Ngũgĩ: Nairobi Heat | (CL) first read: Dec 2011

[Marieke]

I'll be starting this shortly....is anyone else reading it?

[Beverly]

I have read Nairobi Heat and enjoyed.
I loved the lyrical language in this international crime story and read in one session. :)

[Fela]

Ive started this book and so far i dont like his style. I feel like if i write a page like him i would go back and rewrite it.

But i''m only at the beginning.

[Marieke]

interesting! i wonder how i will react...i just finished the book i needed to finish before starting this one, so...i might start this tonight. or on my lunch break. :D

[Melanie]

Still waiting for it from the library. I hope it comes in soon - our library is closing for two weeks over the holidays due to budget cuts.

[Fela]

I was a bit hasty in my judgement, the book is not that bad.

Side Note; the author is Ngugi wa Thiongo son.

[Marieke]

Fela wrote: "I was a bit hasty in my judgement, the book is not that bad.

Side Note; the author is Ngugi wa Thiongo son."

hee! that happens! i was wondering if if twas Thiongo's son but i hadn't looked him up yet. since the book is so short i might wait to read it on the weekend so i can try to read it in one or two sessions.

boo on budget cuts! we've been pretty lucky here. i should not complain that libraries are closed on sundays.

[Beverly]

Mukoma wa Ngugi is also a poet which is probably why I liked his writing style.
As a general statement - I tend to like novels written by poets as they have a certain way of phrasing that appeals to me.

Yes, library cutbacks are happening all over - really a shame.

@Fela - Glad the book picked up for you

[Muphyn]

I'm hoping to get it out from the library today. Probably won't get time to read it until around Christmas though...

[Marieke]

i read the first chapter this morning and i'm definitely engaged. Muphy, i think you'll read it fast.

[Muphyn]

That sounds good! I'm off work now so have got plenty of time to read (or so I think...). :)

[Marieke]

Muphyn wrote: "That sounds good! I'm off work now so have got plenty of time to read (or so I think...). :)"

haha! lucky you. 8)

[Muphyn]

When do you finish up? Do you get a break over Christmas? I guess I'm lucky since it's summer now and we get two weeks off over Christmas (university shuts down). YAY! :D Sorry :(

[Marieke]

i only get December 26 and January 2 off. i'm saving my vacation time for later in the year. It's not so bad...i just wrapped up a big annoying project and i like the other thing i'll be focusing on over the next few weeks, plus it will be relatively quiet all next week in the office AND in the city, so that's cool.

[Melanie]

Fela wrote: "Ive started this book and so far i dont like his style. I feel like if i write a page like him i would go back and rewrite it.

But i''m only at the beginning."

Fela, I felt the exact same way. First couple pages I was not into his writing style at all - felt choppy and forced. But it evened out a bit and now I am into the storyline.

[Melanie]

Finished yesterday - gave it three stars. All in all not a bad book. I was a big fan of O and thought his outlook on life was very interesting. I would read something by this author again.

[Fela]

I also gave it 3 stars..not a bad book.

[Marieke]

those are all basically my thoughts too--also sometimes i thought maybe the story was a tad too complex for such a short book. but overall i really did enjoy it. i keep meaning to do my background research to learn more about the author beyond the fact that he is a poet and the son of the very famous Kenyan writer of the same last name. :D
apologies to all that i am so lazy lately... :S

[Beverly]

I agree I also liked the character of O.
In many ways he reminded me of Inspector Darko Dawson in the bk series by Kwei Quartey.

I look forward to reading the next bk in the Nairobi Heat series.

[Beverly]

Marieke wrote: "those are all basically my thoughts too--also sometimes i thought maybe the story was a tad too complex for such a short book. but overall i really did enjoy it. i keep meaning to do my background ..."

Mukoma wa Ngugi is also a political analyst.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/muk...

Here is a link to some reviews of Nairobi Heat

http://www.complete-review.com/review...

Here is a link to his website:
http://www.mukomawangugi.com/

[Marieke]

Beverly wrote: "I agree I also liked the character of O.
In many ways he reminded me of Inspector Darko Dawson in the bk series by Kwei Quartey.

I look forward to reading the next bk in the Nairobi Heat series."

oh, excellent...so it is going to be a series? i will definitely be reading them.

besides O, i also liked Muddy a lot. when she came into the story, it really picked up for me.

[Muphyn]

Finished it yesterday! (Marieke, can you believe it, I can keep up better with the contemporary reads... ridiculous).

I liked Muddy, what a cool chick! :D

Thought the story was too complex and too neat in the end, it wrapped up too quickly. Didn't like the ending at all but I feel like I'm missing something not being American?? I sort of understand the racial undertones re. Southern US but not really ?? Any non-Americans here who've read it and feel they're missing something too?? (Sorry, you are all very lovely and I don't mean to exclude anyone from my question, just wondering... :) )

[Marieke]

i meant to ask the group about that, too...i thought that was one of the most interesting and engaging parts of the story: race relations in the U.S.
but i'm american. so for non-Americans, what was that like? did it mean anything? was it distracting?

