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Little Bee

Chris Cleave

Discussion: Books Set in Africa

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Books Set in Africa

* African Authors
By Diane , Armchair Tour Guide · 16 posts · 923 views

last updated Feb 06, 2025 09:27PM

Gambia
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last updated Sep 30, 2025 10:25AM

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What Members Thought

May 01, 2023 Terri rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: british-fiction, modern-fiction, historical-fiction

The bad blood between the foreign oil companies and the people who live in the Niger Delta region (Nigeria) has become one of the most environmentally and humanly devastating events on the African continent since the 1960s. "Little Bee" is the story of the complex relationship between these two women who meet during this conflict and then later in England. I will not reveal much more because this is a book that is timely, well-written and can not be spoiled for the new reader. ...more

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Jun 02, 2011 Suzanne rated it liked it

I'm really torn on a rating for this book. I go anywhere between 2 and 4 stars and finally decided to compromise on 3. The 4 star rating would be for the beautiful, lyrical prose, especially in Little Bee's narratives. 4 stars also for provocativeness of thought and a courageous topic. So much going for the story, and yet, I felt unmoved. My heart-strings were not pulled, nor did I cry - I didn't even think about tearing up. Which is odd given some of the brutal, horrific, sad and depressing sce ...more

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Mar 18, 2010 Kim rated it it was amazing

This book was recommended by Katie M. & I guess that I should just go out & buy any book she thinks is worth reading. Thanks, Katie, for sending this story my way. It had enough "people" in it to keep it from being depressing. This book had me turning pages as quickly as possible (something I hadn't done in years)... I wanted it to turn out well ... & I won't ruin the ending. This was a great "hideaway in Canada" book ... It's not light ... It's not funny (very often) ... It's serious, but reada ...more

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Aug 10, 2014 Lisa of Hopewell rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2014, ala-notable-fiction, npr-books-of-the-year

If she'd said "in Africa" one more time.....Bored middle class Mommy goes to Nigeria--NIGERIA--for a holiday and it changes her life.Her only child needs therapy and a Mommy who can say "no." Then there's the whole "in Africa" thing. If he'd said it one more time, I'd have thrown the book away. Instead, I don't regret finishing it. It tells a very necessary tale--the tale of what it IS like to be a woman on the outside of a very dangerous society and the tale of the illegal immigrant needing--no ...more

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