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39th out of 311 books
—
288 voters
Sweetness in the Belly
by
Camilla Gibb
Like Brick Lane and The Kite Runner, Camilla Gibb's widely praised new novel is a poignant and intensely atmospheric look beyond the stereotypes of Islam. After her hippie British parents are murdered, Lilly is raised at a Sufi shrine in Morocco. As a young woman she goes on pilgrimage to Harar, Ethiopia, where she teaches Qur'an to children and falls in love with an ideal...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
March 27th 2007
by Penguin Books
(first published January 1st 2005)
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“Sweetness in the Belly” tells the tale of Lilly, a British girl orphaned in Morocco and raised a devout Muslim under the Great Abdal, cleric to the saint Bilal al Habash (whose sainthood, Gibb reveals in her afterward, is invented). Her story is split between her youth in Harar, Ethiopia in the seventies, and her time as a sort-of refugee in 80s/90s London working as a nurse and setting up a persons-search agency for other refugees displaced by the Ethiopean revolution and subsequent bloodshed....more
Gibb depicts the life of a "ferengi" (foreign/white/European) woman (Lilly) living as a devout Muslim in two settings: Harar, Ethiopia and London, England. Through this character's eyes, we learn more about people in this African nation, struggling with day-to-day tasks amid political, economic, cultural and religious tensions--both in their native country and abroad as refugees.
The author creates a number of compelling characters who inhabit a variety of positions in the spectrum of the Muslim...more
The author creates a number of compelling characters who inhabit a variety of positions in the spectrum of the Muslim...more
Nama Etiopia pernah sangat terkenal pada tahun 1980 hingga 1990-an. Hampir setiap malam, layar televisi kita menampilkan gambar-gambar mengenaskan tentang situasi di negeri tersebut yang dilanda kelaparan berkepanjangan akibat kekeringan dan juga perang saudara.
Di negeri dengan sejarah yang panjang ini pernah memerintah seorang kaisar, raja di raja, dengan kekuasaan bagaikan dewa, Haile Selassie. Ia juga sangat dipuja oleh kaum penganut ‘agama’ Rastafaria. Nama Rastafari diambil dari nama kecil...more
Di negeri dengan sejarah yang panjang ini pernah memerintah seorang kaisar, raja di raja, dengan kekuasaan bagaikan dewa, Haile Selassie. Ia juga sangat dipuja oleh kaum penganut ‘agama’ Rastafaria. Nama Rastafari diambil dari nama kecil...more
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The language is beautiful, the descriptions of the culture and landscape are intense, even her depiction of the main character's feelings in memorizing the Qur'an is, to me, a Muslim, a mind opener.
But...
The Islam in her book is not the real Islamic teaching. It's heavily mixed with cultural traditions, but still labeled 'Islam'. I can imagine the readers say "Oh, now I know more about Islam' but are actually misled. True, it's not Miss Gibbs responsiblity (why would you learn about a religion...more
But...
The Islam in her book is not the real Islamic teaching. It's heavily mixed with cultural traditions, but still labeled 'Islam'. I can imagine the readers say "Oh, now I know more about Islam' but are actually misled. True, it's not Miss Gibbs responsiblity (why would you learn about a religion...more
10 likes · like · see review
The book was well written, and I liked how it jumped between time periods. But I just didn't feel any pressure to keep reading - it was more like 'a story of the life of...' book with no climax or hook. just kinda ended. Amazing how she was able to completely depict Ethiopia in the pages though... I read this after coming back from there and I could completely picture the streets and imagine the characters. Another caveat though - her descriptions of Islam were not really accurate - much of the...more
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i hesitate to outrightly use terms like predictable and cliche, but this book is rife with common "now" afflictions (third-world vs. first-world transition, cross-cultural spirituality, etc.) that reveal quite a lot about the story's eventual outcome. while the story might be more about the journey than the destination, none of the revelations or realizations really sneak up on or enlighten the reader.
