Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “O, Africa!” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

O, Africa!

Andrew Lewis Conn (Goodreads Author)

3.20 · Rating details · 173 ratings · 75 reviews

A rollicking and ambitious novel that recalls Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and E. L. Doctorow’s Ragtime, O, Africa! follows two filmmakers on an unlikely journey, while exploring the complexities of race, class, sexuality, and success in early twentieth century America.

In the summer of 1928, twin brothers Micah and Izzy Grand are at the p ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 384 pages

Published June 10th 2014 by Hogarth (first published January 1st 2014)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about O, Africa!, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about O, Africa!

Lists with This Book

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Best Books of 2014 That Are NOT Erotica

557 books — 410 voters

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

A Place In The Title

444 books — 53 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.20 ·

Rating details

· 173 ratings · 75 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of O, Africa!

Jun 23, 2014 Will Byrnes rated it liked it

Shelves: cinema

Point a camera at something, you change it.

Change is definitely in the air in the summer of 1928. With the release of The Jazz Singer in 1927 the Grand brothers, silent-film director Micah, and his cameraman, partner and brother Izzy, might be feeling a bit of heat from the new kid on the block, the talkie. Their producer certainly is. Mired in debt and fearing for the future of his group’s stock in trade, he wants Micah and Iz to secure another foundation for their company. When he proposes ...more

flag 94 likes · Like · see review

Feb 04, 2014 ☮Karen rated it liked it

Shelves: giveaways-librarything

With an in-your-face style, the author takes us to Africa for some movie-making in 1928. Such an ambitious endeavor had never been undertaken in film making. The movie makers are twin brothers, Micah and Izzy Grand, and the two of them couldn’t be more unlike. These characters were extremely well-drawn and formulated. Micah lives life to its fullest extent and takes tremendous risks. It’s his doing that the trip to Africa becomes necessary, in order to pay off a large gambling debt. Izzy is the ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jul 24, 2014 Jeff Buddle rated it did not like it

Andrew Lewis Conn tries too hard. He pretends that this is a historical novel, but gets so much wrong. He summons flights of words that say next to nothing. He piles up so many similes that the reader is crushed by comparisons. Characters never come to life, they move around cardboard landscapes and use cardboard dialogue. The prose has no rhythmic drive, it jumps and sputters and lacks purpose, waxing poetic in places and waning crude in others.

All this and the book is borderline racist. Not r ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jan 29, 2014 Chris Blocker rated it it was amazing

I'm not funny and I don't find too many things funny. So when I got an advance copy of O, Africa! and read the praises of other authors, I was hesitant to go further. “Hilarious,” declares Gary Shteyngart. “A wise, irresistible comedy,” says Mary-Beth Hughes. “One of the funniest . . . books I've read,” echoes Paul La Farge. Even before I started reading, I knew that the little bit of humor I possessed wouldn't find the humor in this story. And what's funny is, that this was true, but I still lo I'm not funny and I don't find too many things funny. So when I got an advance copy of O, Africa! and read the praises of other authors, I was hesitant to go further. “Hilarious,” declares Gary Shteyngart. “A wise, irresistible comedy,” says Mary-Beth Hughes. “One of the funniest . . . books I've read,” echoes Paul La Farge. Even before I started reading, I knew that the little bit of humor I possessed wouldn't find the humor in this story. And what's funny is, that this was true, but I still loved the novel.

Truthfully, I didn't get what was so funny about O, Africa!. There were a few lines and witticisms that I found slightly humorous, but overall this novel didn't seem intended to be funny. Maybe I'm not supposed to say this, because clearly the publisher is targeting a different audience, but I thought the book was rather tragic and moving. It's more of a love story about the movie industry, a heartbreaking journey of self-discovery, than the slapstick comedy some readers may anticipate.

