Bundu

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In a place near Mozambique where no one knows the boundary, drought is changing everything Tens, then hundreds of people seek refuge in a forgotten outpost where a clinic is run by lonely souls of uncertain training, nuns staunchly determined to serve But the inundation soon becomes too much for them, and there is no help from outside Within the small community of outcasts a plan takes shape that is as outrageous as it is inspired The illegal adventure that follows is a humanitarian act of heroic proportions, yet unsung in the greater world And in its wake unanswered questions remain what is it that lies just beyond our reach why can we not take the final step towards each other Bundu is about the people and the animals of Africa at the height of their beauty and the depth of their despair It is a love story and a meditation on the mystery of our powers and the limitations that we share with our brothers, the animals. Read Bundu – kino-fada.fr Although I ve read quite a few books from South Africa, most of them have been written in English I ve read nearly everything J.M Coetzee wrote before he migrated to Australia some by Nadine Gordimer and Gillian Slovo the Martha Quest books by Doris Lessing Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, and in recent years I ve tried to keep up with the work of Damon Galgut because I find his books intriguing.Shortlisted for the 2013 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, Bundu by Chris Barnard is one Although I ve read quite a few books from South Africa, most of them have been written in English I ve read nearly everything J.M Coetzee wrote before he migrated to Australia some by Nadine Gordimer and Gillian Slovo the Martha Quest books by Doris Lessing C...An interesting read, although a translation A book full of strange characters Everyone is involved in their own world and that which makes them cope, or do they We sometimes also regard that which gives someone else satisfaction,...I picked up this book from the library as it looked interesting but ultimately found it to be frustrating It centres around a small South African medical centre as the staff try to deal with an influx of refugees fleeing famine in Mozambique But conditions are not great in South Africa either and the centre soon starts struggling to deal with having to feed and treat all of the refugees This aspect of the plot alone could have been explored indetail but the book seems to focusI picked up this book from the library as it looked interesting but ultimately found it to be frustrating It centres around a small South African medical centre as the staff try to deal with an influx of refugees fleeing famine in Mozambique But conditions are not great in South Africa either and the centre soon starts struggling to deal with having to feed and treat all of the refugees This aspect of the plot alone could have been explored indetail but the book seems to focuson our lead character Brandt and his relationships with his co workers The romance between him and the leading female character felt awkward, as if the author felt obliged to include a romance There was also a potentially interesting thread about the tensions between Brandt and his black co workers, learning to respect and trust each other after b...I enjoyed this book even though I did not really know in the beginning what to think about it It s not clear to me if that is because I did not know the author or anything about the country and culture it was written in Probably There were also quite a few expressions which I had to look up because I could not make any sense of them What kept me reading was the woman the main character fell in love with I think it ...Somewhere along a border between Mozambique and South Africa, along a border that moves its position according to what is considered politically expedient at a moment in time, a severe drought is devastating everything A small clinic, long since forgotten by the high and mighty finds it has become the refuge for hundreds of desperate people, dailypour in until they become overwhelmed by this deluge with no sign of outside help This leaves a disparate group of individuals trying to find t Somewhere along a border between Mozambique and South Africa, along a border that moves its position according to what is considered politically expedient at a moment in time, a severe drought is devastating ever...This book could ve gone in several different directions It avoids being preachy but it makes its points well enough What I particularly liked was the ending Circumstances have galvanised these disparate individuals, created a necessary bond but once the crisis is over their involvement in it at any rate they no longer have sufficient reason to cohere and drift apart far too easily You would think what they ve been through was a life changing experience but perhaps these people s lives had al This book could ve gone in several different directions It avoids...Bundu is a beautifully written novel by award winning Afrikaans author, Chris Barnard At times frustrating, appalling, heart breaking and wonderful, Bundu exposes a side of Africa that few ever see In t...Once I started reading, I didn t want to stop I loved the solitude of the African wilderness and the assortment of people who found themselves there, and carved out some kind of life for themselves totally outside of most society The starving famine refugees were almost an aside, ...I expected muchthe story line was good but the writer failed to draw me into the story I m not sure if it was his writing or a problem of translation but i was not captivated once and really wanted to feel like i was with the characters in the book experiencing and seeing the hardship.I love films which are those slow moving, deep rivers..this is the book equivalent, an unexpected page turner Read my full review on my blog

Bundu
  • 04 February 2018
  • Paperback
  • 205 pages
  • 1415201099
  • Chris Barnard
  • Bundu