At first I thought this book would be a journey through the life of a young convert raised with a strong spiritual background. Like most books today it just ended up undermining the beauty and importance of Islam as a spiritual inspiration. They only thing the character seems to learn is that she doesn't have to be a practicing Muslim, she can just be believe in the message. This undermines one of the most basic tenants of Islam and Sufism, that practice and spirituality meld to make the well ro...more
This story was so well-written I had to check the front cover a couple of times that it was indeed "A Novel"! The story switches back and forth in time, and the author does it so well I was easily able to read without the dissonance I often feel with the technique. The story of a white Muslim woman in Ethiopia during the times of great changes, this story is also a scrabble-lover's dream. Words like QAT, SUQ, MIRQANA, and more are used throughout. I won't have any trouble remembering those words...more
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4.5 out of 5.0 stars - I really really liked this book - the book deals heavily with the politics of Ethiopia and the practices of Islam, topics which might cause a story to drag or deter readers, but I felt they were so deftly woven into the plot that it never felt like a history lesson. Gibb is a talented writer and I plan to read more of her work!
Honestly i just finished the book and the one thing i can say is that it has enlighten something within me and this passage has left a strong impression within me....
"For all the brutality that is inflicted upon us, we still possess the desire to be polite to strangers. We may have blackened eyes, but we still insist on brushing our hair. We may have had our toes shot off by a nine years old, but we still believe in the innocence of children. We may have been raped, repeatedly, by two men in a K...more
"For all the brutality that is inflicted upon us, we still possess the desire to be polite to strangers. We may have blackened eyes, but we still insist on brushing our hair. We may have had our toes shot off by a nine years old, but we still believe in the innocence of children. We may have been raped, repeatedly, by two men in a K...more
Much as I enjoyed the depiction of everyday life in Ethiopia and the human portrayal of the heroine's weaknesses and the need to find a sense of belonging and an emotional attachment to someone whom she can relate to and understand her needs and concerns,I was unable to buy in into her remorse over the loss of Dr. Aziz and he need to be attached constantly to the past where she lives mostly.
Though I can sympathise with Lilly and her struggles to find the meaning behind her existence made compli...more
Though I can sympathise with Lilly and her struggles to find the meaning behind her existence made compli...more
I really need to revise my ratings, as this is one of my all time favourites, up there with "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks.
This is a work of fiction that reads like a colourful symphony...artfully composed and flowing with notes both wistful and poignant. Ms. Gibb transports the reader into the dusty streets of Africa, squatting in the dirt to dry chillies, or chewing qat to get high. Then readers struggle along with the characters in their daily grind as deposed refugees in Thatcher'...more
This is a work of fiction that reads like a colourful symphony...artfully composed and flowing with notes both wistful and poignant. Ms. Gibb transports the reader into the dusty streets of Africa, squatting in the dirt to dry chillies, or chewing qat to get high. Then readers struggle along with the characters in their daily grind as deposed refugees in Thatcher'...more
Camilla Gibb takes you on a journey through Lilly's life in Ethiopia and her new life in London. Although Lilly is born to an English father and Irish mother, she is taught the Qur'an and lives as a Muslim. When she arrives in Harar, she begins to teach the children of Nouri, a woman who gives her a home. Her skills are noticed by other inhabitants and Lilly is soon teaching several children of different abilities. When one of Nouri's children is taken ill after circumcision by a local midwife,...more
British born, Canadian raised writer Camilla Gibb’s stunning new novel Sweetness in the Belly divided my book club. I was among those who loved it. The book tells the story of Lilly, born to hippie parents and brought up, after their death, in the city of Harar as a Muslim. Her story is told by layering her young years in a politically charged Ethiopia with her life as a nurse in London. It’s a fascinating picture of a world torn apart by poverty and prejudice and by Lilly’s own beliefs. It is a...more
Sweetness in the Belly is the moving and heart-warming story of Lilly Abdal. Told in her own words, it adds to it a special liveliness, directness and authenticity. Camilla Gibb has succeeded in creating a rich and detailed account of the life of a young woman caught between cultures and identities. It is also a love story at different levels. Her narrative alternates between periods during the four dramatic years in Ethiopia and those during ten years in London, after leaving Ethiopia in 1974,...more
Lilly’s parents, British citizens, lead a life of reckless wanderings. While the family is traveling in Ethiopia, Lilly’s parents are killed and Lilly is sent to stay with the Great Abdal, a teacher and leader of his people. She is taught to be a devout Muslim by Abdal and she learns much about literature and art by visits from a great teacher, Muhammed Bruce. Eventually she is sent to live with a young mother, Nouria. Lilly finds she can supplement the income of Nouria and her children by teach...more
A troubling book to read, as it was about the difficulties experienced by life in a slum in Harar, Ethiopia in the '70s.