Andrew Lewis Conn shows great skill in this novel. The characters were fabulous and well-drawn. They're not necessarily likable, and some of their actions may lead more conscientious readers to toss the book into the trash, but they propel the story nicely. The story itself builds wonderful momentum and is paced perfectly until the final chapters—I found the end a bit rushed, but that is a common problem in novels, especially when the reader is engaged in the story and doesn't want it to end. There's also this whole pot-smoking, thugs-doing-an-impromptu-musical scene I didn't quite get, but it's a brief moment and my “not getting it” probably has more to do with my aforementioned lack of humor than with the writer's lack of discernment.

I won't be surprised to find O, Africa! on some of the best-of lists of 2014. It is intelligent, moving, and original. Some might say it's funny, and I won't argue with them, but for those like myself, it's much more than “a funny book.” ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jan 12, 2014 Carol rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2014, historical-fiction

Looks like I am the lone dissenter. I have read many reviews praising this book for its ingenious comedy. I started reading O, Africa by Andrew Lewis Coon yesterday. I gave it 100 pages and then started skimming it. It was so painful for me to read it word by word.

It is about two twin brothers, Micha and Izzy. Micha is a gambler, a liar, loves to be in the spotlight, and does very inappropriate things like masturbating at his own bar mitzvah. The list of shocking things that he does is endless a ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Nov 02, 2013 Kara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: librarything, arc-copies, 2014

Despite the prominently displayed acclaim for this novel, a project that in its pre-published manifestation had already achieved the lofty goal of recognition as a successful work of literary fiction as it were, I wasn't prepared for the freight train of quality Andrew Lewis Conn sent directly readers' way with this thing. Reading O Africa! has made a tremendous impact on me. Although I am no gambling woman and so will not make absolute predictions, I think I've probably read one of the best nov Despite the prominently displayed acclaim for this novel, a project that in its pre-published manifestation had already achieved the lofty goal of recognition as a successful work of literary fiction as it were, I wasn't prepared for the freight train of quality Andrew Lewis Conn sent directly readers' way with this thing. Reading O Africa! has made a tremendous impact on me. Although I am no gambling woman and so will not make absolute predictions, I think I've probably read one of the best novels to be published in 2014 before the year has actually begun.

Superlative and all other comparisons aside, O Africa!: A Novel is nothing more and nothing less than a beautifully realized story of intellectual depth and palpable soul that includes as its central theme the challenging, multi-dimensional nature of perspective in the creation and interpretation of narrative art itself. This Andrew Lewis Conn guy is nothing if not ambitious!

A key element that distinguishes this novel as a great book is the light, easily digestible, yet richly evocative prose which is a unique enough pleasure in and of itself without the presence of other features which render this type of read a downright bizarre find in this novel, according to my mind. Firstly, given the aforementioned theme, one can expect some notable navelgazing of the artist protagonists in the substance of the story as well as various signs of the entanglement of the author's writing process with our experience as readers interpreting the text. I would expect this kind of work, if successful, to be very textually rich but inevitably somewhat unwieldy as a read with some stagnation at different points in the plot.

Instead, I found the narrative to be light, beautiful, effervescent, organic in its transitions and incorporation of various stylistic elements, innovatively engaged in reverent dialogue with a living literary tradition, steadily flowing and never stagnating. All in all, it was an oddly brisk (and briskly odd) read. I cannot recommend this book more highly -- enjoy!

Please be advised I received my copy of this book for free as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

May 30, 2014 Laurel rated it it was ok

Shelves: books-read-2014

Sometimes I think it’s a disservice when a new novel is compared in reviews to previous books that received high acclaim. I fear this is true of Andrew Lewis Conn’s O’ Africa! It’s been compared to E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. Ragtime won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award, was named one of the Modern Library’s 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century and by T Sometimes I think it’s a disservice when a new novel is compared in reviews to previous books that received high acclaim. I fear this is true of Andrew Lewis Conn’s O’ Africa! It’s been compared to E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. Ragtime won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award, was named one of the Modern Library’s 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century and by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923-2005. Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001. I loved both of these books. That’s not to say, everyone did, but to say O, Africa is like these two titans is a pretty steep comparison to make.

