Read Gingerbread A Novel Audible Audio Edition Helen Oyeyemi Penguin Audio Books
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"[W]ildly inventive...In Oyeyemi's hands, a simple premise becomes a story about class, myth, and dark family histories. Her prose is not without its playful bite." (Vogue)
The prize-winning, best-selling author of Boy, Snow, Bird and What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours returns with a bewitching and imaginative novel.
Influenced by the mysterious place gingerbread holds in classic children's stories, beloved novelist Helen Oyeyemi invites listeners into a delightful tale of a surprising family legacy, in which the inheritance is a recipe.Â
Perdita Lee may appear to be your average British schoolgirl; Harriet Lee may seem just a working mother trying to penetrate the school social hierarchy; but there are signs that they might not be as normal as they think they are. For one thing, they share a gold-painted seventh-floor walk-up apartment with some surprisingly verbal vegetation. And then there's the gingerbread they make. Londoners may find themselves able to take or leave it, but it's very popular in Druhástrana, the faraway (or, according to many sources, nonexistent) land of Harriet Lee's early youth. The world's truest lover of the Lee family gingerbread, however, is Harriet's charismatic childhood friend Gretel Kercheval - a figure who seems to have had a hand in everything (good or bad) that has happened to Harriet since they met.Â
Decades later, when teenaged Perdita sets out to find her mother's long-lost friend, it prompts a new telling of Harriet's story. As the book follows the Lees through encounters with jealousy, ambition, family grudges, work, wealth, and real estate, gingerbread seems to be the one thing that reliably holds a constant value. Endlessly surprising and satisfying, written with Helen Oyeyemi's inimitable style and imagination, it is a true feast for the listener.
Read Gingerbread A Novel Audible Audio Edition Helen Oyeyemi Penguin Audio Books
"This is gonna be a love-it-or-hate-it read for many people. Fans of Oyeymei know that she's always got something up her sleeve so this one, which is sort of kind of a retelling of Hansel and Gretel (but not) is fun to read even when you're a little confused about what's happening. Harriet and Perdita, the mother/daughter leads, are terrific characters. What's up with Drushastrana? Hmmm. How to explain this one? I'm not sure. I do know that the writing is lovely and while the plot might not be immediately accessible, it's a fun read. Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC. This is worth a try for fans of literary fiction and interesting language."
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Gingerbread A Novel Audible Audio Edition Helen Oyeyemi Penguin Audio Books Reviews :
Gingerbread A Novel Audible Audio Edition Helen Oyeyemi Penguin Audio Books Reviews
- I was taken in by the clever language in this book. I say clever rather than pretty because I was more impressed by Oyeyemi's sharp, clean insights into human nature than by beautiful descriptive prose. In the true spirit of magical realism, many of the stranger elements in the book (like Perdita's talking half-plant dolls) aren't exactly explained. They are just accepted.
Many reviews state that the plot of the story is difficult to follow. I did not necessarily find this to be true, especially after the first two chapters. However you should be prepared for quick, sometimes improbable plot twists. And don't expect to have all your questions neatly tied up with a bow on top by the end of the book.
Other than that, enjoy the treat! - I loved the NYTimes review of this book; I even loved the writing for about two-thirds of the book because it forces a reader to pay attention rather than skim -- something the Times' reviewer indicated was the case. After a while, the writing -- especially the stream-of-consciousness style seemed contrived -- and I just grew tired and bored by it all. I stopped caring about the human characters and only wanted to read what the dolls had to say. I only have about 40 pages left and I can't bring myself to finish it. Maybe one day, I'll look at a doll and get inspried to finish it, but until then...Perdita, Margot, Gretel etal will stay closed away in my copy as I move on to other things.
- This is gonna be a love-it-or-hate-it read for many people. Fans of Oyeymei know that she's always got something up her sleeve so this one, which is sort of kind of a retelling of Hansel and Gretel (but not) is fun to read even when you're a little confused about what's happening. Harriet and Perdita, the mother/daughter leads, are terrific characters. What's up with Drushastrana? Hmmm. How to explain this one? I'm not sure. I do know that the writing is lovely and while the plot might not be immediately accessible, it's a fun read. Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC. This is worth a try for fans of literary fiction and interesting language.
- I was really looking forward to reading this book, but I found it very disjointed and hard to follow.
The writing would pull me in briefly, for example when Perdita was in the hospital, and I would think I was understanding the characters and starting to get to know them, and then the story would go off on a wild, weird tangent. I kept pushing through until page 102, and then I finally decided that was enough, life was too short to be forcing myself to continue when it was so frustrating and I wasn't enjoying the book. - I like to think I'm at least average in skills of interpreting literature, but I have no clue what I just read. I know, I know. I was forewarned there were magical elements. I get that gingerbread is metaphorical, a staple of fairy tales, a twist on bread of life. Or death, as the case may be. Fabulous (As in "related to fables") houses abound (Gingerbread houses, anyone?) Dolls talk. The allegory spins out of control and murder lurks. I'm sure book clubs everywhere are serving gingerbread and those wonderful paper thin Moravian gingerbread cookies. But I recommend having some Malbec available for when they--rapidly--get into "what the actual hey" territory.
- Oyeyemi's prose is a thing to behold. This book is a fun and entertaining read as well as a work of art.
- Bought because recommended. Disappointed. Boring nonsense.
One star for cute cover. - Weird, but I liked it. I think.
Settle in, get started and keep going. This is a strange story that gets stranger, but has some really wonderful messages along the way, interesting characters, a bit of magic and folklore sprinkled in the contemporary world. Maybe brew a pot of tea first.
