Baking Cakes In Kigali Baking Cakes In Kigali (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
A book group assignment. The premise of the book is that Yes, African countries have suffered from genocide and malnutrition and terminal diseases BUT that's not all that happens. People live and love and eat and do other things beside mourn, suffer and die.Great! I agree. However. Terrible writing, no plot as such, and her characters are, to me, implausible. The main character, Angel [symbolic much, that name?], bakes cakes to supplement her husband's income and support their five grandchildren. The standard narrative strategy is: I want to order a cake, Mama-Grace. Oh, come on in and let me make some sweet, spicy tea, you can eat some cake, and then we can talk business and you can also share your personal story. Or: You look sad Person A. Yes, Mama Grace, I am. Ok, now we are friends so you must sit down and I will make some sweet, spicy tea and then you must tell me all about it.Please. Even with some 'suspension of disbelief,' I find this hard to believe.Mama Grace [Angel] solicits & keeps confidences, arranges romantic matches, solves personal and financial crises, saves a neighbor from a stalker, encourages women's education & self-reliance, raises five grandchildren, bakes the best cakes in Kigali, has a loving and egalitarian marriage, always speaks politely... all while never losing her temper or making a mistake or feeling resentment/anger etc.How...?Of course, Parkin does make mention of FGM, genocide, AIDS, prostitution and tells us of the ways in which they have affected people's lives & how they deal with them and/or escape them. She also constantly differentiates between different countries and languages --- chipping away at the "Africa is a country" syndrome. Which is good because it wouldn't work to completely ignore these realities.But Parkin can't write. Her dialogues don't flow naturally, they sound like scripted speeches. The writing is often pedantic and preachy, and often irritating. Eg: when a student refers to being bilingual as knowing at least one European language, Mama Grace gives her a lecture on how Swahili and Kinyarwanda are also languages she knows. Ok. Got it. You have managed to irritate me even though I *agree* with your argument.Parkin is not a subtle advocate, and not a good enough writer. I didn't hate the book but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Saya memutuskan untuk membeli karena ada kata Rwanda. Saya tertarik untuk tahu lebih banyak tentang Rwanda. Tadinya, saya berpikir mungkin ini novel-novel ala Harlequein, yang menjadikan negara Afrika sebagai latar cintanya. Tak apalah, pikir saya, kadang ada hal-hal menarik bahkan dari sebuah cerita cheesy sekalipun. Ternyata, saya salah. Angel's Cake sama sekali tidak cheesy. Ini adalah sebuah cerita 'besar' yang indah tapi ditulis seolah tanpa pretensi karena diceritakan melalui sudut pandang seorang ibu bersahaja pembuat kue, Angel Tungaraza. Angel kemudian akan mengajak pembaca untuk mendengarkan obrolannya dengan para pelanggan dan orang-orang di sekitarnya dengan kisah-kisah hidup mereka yang dramatis, tapi juga memberikan banyak perenungan. Betapa perang dan kekerasan telah menghancurkan banyak hal, tapi betapa juga orang-orang selalu punya kekuatan untuk bertahan. Kita juga diajak untuk melihat sekilas kehidupan di sebuah negara seperti Rwanda, dengan AIDS dan kemiskinan yang merajalela, dan bagaimana harapan akan sesuatu yang lebih baik selalu ada. Sungguh, sebuah novel yang sangat layak untuk dibaca.
What do You think about Baking Cakes In Kigali Baking Cakes In Kigali (2009)?
Love this. An old favourite. My copy is getting a bit battered and dog-eared!
—Nasir
Nice light story with a message similar to the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency.
—afi
Very interesting book. I learned a lot about life in Africa
—tangus
