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Deborah Cloyed

Autor von The Summer We Came to Life

2 Werke 109 Mitglieder 14 Rezensionen Lieblingsautor von 1 Lesern

Werke von Deborah Cloyed

The Summer We Came to Life (2011) 83 Exemplare
What Tears Us Apart (2013) 26 Exemplare

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Gebräuchlichste Namensform
Cloyed, Deborah
Geschlecht
female
Wohnorte
Los Angeles, California, USA
Berufe
Author
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Started off quite well but I found the storyline a bit daft to be honest.
 
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LisaBergin | 9 weitere Rezensionen | Apr 12, 2023 |
I won't even lie, it was the cover that caught my attention.
Absolutely gorgeous.

However, the book itself is hard to rate. I loved the story, but it was the writing that put me off.
Not writing exactly, but the format it was written in.

The past is written in past tense, the present in present tense and then suddenly - another past, from way back - in present tense. It really took some getting used to.

This book is more of a 3.5 but I'm rounding it up because of the very complex relationship between Ita and Chege.
Ita is basically a saint and a hero in this slum. He's a good person, incredibly smart, and capable of achieving so much with so little. And I could see why everyone idolized him - he runs the orphanage, he checks on people to see if everything is okay, he basically gave up his life and dreams to take care of the others, and he doesn't hold it against anybody.
Personally, I'd be livid. I'd hate everything and everyone, not just mope around in self-pity. So I kind of thought his character was too good to be true. All people have little monsters - except - he had none. Just a lot of misplaced guilt. And you might think in the end that he is no saint, nor a hero. He was very judgmental and, I'd say, ungrateful.

Chege, on the other hand, made sure that Ita would have the life he deserved, and he would have done anything (and he did) to give Ita that opportunity to make something out of himself.
Kind of like a personal guardian angel. For me, he was the true hero of this story.

But there is a lot of resentment from Ita toward Chege. I tried to understand, but even I could see that Chege was just looking out for him. Again I'm saying - very complex.

What ruined the story for me was Leda's character. All I kept thinking in the end was that if she didn't come between them... which she did and I won't be convinced otherwise. I liked her, initially, but as the time went she was just another little rich girl trying to clean her guilty conscience.

All these misunderstandings and assumptions. I was so angry when it all came out in the end. People talk.
Maybe it would have been more believable if the characters were younger. If the characters are in their thirties, it just isn't believable that they wouldn't have talked things out. They should be mature enough to know better than making assumptions. Especially when you have people so close as Ita was with Chege. Why did Ita assume the worst of him? When it all comes out it won't make any sense to you. All he ever did was take care of Ita.

Now, the relationship between Ita and Leda - yeah, they had good chemistry. They fell in love immediately, but I guess they were it for each other. I liked the romance, it felt like he was saving her even though she was the one that had all that money and could have provided for him and the kids.

Like I said, I wasn't the fan of the format this was written in, but I did like the writing itself. Obviously, I've never been to Kenya so I don't know how accurate the descriptions are but the author brought it to life.
It has a great cast of supporting characters and I loved Mary and the kids, and Kiani and of course, Chege. The villain in this story is the politics, not any particular person. I liked that.

Another thing I didn't like was that you get two extra POVs somewhere throughout the story. The author probably wanted to show you these things so that's why you get them. But it just felt so random.

There are a couple of mildly graphic sex scenes in this book. Just a heads up.

A few friends told me this blurb reminds them of Fisher Amelie's VAIN. It's nothing like it, the only thing in common is the orphanage. Overall, I liked the story. You get the impression that the author is not just writing blindly, but that she has actually been to this place.
I definitely recommend it.

**Free copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
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AriBookzilla | 3 weitere Rezensionen | Sep 21, 2013 |
Sometimes I really hate myself for bypassing books that have been in Mount TBR for some time. What Tears Us Apart is one of these. When I received it (thank you Polina at Harlequin, who definitely knows my reading tastes better than I do), I thought it was going to be quite sad and political so I didn’t read it right away. Well, this book does have sad moments, and there are some politics (although much less than the lead up to the Australian election) but it’s sweet with the power of human spirit too.

Don’t be put off by the cover – yes, there is the very odd gun, but it’s not about child armies. Let me explain. Leda is a rich young lady without a purpose. She’s got numerous degrees and tried several careers but just can’t get into anything. Nothing spikes her passion. She doesn’t need to work, but she does need a sense of purpose. She decides to volunteer to work in an orphanage in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya to try to give back. When Leda arrives, she realises she’s enters a world nothing like anything she’s ever experienced. Life here is about bare basics – little or no electricity, no beds and an uncertain future. Leda is captivated by the positivity of Ita, the young man who gave up medical school to run the orphanage. But Leda is also disturbed by the visits of Ita’s childhood friend, Chege. Chege is involved in crime and certainly has nothing in common with Ita – so why does Ita tolerate his visits?