Perhaps it was made because the book is peopled with real-life characters, such as the novels mentioned above. They all have similar time frames, the majority of the action in each book takes place in New York, ties to Eastern Europe or trips to other worlds, e.g. the North Pole, Antarctica, Africa, sexual identity crises, and racial discrimination are noticeable in all. They are all sweeping, historical novels of turbulent times.

But O, Africa disappoints. It could have been so much more. The story is there, but just on the surface. The beginning didn’t hold my interest, but there were some village scenes in Africa that gave some depth and character to the story. The characters of King Mishi, the guide Mtbi (although his part does get short shrift), and Rosa, I felt, had the most meaningful lines in the book. Early, Rosa’s brother, also could have been a better-developed character. The scene at the end, with him and Izzy, saddened me.

Finally, I found myself distracted by the author’s extensive use of metaphors. He particularly loves similes. About halfway through the book, I was tempted to get a highlighter to mark each one, but I feared it would have been a further distraction.

I wish O, Africa would have had more muntu.
...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 18, 2013 Nancy rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, a-r-c

Oh how I wish we could give 1/2 stars! This novel rates as 3 1/2 stars....not quite 4 but definitely better than a 3.

O, Africa is a historical fiction novel set during the final days of silent films. The author intertwines the story of Micah and Izzy Grand with real life celebrities from that era.

O, Africa has many complexities swirling around in its' narrative. Love, race, class, finding oneself, sacrifice, death, it's all in there told in prolific and sensual prose by author Andrew Lewis Conn ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 17, 2014 Sherreka Burton rated it did not like it

Shelves: arc, contest

**I received this ARC through a GoodReads contest**

One-Sentence Summary: Micah and Izzy Grand are high-rollers in the moviemaking business, but a series of mistakes—involving gangsters, mistresses, debt—lead them both to the last place either of them want to be: Africa.

Time/Setting: Late 1920s New York, California, and Congo, Africa

Review: From the book’s description I thought I was going to be reading a satirical comedy about Africa as seen through the eyes of two moviemaking brothers; this boo ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 25, 2014 Kim McGee rated it liked it

What is a very original look at early filmmakers in Hollywood and New York is overshadowed by a strange romance between one brother and an African prince and the other brother and his mistress. Micah and Izzy Grand are filmmakers of the best silent comedies around until they must move their filming to Africa to run away from repaying gambling debts. Personalities such as Babe Ruth and Duke Ellington feature in this "Grand" adventure that takes the twins from the states to Malwiki to get actual A ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 27, 2014 Joseph Longo rated it did not like it

I was looking forward to reading this book about a film crew that goes into Africa in the early years of the motion picture industry. But I couldn't really care about the characters, and I didn't like that plodding, seemingly self-conscious writing style. I abandoned the book less than halfway through it. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 27, 2014 Susan rated it did not like it

No humor, shallow and unlikeable characters, it was hard to even make it to page 100 (which I had to skim a lot to get to). Cannot finish it, life is too short to read pretentious overly descriptive pages that go on and on with no end in sight.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 27, 2014 Teressa rated it did not like it

It seems that this could of been a good book,had the author chose not to put in so much filth and filthy talking,very explictive in sexual nature,more like bad porn of nature talking and descriptions.This book did not need all of that.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 03, 2014 Frank Carll rated it did not like it

I couln't read than seventyfive pages of this book. The words just didn't flow with any kind of rhythm. The author seems to be determined to constantly impress the reader by choosing words that demonstrate his large vocabulary. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 01, 2014 Robert rated it really liked it

Africa? Says Rose, lying naked on her side, the copper penny smell of semen flowering fragrant in the room. “What do you know about Africa?

O, AFRICA! is not a quick read. It is not a page-turner. Nor is it really an historical novel. What it is, is a fine book, an almost fully realized book.

To whom do I recommend O, AFRICA! First, Lovers of Lovers and doomed romances. Then, lovers of fiction, rich prose, and stylistic twists, turns and caresses. If you like magic tricks, trompe l’oeil, or are a ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 22, 2017 Jackson Coppley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

O, Africa! is a fine read for those who enjoy a light story propelled by an author’s adept word play. It compare’s well with one of my favorites, Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay. Both are historical fiction, perhaps playing it loose with the history, but tight on the clever wordsmithing.

