Teresa M. (truthsayer) reviewed on 10/16/2010 + 21 more book reviews

I have to agree with other reviewers about the hype surrounding the book and the so called magical moment of transcendence that never comes.I thought there would be a happy ending for this girl or some kind of hope. Even what little hope she has is from Sarah is flawed and idealistic. Sarah's well intended mistakes put Bee in danger. Bee has more sense about her predicament than educated person in the story. Cleave writes like the newspaper journalist that he is. He doesn't have a refined literary style of someone like Geraldine Brooks. The book has an obvious agenda of making people aware of what happens to villagers in Nigeria who have the misfortune of living where oil is found. The story is subjective. I dislike it when the author tries to make me think his way. It would have been better to have written from a more objective stance instead of using over sentamenalism to make the point. Be wary of some graphic scenes of violence: a village massacre, soldiers pursuing escapees with dogs, self mutilation, and two suicides. I didn't find the story funny at all. I was apalled at the extremeness of caucasion middle class insensitivity. I liked the voices of Little Bee and the girls from the detention center.I wanted to know what happened to them. While a little off, I did find their accents tolerable. Charlie's voice feels way off for a 4 year old--the grammar mistakes seemed too intentional and not like normal speech. I truly hope that women really don't act like Sarah. I hated her character.She was such a superficial airhead. She seemed too much like what a man thinks a woman thinks and acts. Mr. Cleave please go to a male voice. I think you would be far more convincing. Of course, the men are superficial and whiny. Little Bee is the only fully rounded out character that feels real. The rest are there to help create the story. I really can't recommend the book though I did grow as a writer by analyzing what he did right and wrong.

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