Imbolo Mbue

"'We should have known the end was near.' So begins Imbolo Mbue's exquisite and devastating novel How Beautiful We Were. Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, it tells the story of a people living in fear amidst environmental degradation wrought by a large and powerful American oil company. Pipeline spills have rendered farmlands infertile. Children are dying from drinking toxic water. Promises of clean up and financial reparations to the villagers are made--and ignored. The country's government, led by a corrupt, brazen dictator, exists to serve its own interest. Left with few choices, the people of Kosawa decide to fight the American corporation. Doing so will come at a steep price. Told through multiple perspectives and centered around a fierce young girl named Thula who grows up to become a revolutionary, Joy of the Oppressed is a masterful exploration of what happens when the reckless drive for profit, coupled with the ghosts of colonialism, comes up against one village's quest for justice--and a young woman's willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of her people's freedom"--

How Beautiful We Were

A fearless young woman from a small African village starts a revolution against an American oil company in this sweeping, inspiring novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Behold the Dreamers. ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, People • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, The Christian Science Monitor, Marie Claire, BookPage, Kirkus Reviews “Mbue reaches for the moon and, by the novel’s end, has it firmly held in her hand.”—NPR We should have known the end was near. So begins Imbolo Mbue’s powerful second novel, How Beautiful We Were. Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, it tells of a people living in fear amid environmental degradation wrought by an American oil company. Pipeline spills have rendered farmlands infertile. Children are dying from drinking toxic water. Promises of cleanup and financial reparations to the villagers are made—and ignored. The country’s government, led by a brazen dictator, exists to serve its own interests. Left with few choices, the people of Kosawa decide to fight back. Their struggle will last for decades and come at a steep price. Told from the perspective of a generation of children and the family of a girl named Thula who grows up to become a revolutionary, How Beautiful We Were is a masterful exploration of what happens when the reckless drive for profit, coupled with the ghost of colonialism, comes up against one community’s determination to hold on to its ancestral land and a young woman’s willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of her people’s freedom.

A Novel

Imbolo Mbue is a master at writing I hope she writes more 

Kavitha Ramachandran 

Imbolo Mbue is a master at writing I hope she writes more 

her skill is incredible 

Lamia Hajani

I'll preface by saying that I have not read Behold the Dreamers and was completely new to Imbolo Mbue's writing. 

I think that a lot of this book was quite beautifully written- the description of the village, Kosawa, the culture that shone through and the characters that are hard to not become invested in. However, the plot drags on a little bit in this novel, and I found it really difficult to read. It took me almost a full month from start to finish to read this book, and I think that's because of how slow it is. It feels like the plot jumps back five steps every chapter and then, randomly, something vital will happen and it's written away in a few words. 

I felt that a solid 3 out of 5 stars was a perfect rating for this book. There is so much beauty to be found in it and so much to learn, but it felt like it needed a little bit of paring down.

Thanks to NetGalley, Imbolo Mbue and Random House for an eARC of this novel!

Amy Thibodeau

Harrowing, beautiful but for me, very to get lost in.

Ethan Hill

Josefina

this bool just broke my heart on how big corporations just exploit other countries, ridding them of the chance to have a healthy life out of pure greed

Nadine 

Deeply sad and informative this story offers multi-perspectives on the ravaging of an African village due to oil exploitation. The deaths of children, the attempts to negotiate/ understand / engage in dialogue/legal recourse / sabotage are all painstakingly described. The novel is long - at times tedious but ironically that is exactly how the reader should be feeling - will this ever end? Can we hurry it up? No and no. With the last chapter leaving one hanging as to whether the resolution was a resolution- for the villagers & their children & children’s children & for us as humanity.

Steffi

this book took everything out of me to finish because it was so slow and not interesting at all once you realize the story doesn't go anywhere.

A fearless young woman from a small African village starts a revolution against an American oil company in this sweeping, inspiring novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Behold the Dreamers. “Mbue reaches for the moon and, by the novel’s end, has it firmly held in her hand.”—NPR We should have known the end was near. So begins Imbolo Mbue’s powerful second novel, How Beautiful We Were. Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, it tells of a people living in fear amid environmental degradation wrought by an American oil company. Pipeline spills have rendered farmlands infertile. Children are dying from drinking toxic water. Promises of cleanup and financial reparations to the villagers are made—and ignored. The country’s government, led by a brazen dictator, exists to serve its own interests. Left with few choices, the people of Kosawa decide to fight back. Their struggle will last for decades and come at a steep price. Told from the perspective of a generation of children and the family of a girl named Thula who grows up to become a revolutionary, How Beautiful We Were is a masterful exploration of what happens when the reckless drive for profit, coupled with the ghost of colonialism, comes up against one community’s determination to hold on to its ancestral land and a young woman’s willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of her people’s freedom.

Trigger warnings: (view spoiler)[Death of a husband, father, friend and sister, child sexual assault, murder, incarceration, gun violence (hide spoiler)]

This is a gorgeous literary novel exploring the life and heartache of an African village named Kosawa. Told in a writing style that replicates oral story-telling, this book enraptures the reader with characters holding an immense amount of depth. 

The story itself is a much slower pace than I would typically pick up. However, I was engaged throughout and didn't find this impacted my reading as it often would. The story's use of multiple perspectives, timeframes and past recounts were at times difficult to discern. They did not always flow smoothly, sometimes making me question their inclusion. Personally, I feel that this book may have been much stronger if a primary voice was used throughout. 

How Beautiful We Were, overall, is a poignant story that I am truly happy I spent time with. 


  Note: Review copy (audio) received via Libro.FM. This does not impact opinions within this review.


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