The story is about making movies in the late ‘20s at the twilight of the silent era. The Grand brothers, Izzy the introspective cameraman, and Micah, the director and rogue, are makin ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 09, 2019 Tony Laplume rated it it was ok

A minor window into early Hollywood, Conn's O, Africa! is at best undeveloped, at worst misguided, and generally a book version of a movie version of the times the author sought to explore. If that makes any sense.

Conn's sensibilities range from religious (the art of filmmaking) to inauthentic (his attempts to capture any of the relationships he explores), so you can begin to see where his knowledge and abilities rest. The end result is one of those beasts you can't imagine really slipped by all ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 10, 2018 Valerie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, fiction, history, aty-2018-val, adventure, week-12, culture

I read this book for the 2018 ATY Challenge Week 12: A book set in South America or Africa.

In reading what others said about this book, I was not hopeful about finding any enjoyment. However, once I decided that this was a man's book as opposed to chick-lit, I found much about it to enjoy. Those who had a hard time with the blatant sexual descriptions in the book were women. We women like our sexual description to be more subtle and titillating and not so graphic and crass. But for a men's book ...more

flag Like · see review

Aug 21, 2017 Danielle rated it really liked it

Shelves: first-read-wins, books-i-own

I won this several years ago as part of Goodreads Giveaway and am sorry it took so long to get around to it. I found the prose conmplemented the story and characters quite well. I enjoyed the journey very much so. :)

flag Like · see review

Sep 17, 2017 Patty Simpson rated it liked it

It's really 2.5 stars, not 3. He uses language well, but doesn't ensure that it serves his story. The book tries to be more than it is, in the end. I have hope that the writer will hone his skills and eventually write something really good. ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 01, 2017 Bob rated it did not like it

After quitting on this book after 35 pages, I went to read the reviews and was amazed at the people who gave it 100 pages or more before giving up on it. For them to stay with this jumble of off-on-many-tangents bit of writing was heroic. Wish I could have given no stars.

flag Like · see review

Oct 04, 2017 Ellen Coppley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved this book. Yes, it is full of metaphors, big words and lengthy descriptions, but I enjoyed the pictures they portrayed and the extraordinary writing. A grand adventure with a number of important messages.

flag Like · see review

Sep 09, 2017 Stan Semerod rated it liked it · review of another edition

Good story, but a little too much attempt at flowery description.

flag Like · see review

Apr 03, 2019 Jyhrow rated it liked it

[3.5 stars] Ok read.

flag Like · see review

Jan 20, 2015 Scott rated it it was ok

Shelves: comedy, fiction, american-history

Andrew Lewis Conn's "O, Africa!" will be adored by many, as it is a whimsical, lilting comedy set in the pell-mell movie world of the late 1920s. Two brothers, Micah and Izzy, collaborate as filmmakers for a famous-but-soon-to-be-bankrupt studio, and they are sent to Africa to engage in some profit-seeking on-location shooting. Through a twist of fate, their African excursion is high-jacked by a Harlem crime lord who gives them an additional script to shoot while there. That movie is "O, Africa! Andrew Lewis Conn's "O, Africa!" will be adored by many, as it is a whimsical, lilting comedy set in the pell-mell movie world of the late 1920s. Two brothers, Micah and Izzy, collaborate as filmmakers for a famous-but-soon-to-be-bankrupt studio, and they are sent to Africa to engage in some profit-seeking on-location shooting. Through a twist of fate, their African excursion is high-jacked by a Harlem crime lord who gives them an additional script to shoot while there. That movie is "O, Africa!" - the story of America's rape of the African people.