Lily is orphaned at age 8, raised by a saint's diciple in Morocco; travels to Ethiopia; gets put with a washerwoman with four children; falls in love with a doctor; gets sent to London when the government falls; becomes a nurse; has another doctor fall in love with her, only she cannot love him because she keps thinking that Aziz will show up.
During all this, Lily continues to...more
Lily is orphaned at age 8, raised by a saint's diciple in Morocco; travels to Ethiopia; gets put with a washerwoman with four children; falls in love with a doctor; gets sent to London when the government falls; becomes a nurse; has another doctor fall in love with her, only she cannot love him because she keps thinking that Aziz will show up.
During all this, Lily continues to...more
A delightful find that I wasn't really expecting. Written by an up-and-coming young Canadian writer, I found Sweetness in the Belly to be a very mature and sophisticated story about a white English woman living as a Muslim in 1980's Ethiopia. I loved that the descriptive writing took me into the cramped alleyways and the dark huts of Harar and allowed me to feel the atmosphere through words. I became engrossed in the love story of Lilly and Aziz... hey, I'm a girl! But I also became invested in...more
Lily is the orphan of British hippies brought up by a Muslim holy man in Ethiopia in the sixties then forced to flee to England in the Red Terror years of the seventies where she works as a nurse during the week and in a centre for refugee assistance on Saturdays attempting to reunite Ethiopian scattered by the violent diaspora. In a series of back and forth in time and space sections between England and Africa, we follow Lily's history and the history of Ethiopia from a very personal point of v...more
(Actual rating: 3.75)
Sweetness in the Belly tells the tale of Lilly, a white girl growing up in Morocco who converts to Islam after her parents are murdered. Her teacher sends her to Ethiopia to learn more about Sufism. While in Ethiopia, she falls in love with a doctor. Their love is set against the backdrop of the deposition of Haile Selassie and the rise of the Ethiopian Communist party. Somehow, she flees to England, home of her father, and spends years pining for her lost love.
At first, I f...more
Sweetness in the Belly tells the tale of Lilly, a white girl growing up in Morocco who converts to Islam after her parents are murdered. Her teacher sends her to Ethiopia to learn more about Sufism. While in Ethiopia, she falls in love with a doctor. Their love is set against the backdrop of the deposition of Haile Selassie and the rise of the Ethiopian Communist party. Somehow, she flees to England, home of her father, and spends years pining for her lost love.
At first, I f...more
I didn't really begin to enjoy this book until I passed page 70ish and I had a more complete picture of how the world of "present-day" London and the one of "past-day" life in Ethiopia combined. Although I'm not necessarily a romantic by nature, I do think the book became more meaningful for me once Dr. Aziz entered the picture which made Lilly's "work" in London more relevant. I found almost all the relationships in the novel intriguing - Lilly and Hussein, Lilly and her parents, Amina and Yuse...more
Mar 23, 2013
Krys (Black & Write Reviews)
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
reviewed
I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into when I started reading this book. It was originally purchased on a whim, and now that I have finished it, I have no regrets. Like in the summary; we follow the protagonist, Lilly, in her life during her mid-teens as a developed, fundamental orthodox Muslim and how her life is thrown in a roller-coaster of emotions, events – both political and personal, and the people she encounters along the way.