[Marieke]

i should also ask Americans if you all thought it rang true or came across as overdone?

[Muphyn]

Marieke wrote: "i should also ask Americans if you all thought it rang true or came across as overdone?"

That's an excellent question and I'd really love to hear people's thoughts!

[Muphyn]

*SPOILER*

I'm still puzzled as to why he got the leader of the KKK to kill Joshua, then killed him and got away with it. Why did he get away with it? They all seemed to know. (I sooo feel like I'm missing something and that I need a light bulb moment here!)

[Marieke]

Muphyn wrote: "*SPOILER*

I'm still puzzled as to why he got the leader of KKK to kill Joshua, then killed him and got away with it. Why did he get away with it? They all seemed to know. (I sooo feel like I'm mis..."

Beverly (i think it was) says this will be a series so maybe that will be something that comes up in the next book? i'm not sure.

there were some other spots also that didn't quite work for me but i hope with more writing these things will become tighter. i can't think of an example off-hand.

[Beverly]

Muphyn wrote: "Finished it yesterday! (Marieke, can you believe it, I can keep up better with the contemporary reads... ridiculous).

I liked Muddy, what a cool chick! :D

Thought the story was too complex and to..."

I too find myself reading the contemporary novels - but not surprised as this is my personal perferance.

Yes, the ending was a little too neat - and I wondered if the ending in the US was a little overdone. But, I guess there needed to be a "reason" fir Ishmael to go to Africa.
I thought the best part of the story - were the parts in Africa - the parts in the US seem to struggle and feel a little disconnected from the rest of the story.

[Beverly]

Melanie wrote: "Finished yesterday - gave it three stars. All in all not a bad book. I was a big fan of O and thought his outlook on life was very interesting. I would read something by this author again."

I have to agree that I also liked O and thought at times that Ishmael was overshadowed by O and I found myself anxiously waiting for O to reappear on the scene.

[Beverly]

Marieke wrote: "i should also ask Americans if you all thought it rang true or came across as overdone?"

I thought that the race relations issue in the US was done well. I do not think that it was overdone. Discrimination is still prevelent in the US - often practiced in more subtle ways. The author was writing from the POV of a black male living in a predominately white community.

[Beverly]

Muphyn wrote: "*SPOILER*

I'm still puzzled as to why he got the leader of the KKK to kill Joshua, then killed him and got away with it. Why did he get away with it? They all seemed to know. (I sooo feel like I'm..."

I thought towards the end of the story - the author was looking for ways to tie up loose ends so it made sense for Ishmael to leave the US and this was one of those events.

One of the things I liked in the book was the concept on what constitutes 'justice' and how it may differ from country to country and culture to culture.

[Muphyn]

Beverly wrote: "...I thought the best part of the story - were the parts in Africa - the parts in the US seem to struggle and feel a little disconnected from the rest of the story..."

Yes, I absolutely agree!! I found the parts set in Kenya the most fascinating, the beginning and the ending in the US was sort of 'meh' for me.

[Christina]

I read this book some weeks back and it has not made any lasting impression on me. It was one of those books that are good to read on the subway or on vacation but I felt like I would have liked more detail to the story and the ending was a bit strange. I felt he could have left the KKK out of it. For this type of novel I prefer to read book by Deon Meyer.

[Muphyn]

Kiki, I think I entirely agree!! It was fun whilst it was going on but now it's really become one of those 'meh' books for me.

Have you read Blood Safari by Deon Meyer? It had a really strong start for me but then, unfortunately, petered off a bit in the middle. Still liked it though.

[Christina]

Muphyn, no I haven't read Blood Safari but I might do. I generally don't read criminal novels, mostly only if I am sick or on vacation and don't have the energy for anything else....but thanks for the tip.

[Muphyn]

Kiki wrote: "Muphyn, no I haven't read Blood Safari but I might do. I generally don't read criminal novels, mostly only if I am sick or on vacation and don't have the energy for anything else....but thanks for ..."

Yeah, me too. You may want to read my (shortish) review before you read Deon Meyer, I found some things off-putting but they may not bother you. :)

[Nina]

I do eventually read many of the books on our lists, and this was one of them - only finished it in March 2013! I did enjoy it, but then I am a fan of thrillers/crime.

[Melanie]

Ngugi has a new one coming out in June -Black Star Nairobi.

[Kimberly]

I finished this one a few months ago..I liked it but not as much as I hoped I would. That being said I'm going to give the authors new book coming out a try.

[Diane , Head Librarian]

Finally got around to reading this one. I found it entertaining, but to be fair, this really isn't my genre of choice. I would read more from this author again, though.