It must be said that Conn writes beautifully - his sentences are spinning, lilting affairs. If this were an audio book, you could find no better narrator than the late, great William Powell of "The Thin Man" movies and "My Man Godfrey." Conn is in love with words, uses them well, and yet keeps his sentences under control. He's also got a good ear for a joke, as the book is stuffed with them - although I did find some obvious pillaging Conn has made of other sources - he shamelessly repurposes Humphrey Bogart's classic joke from "Casablanca" when he explains that he came to Casablanca for the waters and "I was misinformed." Conn also lifts jokes from the reader's familiarity with the King Kong story and several other obvious sources - he's still funny, but at times he's willing to use others' humor in place of his own.

Conn's characters are a crazy bunch, each given a full set of goals, ambitions, talents and flaws. If this book were to have a title song, it would be "As We Stumble Along" from "The Drowsy Chaperone." This is a bunch of relatively decent people, each good in their own way, hardly trying to create problems for others and yet causing havoc nearly everywhere they go. This is not slapstick a slapstick comedy (except in a couple of key parts), but instead a very human comedy that explores what it means to be transgressive. Harlem crime lords just want to be filmmakers, while filmmakers aren't afraid to be criminals. Love is transgressive - Micah is married but gives his heart to an African-American employee at the film studio at a time when Jews and African-Americans could not hold hands in public. Izzy is a "twist," in his brother's parlance, whose life of tortured solitude finds glorious release at the hands of an African prince. And an African king - a classic archetype of the Noble Savage - turns out to be a more cosmopolitan, worldly man than any of the Westerners who want to film in his country.

And yet, for me, "O, Africa!" is less than the sum of its parts. Perhaps it is because Micah and Izzy are poor protagonists. Micah is so self-centered that I really never cared what happened to him, and while Izzy has his charms and is extremely sympathetic, he is such a second fiddle to his brother than he cannot drive the story - I admit that I was happy for Izzy to find himself in Africa, but I can't say that Izzy's story captivated me all that much). Oh well - this is probably just me not appreciating something that is actually very good. Sometimes this happens - I confess that I never understood all the praise that Jack Lemmon got as an actor, but film professionals rave about him. (The only movie where I enjoyed his performance was "Grumpy Old Men," which is hardly at the top of his body of work according to the critics.)

Perhaps I shouldn't be reading a light comedy like this during the dreary winter months of the Pacific Northwest. I'll give this another shot this summer and see if the more cheerful weather makes this a better read.
...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 01, 2013 Terri rated it liked it

Shelves: 21st-century-fiction, arc, librarything

I received an advance copy of O, Africa in a LibraryThing giveaway.

Do you ever read a book and feel like maybe you're not getting it, or it's just not for you, or you're reading it at the wrong time and maybe if you read it some other time you'd like it more? I felt that way quite a lot as I read O, Africa!

Marketing for the book describes it thus: "Moving from the piers of Coney Island to Africa’s veldt, and further to the glitter of early Hollywood, O, AFRICA! is an epic tale of self-discovery I received an advance copy of O, Africa in a LibraryThing giveaway.

Do you ever read a book and feel like maybe you're not getting it, or it's just not for you, or you're reading it at the wrong time and maybe if you read it some other time you'd like it more? I felt that way quite a lot as I read O, Africa!

Marketing for the book describes it thus: "Moving from the piers of Coney Island to Africa’s veldt, and further to the glitter of early Hollywood, O, AFRICA! is an epic tale of self-discovery, the constraints of history and prejudice, and the stubborn resolve of family and friendship in the face of tragedy." Quotes on the back cover call it a comedy.

What to make of this book? As I read it, I felt like the tone kept shifting. One minute it was stylized nostalgia (a bit fluffy and cartoonish), the next it was raw and dark, then it was a sort of ugly and off-putting comedy, and then it was pulling away to make bigger philosophical statements—some more profound than others. It certainly is, as the marketing promises, an ambitious novel, and I can see it engendering good conversation among readers. Still, I can't quite say that I enjoyed it.

That the brothers' fascination with movie making is sparked by D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation is huge. You could say that they are in some ways trapped by the views of their time, and the book ends with the statement that the brothers "try to forgive themselves at last for being in concord with their era," but the sexism and racism in the book still make me uncomfortable. I have read plenty of books in which characters experience sexism and racism. I think the problem here is that the author's own voice paints characters and situations in sexist and racist ways.