The book is told from multiple points in time – from Leda going to the orphanage and again after she leaves amid rioting after Kenya’s elections. It is also told from Leda and Ita’s points of view, with a couple of other characters thrown in. I’d suggest you watch the dates and character at the start of each section to help put the story in order in your mind. It’s not confusing, but it just helps to get the timeline straight – important for the misunderstanding between Ita and Leda. The alternating times also helped me appreciate the growing relationship between the pair and also how things because so muddled between them.

Although there is a relationship between Leda and Ita, it doesn’t take over the narrative (I believe you could put this novel under ‘romantic elements’). Much of the story focuses on the way the people live in the slums and how it’s such an eye-opener to Leda. I’m not sure if it’s because of Leda’s background (quite privileged money-wise, but devoid emotionally) that she’s so surprised or because she’s seeing the poverty through her own eyes. Why Leda believes herself damaged and unlovable is not explained fully until the end of the book – I think this could have been brought forward a bit more and fleshed out because I had the completely wrong idea. I think I would have felt more sympathetic towards her if I’d known more about her own family. Plus I’m not sure why there was a scene that she kissed Chege (despite being in love with Ita) – is it to redeem Chege in the reader’s eyes? Does it reflect back on Leda history, never sticking to a career or job? It just didn’t work for me. And the pregnancy? I see the symbolism (new life, new beginnings) – but Leda should know no glove, no love! Anyway, this is fiction so we’ll assume it was all okay.

Cloyed does an excellent job of describing the political unrest of 2007 and the violence that occurred – it’s quite sickening at times. I quite liked Chege as a character – he’s not an angel, but he brought a spark of naughtiness to the novel that Ita (bless him, he’s so sweet and thoughtful) just couldn’t match. Perhaps this is where the kiss with Leda helps to cement him as a bad boy with a good heart.

I really did enjoy the setting – Kenya is not a country I know a great deal about beyond the news reports, and I love to learn things through reading. The insight into the 2007 elections is definitely worth reading and for that Cloyed should be commended.

Thank you to Harlequin Australia for the copy.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
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birdsam0610 | 3 weitere Rezensionen | Aug 20, 2013 |
An emotionally charged love story! Does love come upon by chance or is it destiny?

This is one of the most in-depth and intriguing stories I have read in a long while. Upon the opening chapters of the book the main character Leda has just quit her job as a cook and is now looking for something more fulfilling in her life. Now in her late 20′s Leda is the only child of Estella who neglected her daughter as a child and is now a bitter, condescending and unsupportive mother.

Leda is a lonely lady, she doesn’t have any friends or family and is living in the mountains of California in a beautiful home. The prospect of going back to school is not of interest to Leda and since she has the privilege of wealth she decides on a whim to do some volunteer work. Upon searching the internet her destiny pulls her to the Kibera slums of Nairobi where she applies for the position of assistant at the Triumph orphanage. This orphanage is run by Ita with funds from his guided safari tours. Ita is a man with a warm and gentle smile and Leda instantly feels an attraction toward him. So when offered the position it doesn’t take long for Leda to place all her conveniences aside and travel to Kibera.

This time span of this story is 2.5 months from the time Leda leaves California until the end of the book. The style of writing flows back and forth in time and from the different views of the characters like a film. It doesn’t take long for the political repression of 2007 to uproot the town and little orphanage leaving Leda and Ita completely torn.

What happens when Leda arrives in Kibera takes the reader on an emotional ride. I found myself taking on the role of Leda at first physically as I pull my suitcase, feeling the dirt and sewage underneath my feet, the smell of rot and decay of garbage. Emotionally as Leda reflects on the situations and lives of those in the slum. When she falls in love with the children at the orphanage, her relationship with Ita with other characters. The fear and terror every time she encounters Ita’s friend and rival Chege. Her emotionally repressive feelings and memories of the relationship with her mother.

What Tears Us Apart of is a passionate and very thought-provoking story. I found myself comparing my life to the life of living in a slum with garbage and sewage lingering outside a shabby shack. A life so vulnerable, dehumanizing and frightening. A little part of me tries to compensate by thinking when one knows nothing else would one really feel this life was so wrong. There are many lessons and symbolism presented throughout this story. However in the end, this is a love story and the main aspect granted is that even through tragedy, war and strife, true love is not by chance, but by destiny.
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autumnblues | 3 weitere Rezensionen | May 29, 2013 |

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Werke
2
Mitglieder
109
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#178,011
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½ 3.4
Rezensionen
14
ISBNs
11
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