A Taste for Green Tangerines

by Barbara Bisco

Set in the midst of the Indonesian rainforest, A TASTE FOR GREEN TANGERINES begins with Bethany Parker's arrival in Borneo and explores the limits of friendship and the consequences of love amidst a small band of Europeans, Americans, and Australians working on an eco-tourism project there. As they battle loggers and gold miners, experiment with local medicines, and selectively adopt the ways of a traditional culture, passions are inflamed, long-held values are shattered, and perspectives are altered by the savagery and beauty of their jungle surroundings. When out-of-control fires, a toxic 'haze' and the blood-drenched practices of the head hunters finally drive them from their leafy 'Eden', no one, least of all Bethany, herself, emerges from the steamy isolation unchanged.

Genres: Fiction

412 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 2009

About the author

Barbara Bisco is the author of three novels, all of which are set in Asia where she has spent the last thirty years, much of it in Thailand and Indonesia. Whilst in Asia, Barbara worked for the National Museum in both Bangkok and Jakarta. Her daughter was born in Indonesia and the whole family thinks of it as a second home. Although London is now her first home, Barbara is originally from New York. She has a bachelor’s from Harvard and a PhD from Cornell. Barbara’s short stories have been published in the book ‘Bangkok and Beyond’.

Reviews

[Kate]

This book is hilarious and intelligent. I didn't expect it to be as much fun to read. It's about an anthropologist working at an eco-lodge in Indonesia.

[Amantha]

Where do I even begin? The implied racism? The chronic cattiness of every woman? The highly improbable situation that everyone was sleeping with everyone else - and when two people stopped sleeping together they immediately hooked up with someone else? The fact that Bethany went through a highly traumatic event that seemed to have no lasting impact on her? The fact that the plot meandered uselessly through random plot points which led to a climax that consisted of "and then 48 hours later someone was dead"? And then jumps to two years later with a sketchy description of the accident that leaves more questions than it answers??

This book was recommended to me by Brynn and just to spite her I hate-read the entire thing. A good waste of time.

[Roger D Montgomery]

Excellent. A real page turner. Roger D

[Allison Montgomery]

Loved. This book was richly atmospheric and well-crafted. Not only did I get a portrait of Borneo, but I also got a feel for the culture and the people. I especially liked the depiction of interplay between the tribal culture/s and the various researchers on the team. The author brings a history of field study into her writing, and the reader appreciates her cultural sensitivity and background. There are much needed questions raised about American imperialism and its effects on indigenous culture which I hope are brought to a larger audience by this book. While there is absolutely a strong romantic component to the book (which will not disappoint the targeted audience), the reader really gets so much more, too. The relationships were surprising and mysterious while also revealing more character development than any other romance on the shelves. A great pick for romantics, travel enthusiasts, and explorers- but with a deep message.

[Alecto]

Where to start? the main character is just unbearable, racism prmeates the whole book which besides, is written in such an erratic style to make it difficult to even read it.
The plot...oh wait there isn't really any plot, things happen random and with no connection and are most unlikely to even happen in life, lt alone believe in fiction: a girl who suffered a serious abuse during childhood who shows no sign of even remember it unless needs be for the author to have us pity her, characters dropping in and out without reason leaving you wondering why were they called in at all, people who meet and fall deeply in neverending love after shagging once and then just as quickly out of love and into bed with someone else straight after...unlikely war episodes set on purpose for the main character to be saved by her beau...I don't know, it seems the author didn't even make an effort to make it work.

[Suzi]

Not the very best book I've ever read but it did get to the point where I liked it. I'm just not sure the characters were very believable and the ending was useless. Hmmm, a good idea, a nice setting, but I won't be rushing out to buy the second edition!

[Camerin]

Picked up bc set in Borneo where I have an upcoming trip…. Wandering plot lines, flat romances, the most half-assed climax I’ve read in a while. All this and yet I did finish it, sooo that’s something.

[Her Royal Orangeness]

I was definitely not the target audience for this book. If you like your fiction light and filled with gratuitous sex, you might enjoy it.

[Vikas Datta]

Brilliant..

[Catherine]

Wonderful descriptions of Nature, animal and human !
An action packed ,interesting read.

[Frédérique Van Tilborg]

Genoten van het verhaal. In het boek waan je je in een tropische omgeving. Krijg het er warm van.

[Grace Reidy]

The book was really good 😌 it took awhile to pick up, but I do not regret reading it!

[Richard Greenwood]

2.5 stars for this. I don’t think any of the characters are likeable in anyway. The sex scenes were crude and not very pleasant to read. I won’t be rushing to read any more of this author’s books.

[Aunty Janet]

Eco-tourism in the Borneo jungle should have been much more interesting than this! Lots of 'shagging', thankfully not in detail.... I hate that word! Clumsy plot, characters and romance. It was ok but nothing special.

[Jeanette]

Its interest really lies only if you are visiting Borneo. Fairly predictable story line, no big surprises, but weaves in some interesting issues about ecotourism and the conflict with the oil industry.

[Judith]

The focus on relationships is interspersed with commentary on forestry and the battle for conservation of the worlds rainforests. Not sure it does either particularly well, but there are some interesting insights into the native culture...

[Sue]

The environment where the story is taking place was very attractive for me and I enjoyed the parts about the academic fieldwork and life in general. The plot, characters and dynamics of the book were, however, average and if it wasn't the environment, I would not be interested in reading it.

[Velvetink]

KINDLE CLOUD

[Charlotte Malpass]

I loved this book
It has mystery, crime, romance and much more.