A lot can be forgiven when a book has great characters. Unfortunately, I couldn't really like any of the characters in O, Africa! Maybe I would like them more if they were drawn with greater depth and subtlety. Even the most appealing among them, like King Mishi, aren't quite successful because they feel like caricatures. Intimate relationships among characters are developed mostly in terms of sex and power, and the reader doesn't see much beyond that.

Admittedly, some bits (for example: Micah raving that he’s been “subjected to a hot shave,” or thugs busting out in what is essentially a song and dance number) are funny—if sometimes ludicrous and/or offensive. But when one character says, "When audiences laugh, it's never wrong,” I have a feeling the author is acknowledging that sometimes maybe it IS wrong.

The book does make some fine if not earth-shattering comments on the dangers of cultural imposition and the expanded reach of powerful media and new technologies. I appreciate the points about the nature of film and time, and despite one plot element that I found hokey, I was satisfied with the ending.

So, final analysis? There’s a lot to chew on, but it doesn't always taste very good. ...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 07, 2013 Hilary rated it really liked it

Shelves: first-reads

Copy received through Goodreads’ First Reads program.

The most notable upside of this book - its intoxicating energy and ebullience - also makes it nearly impossible to define or describe, as it takes on more concepts and themes than you can shake a stick at, even if you’re pretty well known in your community for your stick-shaking skills. The basic story follows the travails of Micah and Izzy Grand, two moderately successful silent moviemakers beginning in 1928, as their careers are threatened Copy received through Goodreads’ First Reads program.

The most notable upside of this book - its intoxicating energy and ebullience - also makes it nearly impossible to define or describe, as it takes on more concepts and themes than you can shake a stick at, even if you’re pretty well known in your community for your stick-shaking skills. The basic story follows the travails of Micah and Izzy Grand, two moderately successful silent moviemakers beginning in 1928, as their careers are threatened on numerous fronts: by that damned Jolson and his talking picture, The Jazz Singer, the dire financial straits of their studio, and Micah’s massive gambling debts owed to local gangsters. A potential solution to the latter problems arises in the form of a trip to Africa, where the Grands can shoot random footage and b-roll of the continent to sell to other movies, work on another picture of their own, and a second picture written by the men Micah owes money to. Like many last-ditch efforts to pay off massive debts, the trip goes awry, with huge implications for everyone involved.

This would be more than enough for a novel by itself, as Conn’s descriptions of early Hollywood are fascinating, beginning with a scene on location at Coney Island with a Babe Ruth cameo and an actor named Henry Till, a thinly fictionalized version of my favorite silent film actor, Harold Lloyd. (To name but a few obvious parallels, Till is famed for his “glasses” character, had part of his hand blown off by a smoke bomb, and famously hung from a clock in a movie). Allying the Grands with a fictional Harold Lloyd made me love this book immediately, and Conn’s prose, which is ornate without losing any clarity, kept me hooked. (A sample sentence: “Home: that warmest, most sentimental, most commodious of words, but not one without its broken windows, damp cellars, busted boilers, creepy attics, and dead cats.”) It had the kind of plot I wanted to race through to find out what happens next (particularly in the second half of the novel, which I found quite unputdownable or at least I-can’t-wait-to-get-back-to-this-able) combined with the kind of prose I had to read slowly enough to savor it properly.

Not content with this ample framework, however, Conn branches out, incorporating insights on America, race, class, love, homosexuality, sex, Judaism, the role of popular culture and the effect it has on other cultures, and numerous other topics, which are more interesting to read about than they sound in that sentence. It is, as the promotional description above states, both rollicking and ambitious, and well-crafted, original, and damned exciting to boot. ...more

flag Like · see review

Apr 10, 2014 Leila rated it liked it

Andrew Lewis Conn’s “O Africa! A Novel,” to be released on June 10, 2014, is an unusual book, by turns fascinating and frustrating. Marketed as a rollicking comic adventure, it veers from slapstick humor to deep tragedy. At times, this seemed a book uncertain of its own identity.

