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Dance of the Jakaranda
Dance of the Jakaranda | Peter Kimani
5 posts | 3 read | 3 to read
Kimani s descriptive and inventive prose recounts personal stories of love and tragedy within a context of racial hierarchies and the fallout of colonial rule . . . Babu s story feels weighted by history in a way that will remind readers of Gabriel Garcia Marquez s work . . . Kimani s complex novel will leave readers questioning the meanings of citizenship and belonging during an era of significant social upheaval in Kenya s history. -- Booklist "African colonialism is confronted in this subtle, multilayered Kenyan tale . . . Lyrical and powerful . . . Kimani weaves together a bitter, hurtful past and hopeful present in this rich tale of Kenyan history and culture, the railroad, and the men and women whose lives it profoundly affected . . . This is a thoughtful story about a country's imperialist past."-- Kirkus Reviews "Dance of the Jakaranda is a rare gem: a new story, a new voice, a new way of seeing the world. This is what a brilliant novel looks like. Peter Kimani is a rare talent, an important new literary voice in Kenya, in Africa, and the world."--Mat Johnson, author of Loving Day "In this racially charged dance of power, the railroad into the interior of the country becomes a journey into the hearts of men and women. It is a dance of love and hate and mixed motives that drive human actions and alter the course of history. Kimani's writing has the clarity of analytic prose and the lyrical tenderness of poetry."--Ngugi wa Thiong'o, author of Birth of a Dream Weaver Set in the shadow of Kenya's independence from Great Britain, Dance of the Jakaranda reimagines the special circumstances that brought black, brown and white men together to lay the railroad that heralded the birth of the nation. The novel traces the lives and loves of three men--preacher Richard Turnbull, the colonial administrator Ian McDonald, and Indian technician Babu Salim--whose lives intersect when they are implicated in the controversial birth of a child. Years later, when Babu's grandson Rajan--who ekes out a living by singing Babu's epic tales of the railway's construction--accidentally kisses a mysterious stranger in a dark nightclub, the encounter provides the spark to illuminate the three men's shared, murky past. With its riveting multiracial, multicultural cast and diverse literary allusions, Dance of the Jakaranda could well be a story of globalization. Yet the novel is firmly anchored in the African oral storytelling tradition, its language a dreamy, exalted, and earthy mix that creates new thresholds of identity, providing a fresh metaphor for race in contemporary Africa."
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TheEllieMo
Dance of the Jakaranda | Peter Kimani
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join in if you want!

#ABookADay2023

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BookNAround
Dance of the Jakaranda | Peter Kimani
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I can't bail on the other book I'm reading because it's for a review but I'm really struggling and need a break from it. This is a very different book so hopefully it will help me get my mojo back.

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ReadingEnvy
Dance of the Jakaranda | Peter Kimani
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I'm laughing, I'm crying, because this book came in the mail today. Two posts ago I showed how jacaranda trees have been in the last two books I started and I didn't know what this book would be (a surprise subscription.) what are the odds?!?

saresmoore The Universe is onto your reading habits! 7y
tpixie What a quinky- dink!! ( my sister's term for coincidence) 7y
ReadingEnvy @saresmoore @tpixie this is the way of my universe in general so I just embrace it! 7y
See All 11 Comments
mjdowens You need to play the lottery now😂 (edited) 7y
tpixie @mjdowens yes! The lottery!! 7y
tpixie Btw i've never heard of those trees before. I'll have to look at your old posts and keep an ear out and eye out for them in my world! 7y
DreesReads They are so lovely and so messy! Don't park under one when it's blooming lol. 7y
LauraBrook Wait, seriously, this arrived today after your post this morning? Crazemazing! (That's crazy and amazing, btw.) 😝 7y
ReadingEnvy @LauraBrook I posted at the end of the day about the word showing up in books, one I had read after work. My husband walked in with the mail and this book was in there. Crazy! 7y
ReadingEnvy @LauraBrook whoops, obviously I meant crazemazing. 😁 7y
LauraBrook @ReadingEnvy Hah! Crazemazing indeed. 😄 7y
67 likes11 comments
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jveezer
Dance of the Jakaranda | Peter Kimani
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Boom! Thanks LibraryThing early reviewer's. I am looking forward to this read.

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