completely immersed in the life of Black Moses, experiencing hardship as "normal" in the way he does it's all he ever knew and celebrating his ebullience, ability to build relationships, and have fun in spite of everything. And yet the awful reality of the inhumanity of disconnected people in power, and of dire poverty, and of a lot of empty political rhetoric - that reality is not glossed over or "normalised.
Okay so the chaptering, prose, and section breaks were great. Moses is an orphan at an orphanage in rural Congo during the 's - Marxists take over the state in part, so the orphanage changes suddenly from religiously-themed to a "factory of communist ideals. The second part is pretty forgettable - he runs away to the nearby city, roams w Okay so the chaptering, prose, and section breaks were great.
The second part is pretty forgettable - he runs away to the nearby city, roams with a street gang, becomes friends with the ladies at a bordello, and then some "tough on crime" politico tries to run off streetchildren and prostitutes. I won't spoil how it ends, but it ends in a super tidy way that I respected both as a wordsmith and a reader.
This is the story of young Moses and his childhood growing up in an orphanage, then on the streets of Pointe-Noire with a gang of thieves, stealing to survive. From the streets he meets and is 'adopted' by brothel owner, Madame Fiat Moses looks to have finally found some stability but the brothel and its inhabitants fall foul of a local politician who has them rounded up and 'disappeared' as part of an election campaign stunt. As a result, Moses experiences a mental collapse and goes throug This is the story of young Moses and his childhood growing up in an orphanage, then on the streets of Pointe-Noire with a gang of thieves, stealing to survive.
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Quel est le livre que vous avez honte de ne pas avoir lu? Et en ce moment que lisez-vous? Citations et extraits 46 Voir plus Ajouter une citation. Signaler ce contenu Voir la page de la citation. L'Afrique, l'immense et somptueuse Afrique, lui ouvrait les bras. Il existe, sinon comment expliquer.
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