Twin movie-making brothers Micah and Izzy Grand are masters of silent era comedies at a time when “talkie” movies threaten to revolutionize the business. We meet the Brothers Grand in the summer of 1928, filming a typica Andrew Lewis Conn’s “O Africa! A Novel,” to be released on June 10, 2014, is an unusual book, by turns fascinating and frustrating. Marketed as a rollicking comic adventure, it veers from slapstick humor to deep tragedy. At times, this seemed a book uncertain of its own identity.

Twin movie-making brothers Micah and Izzy Grand are masters of silent era comedies at a time when “talkie” movies threaten to revolutionize the business. We meet the Brothers Grand in the summer of 1928, filming a typical slapstick comedy on Coney Island. After a rather implausible set of circumstances involving a debt to Harlem gamblers, the brothers and their motley crew of associates embark on a trip to Africa to film several projects, including a silly farce and a serious movie on the history of slavery meant as an answer to the racist “Birth of a Nation.” As Conn writes, “Here they were, a gallery of misfits—a black kid, a Jew fairy, and a circus freak—halfway around the world, pulling levers on the American culture machine.” During their life-changing experiences among an isolated African tribe, Micah and Izzy discover things about themselves, and learn lessons about the power of movies and, most importantly, the power of love.

“O Africa!” is often entertaining and proves oddly moving at its conclusion. Throughout, Conn demonstrates great affection for the era of silent movies, and the novel comes fully alive during scenes about film-making, both as an art form and a business. I especially enjoyed the clever set piece about the first Academy Awards, which even includes an amusing story about the origin of the trophy’s nickname as an “Oscar.”

The plot is absurd, outlandishly so at times. I’m always willing to suspend my disbelief as a reader—up to a point--but this was perhaps too over-the-top. The novel shifts in tone rather abruptly from a madcap romp to a much darker, sometimes even raw and disturbing, tale. This felt disconcerting and left me struggling to understand the author’s ultimate intent. Some characters in this novel are fully drawn, while others seem merely caricature, even cartoonish.

The premise for the novel seemed very intriguing and attractive, but I don’t think this book quite lives up to its promise. Overall, “O Africa!” is an uneven read.

I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 22, 2014 Arlena Dean rated it really liked it

Shelves: my-reviews, a-good-book, 4-stars, historical

Title: O, Africa!
Author: Andrew Lewis Conn
Publisher: Hogarth
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 4
Review:

"O, Africa" by Andrew Lewis Conn was really some historical read that brought it all out in one way or the other...being 'offensive, a little bit funny and oh so very heart breaking' at times. Now, you may ask yourself how can one book do all of that? We find from the read two twin brothers ..Izzy and Micah Grand who were prominent filmmakers and definitely opposites in the 1920's where we can see Title: O, Africa!
Author: Andrew Lewis Conn
Publisher: Hogarth
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 4
Review:

"O, Africa" by Andrew Lewis Conn was really some historical read that brought it all out in one way or the other...being 'offensive, a little bit funny and oh so very heart breaking' at times. Now, you may ask yourself how can one book do all of that? We find from the read two twin brothers ..Izzy and Micah Grand who were prominent filmmakers and definitely opposites in the 1920's where we can see from the read that this author will intertwine the twins story with real life celebrities of that time. We find Micah is a gambler, liar and loves the spotlight and Izzy is a behind the scene kind of guy, studied hard in school and was responsible and never getting into trouble unlike his twin.

"This story was of two filmmakers who go from immigrants living in Brooklyn to being the kings of silent comedies in the summer of 1928, the height of their film making careers. Micah is the producer/director of their films, while Izzy is the master of the camera who always gets the good shots. When Micah gets into some trouble, the brothers agree to go to Africa to film there."

