Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away
4 journalers for this copy...
An unexpected wheel turning,
down falls the world
in moments like raindrops.
down falls the world
in moments like raindrops.
Happy Summer Gift Giving of 2013!! :)
My goal this summer is WORLD DOMINATION! :D
Ok, ok. So maybe I'm just trying to take over the whole of society. :)
Alright! Alright! You got me! I'm just kicking a few books around for the summer! Sheesh! Talk about stomping on my cheerios! :P
Hope this book is the start of a great summer of reading!! :)
My goal this summer is WORLD DOMINATION! :D
Ok, ok. So maybe I'm just trying to take over the whole of society. :)
Alright! Alright! You got me! I'm just kicking a few books around for the summer! Sheesh! Talk about stomping on my cheerios! :P
Hope this book is the start of a great summer of reading!! :)
Received this book from HI77 as part of the 2013 Summer Gift Giving it's been on my wishlist for about 2 years!
Thank you so much for such generosity in sending me a Wishlist Book, I am extremely grateful to your kindness!
About the Book:
Winner of the 2011 Costa First Novel Award
When their mother catches their father with another woman, twelve year-old Blessing and her fourteen-year-old brother, Ezikiel, are forced to leave their comfortable home in Lagos for a village in the Niger Delta, to live with their mother’s family. Without running water or electricity, Warri is at first a nightmare for Blessing. Her mother is gone all day and works suspiciously late into the night to pay the children’s school fees. Her brother, once a promising student, seems to be falling increasingly under the influence of the local group of violent teenage boys calling themselves Freedom Fighters. Her grandfather, a kind if misguided man, is trying on Islam as his new religion of choice, and is even considering the possibility of bringing in a second wife.
But Blessing’s grandmother, wise and practical, soon becomes a beloved mentor, teaching Blessing the ways of the midwife in rural Nigeria. Blessing is exposed to the horrors of genital mutilation and the devastation wrought on the environment by British and American oil companies. As Warri comes to feel like home, Blessing becomes increasingly aware of the threats to its safety, both from its unshakable but dangerous traditions and the relentless carelessness of the modern world. Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away is the witty and beautifully written story of one family’s attempt to survive a new life they could never have imagined, struggling to find a deeper sense of identity along the way.
About this author:
Christie trained as a paediatric nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital, and worked as a nurse, educator and senior sister, for over ten years before joining UEA for her MA in Creative Writing, where she won the Malcolm Bradbury Bursary. Christie lives in South London with her Nigerian Muslim partner, and their large dual heritage, multi-faith family.
MY REVIEW
Isn't it amazing that you can forget what it is you enjoy so much.
It has been ages since I read a book set in Africa...why?
I loved this story. Everything in it was alive.
"I let my eyes cry" what a truly beautiful way with words this author has.
I read this feeling the pain, struggle, confusion and dust and dirt.
Blessing was the perfect voice to tell this tale, which had me close to tears on more than one occasion.
Truly loved it.
This book has been played in the Australasia Wishlist Tag Game
I hope it enjoys its new home, and continues to travel.
Isn't it amazing that you can forget what it is you enjoy so much.
It has been ages since I read a book set in Africa...why?
I loved this story. Everything in it was alive.
"I let my eyes cry" what a truly beautiful way with words this author has.
I read this feeling the pain, struggle, confusion and dust and dirt.
Blessing was the perfect voice to tell this tale, which had me close to tears on more than one occasion.
Truly loved it.
This book has been played in the Australasia Wishlist Tag Game
I hope it enjoys its new home, and continues to travel.
Thanks J4Shaw - just arrived today after taking rather a long time to get here. I'm looking forward to this.
I really loved this book, although as frequently happens, it suffered a little from long interruptions in my available reading time. A coming-of-age story set in the Niger Delta, against a backdrop of the impact of oil extraction in Nigeria. Beautiful, lyrical writing.
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I'll offer this in the Oz VBB.
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I'll offer this in the Oz VBB.
Requested on the Oz VBB. Enjoy!
Thankyou arrived today in the post and the previous journal entries are very positive so happy to have this one to add to my mountainous tbr :)