Lilly was born of parents who wanted to live a rebelliou...more
Lilly was born of parents who wanted to live a rebelliou...more
This book surprised me. I took part in a discussion about "Sweetness in the Belly" before i started reading it. The reviews and comments were varied, but i walked away feeling that this wouldn't be my type of book and would just frustrate me. Someone made a comment that the main character, Lilly, didn't really grow, that her character development was never pushed and that she seemed to think and feel the same throughout the book no matter what her age or circumstance. However, i felt that there...more
I really loved this book. I think every Muslim should read it. It captured how I feel about being a Muslim -- that sense of brother/sister-hood with your fellow Muslims of all different races and backgrounds; the misuse of culture. The descriptions of Harar, the ancient, walled, Muslim city of Ethiopia, were beautiful and wonderful. I have actually visited Harar, so it might have meant more to me, but I think anyone reading it gets a sense of the magical grit of Harar. Also, the author captures,...more
"weetness in the Belly is a "quiet" book, it creeps up on you slowly but surely with its poignant tale of love, lost and found set in a world of displaced people and cruel realities.
I was apprehensive to read a story of a Muslim woman who is so steadfast in her faith, written by a non-Muslim. I shouldn't have worried much, as the Islamic themes (both spiritual and cultural) were handled with great sensitivity and understanding.
Many reviews of this book spoke about the main character's constant s...more
I was apprehensive to read a story of a Muslim woman who is so steadfast in her faith, written by a non-Muslim. I shouldn't have worried much, as the Islamic themes (both spiritual and cultural) were handled with great sensitivity and understanding.
Many reviews of this book spoke about the main character's constant s...more
I really enjoyed the glimpse into Harar life that this book offered. I didn't know a lot about Ethiopian history and the story made me want to find out more. The main character was convincing and the description of life in London for recent immigrants seemed all too realistic. Sometimes I got the feeling that the author was using British English words a little self-consciously (loo, rubbish bin, bung) and there was one use of a Canadian English word or phrase which quite threw me out of the stor...more
Lilly Abdal spent her childhood traveling throughout Europe and the near east with her "hippie" parents. After they are murdered in Morocco when she is only 8 years old, she is raised by one of their friends, an devout Muslim, who teaches her Koran and the Muslim way. She spends several years in Ethiopia living among poor and trying to help other girls and women learn to read and understand Koran. She is exiled to England in the 1980s, and works as a nurse in helping the poor immigrants. The fas...more
A novel written by an author who has a PhD in anthropology?! This book was a real treat for me, and although some criticized it for being "overly-academic," this is precisely what I loved about it (along with the skillful writing, which shines even more in Gibb's novel The Beauty of Humanity Movement). The novel oscillates between Lilly's time in Harar, Ethiopia in the late 60's through mid-70's, and her resettlement in subsidized housing in London in the story's present (the 80's and early 90's...more
I really liked this book. Very readable; immerses you into Lilly's world of poverty, war, and exile. Despite these depressing topics- this story uplifts as Lilly rises above her circumstances. I recommend this book to everyone- its truly wonderfully written!
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I picked this up thinking it was a memoir. It took me a little while to catch on it was a novel, and for some reason I was disappointed that it was fiction not fact. That disappointment and shattering of expectation colored my perceptions, I think.
Still, the book takes an interesting premise -- a white, western woman raised as a Muslim. The story careens around to different parts of the world: Morocco, Ethiopia, finally leaving Africa for London. It touches many aspects of life, including polit...more
Still, the book takes an interesting premise -- a white, western woman raised as a Muslim. The story careens around to different parts of the world: Morocco, Ethiopia, finally leaving Africa for London. It touches many aspects of life, including polit...more
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From the author's web site:
"Camilla Gibb, born in 1968, is the author of three novels, Mouthing the Words, The Petty Details of So-and-so's Life and Sweetness in the Belly, as well as numerous short stories, articles and reviews.
She was the winner of the Trillium Book Award in 2006, a Scotiabank Giller Prize short list nominee in 2005, winner of the City of Toronto Book Award in 2000 and the reci...more
More about Camilla Gibb...
"Camilla Gibb, born in 1968, is the author of three novels, Mouthing the Words, The Petty Details of So-and-so's Life and Sweetness in the Belly, as well as numerous short stories, articles and reviews.
She was the winner of the Trillium Book Award in 2006, a Scotiabank Giller Prize short list nominee in 2005, winner of the City of Toronto Book Award in 2000 and the reci...more
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“It is his absence that is part of me and has been for years. This is who I am, perhaps who we all are, keepers of the absent and the dead. It is the blessing and burden of being alive.”
—
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