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40th out of 82 books
—
13 voters
The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam
Rhodesia - a place of great beauty, but also of terrible, man-made, tragedy. The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam is, above all else, a magical evocation of childhood; at times laugh-out-loud funny, at others heartbreakingly sad. It tells the story of two young sisters, Nyree and Cia O'Callohan, who live on a remote farm in the East of what was Rhodesia in the...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
March 6th 2008
by Virago Press
(first published 2008)
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It is the 1970s in eastern Rhodesia. Eight year old Nyree lives with her younger sister Cia, her mother and grandfather on a remote farm. Her father, under compulsory conscription of white men, is away fighting the Terrs in the civil war. Nyree and her sister create a world of magic and imagination combining the best parts of their Catholic upbringing, fairy tales and African magic and ritual. It is marvellous reading what these two wee girls get up to and how they make the most mundane surround...more
I picked up this book, intrigued by its title: The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam by Lauren Liebenberg. I felt drawn in by the premise, (the book is set in Rhodesia in the late 1970s, just before it becomes the Zimbabwe we know today) where two girls live in a magical, innocent, yet dangerous world.
This book was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2008, and I found out why. The writing is rich, lyrical, without being sentimental or overwhelming, and draws a vivid picture of its set...more
This book was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2008, and I found out why. The writing is rich, lyrical, without being sentimental or overwhelming, and draws a vivid picture of its set...more
The novel starts off a little hard to read. The odd comma would have been appreciated by my grammar policing brain. I soon got used to it, though, and ended up really enjoying Liebenberg's writing. She puts forward her part of Africa so clearly I felt as if I was back there. I couldn't say what the book would be like for someone who hasn't been to the south of Africa but it was all very familiar to me.
The story itself was heartbreaking. I cried more than a few tears a few different times. And kn...more
The story itself was heartbreaking. I cried more than a few tears a few different times. And kn...more
Beautiful, poignant, vibrant, sad, lyrical, evocative and moving.
Myth and superstition is beautifully integrated into 'modern' life as cultures and beliefs, old and new co-exist peacefully and mostly harmoniously. But the political wolf stalks at the gate!
Overflowing with metaphor this novel provides the reader with an emotional and touching view into the micro world of the main characters and parallels their experiences with the macrocosm of a very unstable and dangerous Africa.
Reading this no...more
Myth and superstition is beautifully integrated into 'modern' life as cultures and beliefs, old and new co-exist peacefully and mostly harmoniously. But the political wolf stalks at the gate!
Overflowing with metaphor this novel provides the reader with an emotional and touching view into the micro world of the main characters and parallels their experiences with the macrocosm of a very unstable and dangerous Africa.
Reading this no...more
Rhodesia imploding, the perspective of half-wild bush children on a farm that is dessicating in the heartless climate, an interloper child who tortures animals and is damaged goods, but plays nicely with adults. Lots of good meat to hang a story on but it somehow fails to move me.
The book has a strongly biographical feel, but the author has written what I presume is a part-memoir of her own childhood with a fictional mount, and I'm not sure she pulls this off. The hybrid tribalbelife-child-mytho...more
The book has a strongly biographical feel, but the author has written what I presume is a part-memoir of her own childhood with a fictional mount, and I'm not sure she pulls this off. The hybrid tribalbelife-child-mytho...more
I found this a very difficult read. This is a South African writer and I'm also a South African. It's hard to put my finger on it, but I'll try. I personally don't think it is very well written. It's as if the author is trying too hard and the story is all over the place. I couldn't "feel" any of the characters. Maybe I had too much of an expectation - people were going on about it and it won a prize etc etc. Sorry - it just didn't do it for me ... or maybe I'm just a book snob. :)
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Thia is a delightful book, told from the view point of Nyree, an eight year old child. There are many voices however, as everyone Nyree encounters profoundly affects her thinking. Set on a remote farm in Rhodesia in the late 1970's, it is the story of a childhood "laced with African paganism, mangled Catholicism and the lore of Brothers Grimm". Funny, poignant, tragic and vividly told. It was one of those books that stayed with me long after reading.
My second reading of this, for book group - I enjoyed it just as much the second time around, though the reading was slightly spoilt by knowing the end. Set during the civil war in Rhodesia, two young sisters, Nyree and Cia O'Callahan, live in a rambling old farmstead at the edge of a forest. The girls revel in their decaying paradise until the arrival of their orphaned cousin, Ronin, changes everything.
Nominated for an Orange Iterature award. The story is told by an eight year old girl who lives in Rhodesia in the 1970s against a background of civil was. Even though Nyree's family live in constant fear of the 'Terrs' (terrorists) the real,threat comes from someone much more closer.
A fascinating look at a childhood in another time and place - highly recommended.
A fascinating look at a childhood in another time and place - highly recommended.