Be ready for a read of 'love, race, class, finding oneself, sacrifice and death' that will even convey some 'emotional upheavals' that these twins will face. This author will take the Grand's from 'Coney Island' to Africa and back giving us a real long epic story with many complexities that will give the reader a true roller coaster ride through this adventure. I wasn't to sure I like how the sexism and racism was handled in the read, for this definitely made me a little uncomfortable. As for the characters most were well drawn and developed but their were a few I definitely didn't care for at all. In the end "O, Africa" seemed a bit rushed but oh well it had been a long read and had to come to an end sometime.

If you are looking for a novel of self discovery of various relationships then this historical read "O Africa" would definitely be recommended to you.
...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 03, 2014 Sandie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction

The year is 1928, and the Grand brothers are at the peak of their movie-making careers in silent films, although there is trouble on the horizon with the ever-increasing number of talkies being made. Micah is the idea man; extroverted, full of vision, always looking to cut a deal. He serves as the movies' director. His twin, Izzy, is his opposite. He works behind the scenes, cutting and splicing the scenes together to use film to create a story. He is shy, socially awkward and gay, none of which The year is 1928, and the Grand brothers are at the peak of their movie-making careers in silent films, although there is trouble on the horizon with the ever-increasing number of talkies being made. Micah is the idea man; extroverted, full of vision, always looking to cut a deal. He serves as the movies' director. His twin, Izzy, is his opposite. He works behind the scenes, cutting and splicing the scenes together to use film to create a story. He is shy, socially awkward and gay, none of which encourages him to move into the limelight.

Their producer, outside of insisting talkies are just a fad, has other business failings and soon the company is on the verge of collapse. The producer, Marblestone, has an idea. He'll send the Grand brothers to Africa to film their latest silent comedy and while they are there, they can shoot film stock he can sell to other companies to avoid bankruptcy. The brothers aren't interested, but when Micah gets himself into trouble trying to bamboozle a set of Harlem gambling crime lords, they decide maybe Africa is the place to be.

The brothers discover many things about themselves in Africa. In addition to the silent comedy, they shoot footage of a script given to them by the gamblers that shows the capture and migration of Africans to be slaves in America. Micah is drawn to the king of the village they go to, and spends his time learning from him. Izzy falls in love and is loved back, a stupendous discovery that is life-altering. Their idyll is ended with a tragedy, and the brothers are left to return to America and attempt to pick back up the pieces of their lives.

Andrew Lewis Conn has written a sprawling novel that explores the worlds of silent film-making, the heady, early days of Hollywood, the issues of racial prejudice, the validity of marriage and love relationships, gender inequality, the lives of Africans in the time period and how they differed from African Americans as well as the messages we learn about ourselves while viewing films. The characters are interesting and unique and the reader turns the last page with much to ponder. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.
...more

flag Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Dylanists: book with lots of hidden Dylan references	2	15	Jul 18, 2019 04:18PM
Jewish Historical...: new novel set in 1920s, rich in Jewish themes	11	45	Jul 12, 2014 04:55AM
American Historic...: new book, about the birth of movies in America	1	13	Jun 21, 2014 07:53AM
Around the World ...: new book I think the group might like	1	17	Jun 21, 2014 07:52AM
The Roaring 1920's: new book set in 1928-29	1	18	Jun 21, 2014 07:50AM
1920's RP: new book set in 1928-29	1	2	Jun 21, 2014 07:49AM
Movies We've Just...: new book all about the birth of movies	1	15	Jun 21, 2014 07:48AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Videos About This Book

Add a comment

Andrew on the "Schmoes Know Movies" Show

Add a comment

Genres

Historical > Historical Fiction

21 users

Fiction

15 users

Cultural > Africa

7 users

Adventure

5 users

Historical

4 users

Literature > 20th Century

2 users

See top shelves…

About Andrew Lewis Conn

Andrew Lewis Conn

9 followers

Andrew Lewis Conn is the author of P (Soft Skull Press, 2003) and O, AFRICA! (Hogarth/Crown 2014). He has written essays, short fiction, and reviews for The Believer, Film Comment, The Village Voice, Time Out New York, and the Indiana Review, among others, and attended writers residencies at Yaddo and Ledig House in Hudson, NY. Conn’s debut novel, P, was chosen as a best book of the summer of 2003 ...more