Paradise in Around the World

Oct 07, 2021 Kim rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, read-before-goodreads, literary-fiction, nobel-prize

I read this in 2009 before I'd joined goodreads.
I gave it 3 stars. It is a bookcrossing book and I vaguely remember it.
I journaled - An interesting story about a boy growing up in slavery in an East African country.
I think this is a very good book to share and I'm interested in what others think of it.
The book was short-listed for the Booker Prize in 1994.
This book is the 50th I've registered on Bookcrossing.com.
In Jan 2010 I gave it to a dear friend to enjoy, but I can't for the life of me re ...more

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Oct 11, 2021 Jo Reason rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-the-world

Quote ‘Savages,’ he said. ‘Worth ten of any of you.’
‘Imagine that God should create creatures like that! They look like something made out of sin,’ one of the porters said, a young man who was always first to speak. ‘Don’t they look vicious?’

Let me introduce you to Yusuf, a 12 year old who was sent away to pay his fathers debt. He is now working in a shop, a merchant’s shop owned by “Uncle Aziz’s”, along with another young person, who is in the same position. Yusuf is our main protagonist, the n Quote ‘Savages,’ he said. ‘Worth ten of any of you.’
‘Imagine that God should create creatures like that! They look like something made out of sin,’ one of the porters said, a young man who was always first to speak. ‘Don’t they look vicious?’

Let me introduce you to Yusuf, a 12 year old who was sent away to pay his fathers debt. He is now working in a shop, a merchant’s shop owned by “Uncle Aziz’s”, along with another young person, who is in the same position. Yusuf is our main protagonist, the novel is set around WW1 in Tanzania, in various locations, from the coast to the rural interior, Yusuf and the trader are muslims, others are indians and there are other languages from the interior of the country, not all speak each others languages or understand each others traditions, which sometimes creates uncomfortable moments.

You might think that the title evokes something special, wonderful, paradise, but there is nothing paradisiacal about this novel, it is about the tough life of a young boy, but does it refer to the walled garden of the home where he now lives???

I read this after the book hangover of the Tobacconist and it took me a while to get into.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would, but the part where Yusuf accompanies his “uncle” on a safari into the interior for a trading expedition is fascinating. Here we read about lots of other characters, traditions, villages, savages, beliefs and rituals. The adventures had on this journey are wonderful and often scary.

The downside to this whole novel is that it doesn’t go anywhere, it is often the day-to-day life in the shop with other characters popping in and out. Nothing actually connects properly.

You might think that the title evokes something special, wonderful, paradise, but there is nothing paradisiacal about this novel, it is about the tough life of a young boy. This book taught me a little about the life of a merchant in Tanzania at the beginning of the XX century.

I am giving this book 3 stars due to the section in the book which I did enjoy, the safari into the interior of the country and all the adventures the merchants had. Maybe I missed something while reading this novel and if I had read it at a different time, not straight after a book which I awarded 5 stars, then I might have appreciated it more.

The next book in the read the world challenge is The Orphan Sky by Ella Leya. from the country of Azerbaijan. ...more

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Dec 06, 2019 Linda rated it liked it · review of another edition

Hmmmm.
I got this book so I could read a novel by someone from Tanzania on the occasion of of my first(?) trip to that country. It's, you know, not bad. And the whole becoming-and-being familiar with vocabulary and places mentioned was fun, as expected.
I'm not entirely sure how or whether I'd describe the plot. But it's not one of those nothing-happens what's-the-plots. Quite a bit happens. It's more of a where-are-we-going and was-that-section-connected-to-this-one what's-the-plot. It's basicall ...more

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Jul 18, 2023 Sharon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

There’s just so much going on here. Yusuf, the young protagonist, has been experiences that parallel those of Joseph from the Bible/Koran, and experiences that parallel Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. I learned a lot about the various cultures, languages, religions, etc in East Africa during the time of German occupation. I plan to read more about this and more by Gurnah.

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Jun 15, 2022 Preethi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2021-nonenglish-writers, wanderlust-or-about-a-country, award-winners

The book makes me nostalgic for the rural India I grew up in, for Yusuf’s plot setting feels similar. Yusuf’s journey and experiences are fascinating as well.

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