Apr 03, 2008
Mark
marked it as to-read
Rhodesia - a place of great beauty, but also of terrible, man-made, tragedy. The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam is, above all else, a magical evocation of childhood; at times laugh-out-loud funny, at others heartbreakingly sad. It tells the story of two young sisters, Nyree and Cia O'Callohan, who live on a remote farm in the East of what was Rhodesia in the late 1970s. Beneath the dripping vines of the Vumba rainforest, and under the tutelage of their heretical grandfather, Oupa,...more
A short novel that tells a good story and in an interesting place and time. To be honest, the title sold me on this book as I love peanut butter and jam but was pleased with the story. It does change it's theme a bit half way through but not in a negative way.
Firstly, if you're not Rhodesian/Zimbabwean, you'll need a copy with a glossary. I enjoyed the trip down memory lane and the story started off being really sweet: two naughty youngsters on a ranch. I have to admit that I didn't see the end coming and, in some ways, it still doesn't quite sit well with me. It's a quick read bit don't expect a fairy tale ending.
A story of sisters growing up during civil war Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. The author gives her young protagonist a refreshingly insightful voice as she makes her own observations and parrots the views of others. It is a bittersweet coming of age tale. The family is not only touched by civil war but by family tragedy and destructive forces of nature. Unfortunately more dark than delightful.
This book was really well written but I the main storyline seemed periphal. I would have liked more about the central conflict. It was an excellent study of life in Rhodesia during the civil war but needed more plot development.
I read Mukiwa by Peter Godwin last year, one of the best memoirs I've ever read, and since then I've wanted to read more about the last days of Rhodesia. Hence this novel. At times it's overly self-conscious in its 'literary fiction-ness,' with the author straining a bit too hard to be lyrical. But I can't believe how quickly I read it - very atmospheric, and smartly structured.
Jul 31, 2011
Christine
added it
I enjoyed this book but I have mixed feelings about it. In parts it was great, descriptive and inventive. In other parts I felt the character development aside from Ronin wasn't great which affected the story.
It was OK and reasonably well written but boring. I haven't done this before but I skipped to the end (as I knew what would happen) and then back tracked and skimmed all but the crucial passages.
I found this a very difficult read. This is a South African writer and I'm also a South African. It's hard to put my finger on it, but I'll try. I personally don't think it is very well written. It's as if the author is trying too hard and the story is all over the place. I couldn't "feel" any of the characters. Maybe I had too much of an expectation - people were going on about it and it won a prize etc etc. Sorry - it just didn't do it for me ... or maybe I'm just a book snob. :) Oh yes - and...more
A childs memoir in Eastern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Humor,tragic and identifiable having grown up in Rhodesia myself. A book that brings a laugh and a tear.
i really enjoyed this novel which reads like a memoir of a childhood in Zimbabwe. It had me gripped from the start and kept me enthralled.
It is an unsettling book....but captures a history that is now gone but nontheless real and a history I understand. I really recommend it.
Unnecessarily sad. Disturbing for no reason. Not my cup of tea. Was disappointed; I wanted to like this book.
I had a hard time with this book. Not sure if it was because it is slow paced or the fact that i had to look to the back glossary many times. However by the middle of the book I was interested in where it was going. Glad that I kept reading it even if it put me to sleep every night!
A very sad tale which does an excellent job of taking the micro and applying it to the macro.
Good first novel, probably strongly autobiographical. Easy and quick read, engaging without being gripping, believable and well observed. It will be interesting to see how the author follows this.
I really enjoyed this, it was well written. I realised reading this that I know absolutely nothing about the history of Zimbabwe. My education was so localised, we didn't even move much past the history of my province! So I learned a lot about Zimbabwe. The childhood aspects were very familiar to me. I grew up in much the same way, only in a city environment. The informal Apartheid style of living surprised me a bit, because I find that British people love to look down upon Apartheid, but things...more
Jul 29, 2011
Sara
marked it as to-read
08 long list-orange prize
I couldn't get into this one. I wanted to like it but its lacking something and I'm not sure what it is.
Nostalgia (for my own childhood in Africa), amusement at the thoughts and beliefs of the protagonists, a sense of horror for the cruelty....a book that tugs at the emotions.
After living in Zimbabwe for 3 years this was a nostalgic record of life before i lived there.
This is well written and covers the story of 2 sisters growing up in Post Rhodesia, during the 10 yr civil war , the girls live in Umtali now Mutare and they live an ideal existence until the horrors of life break in.
This is well written and covers the story of 2 sisters growing up in Post Rhodesia, during the 10 yr civil war , the girls live in Umtali now Mutare and they live an ideal existence until the horrors of life break in.
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Lauren Liebenberg was born in Zimbabwe in 1972. When still a child, she moved with her family to South Africa, where her father worked in gold mining. Lauren attended Brescia House, a Catholic girls’ school in Johannesburg. After completing university, she lived in England for several years and travelled extensively in Europe and Asia, before returning to Johannesburg, where she still lives today....more
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