Eftersom den svenska e-boken är en direkt översättning av den engelska boken har jag nedan också tagit med ett par recensioner av min engelska bok. De recensionerna bör alltså också kunna gälla för den svenska boken.
Ur
www.bokrecensioner.se
(www.bokrecension.se/918619318X)
Erik: Korruption i Paradiset (Betyg 5 av 5)
Jag älskar den här boken - Blåögd i Luhya-land.
Ett modigt, medelålders par gör just det jag länge drömt att få göra. De
spränger sina bojor och flyttar utan några kompromisser rakt in i en annan
värld, som visar sig fungera helt annorlunda än vad de är vana vid. Där
korruption anses normalt, där döden gömmer sig runt knuten, där dina bästa
vänner stjäl dina tillhörigheter men fortfarande anser sig som dina vänner. Ett
grönskande paradis nära djungeln, där det är omöjligt att kommunicera, eftersom
samma ord har olika betydelse för dig och dina grannar, och där inte ens
tidsbegreppet är gemensamt. Blåögd i Luhyaland påminner i vissa avseenden om en
annan bok, som jag tyckte om som barn - Alice i Underlandet.
http://www.bokrecension.se/918619318X
: En
fängslande bok (Betyg 5 av 5)
En fängslande bok! Den beskriver ett fantastiskt äventyr ur verkligheten. Blåögd i Luhya-land
förtjänar att bli läst av många, speciellt av alla de som vill läsa om ett
äventyr som med råge överträffar dikten. Detta är en intressant och ingående
skildring om och av ett medelålders svenskt par som vågade ta ett stort steg
långt ut i världen! Skriven på ett bra språk. Det är en riktigt bra bok, helt
enkelt. Jag har rekommenderat den till alla mina vänner och de som läst den har
beskrivit den på samma sätt "en underbar bok". Ett kort råd: köp den
o läs den, nu! (Blåögd i
Luhya-land)
----------------------------
P. Eng, USA:
Blue-eyed in Luhya-land - a review
"Blue-eyed" is a charming
book. It is the account of a Swedish couple,
weary of the back-home greyness,
that decides to move to Kenya
to start a new life in a simpler setting, away
from the Nordic cold and the modern treadmill.
So, meet Gunilla, the author, and
her husband Bertil, the driving motor
behind the Kenya project.
The plan: To establish a
hotel/resort in the Kenyan highlands.
All doesn't go well. Almost from
start there is a clash of cultures
between the Scandinavian couple and
the local population. Gunilla and
Bertil refuse to adjust to the
more-than-a-little corruption that
permeates the life in their new
home. Firstly, there is an almost complete lack of infrastructure, from water
to telecommunications to electricity to - worse! - the social and legal
network that Europeans are accustomed to and depend on. Which means that if
you encounter people and situations that don't treat you fairly, you are
pretty much on your own.
Most striking is the utter lack of
forward thinking on the part of local
dignitaries and the local
population. You would think that the influx of
foreigners and especially foreign
currency to an area that depends on
subsistence farming would be a good
thing, and that the people and their
leaders would see this and support
the venture. Not so. An immediate
handout (as a bribe is politely
called) is chosen every time over the
establishment of a job-creating
enterprise, just as the trinkets that can
be pilfered are chosen every time
over job retention. This, unfortunately,
is very common and very
international, I have seen charity hospital
projects in Asia
go belly-up because local politicians asked for
"handouts" to grant the
necessary permits that the donors simply couldn't afford.
The end of Gunilla's and Bertil's
venture, not unpredictably, is defeat,
with their resources severely
depleted and in disgust over the way things
are.
I recommend reading
"Blue-eyed" in part for its entertainment value, in
part because there is actually quite
a lot to learn from it: Build a local
alliance with a local strongman,
even if you have smoothe the way.
Understand the local culture for
what it is, rather than for what you are
used to or would like it to be, and
sit on top of employee production from
day one.
Sadly, the only perfect vision is
hindsight. I am sure that the Riverdale
Gardens venture would have ended
differently if Gunilla and Bertil had the
insight then that they have now.
It's too late to change that now, but any
reader with similar plans can profit
from these experiences.
Happy
reading!
--------------------
An Authentic View of Africa, June 2, 2010
This review is from: Blue-eyed in Luhya-land (Kindle Edition)
This is that rare thing an original, authentic and unvarnished view of
Africa as told by an unbiased, idealistic yet pragmatic witness. This is
a highly individual and admittedly European perspective but it may be
more useful to establish here what it is not. It is not a travelogue, a
sentimental sightseeing safari; it is not sensationalist journalism; nor
is it a political manifesto with the familiar pre-packed conclusions;
not an 'I was there' self-congratulatory and self-important tale of
heroism, not another empty instalment of the New Age agenda. Rather, it
is a factual, human (originally diarised) account of a remarkable and
ultimately tragic adventure which took place in the unfamiliar, remote
region of Western Kenya, deep in the emerald green forest on the slopes
of Mount Elgon and close to Lake Victoria. Here, in the most densely
populated yet least known, least 'developed' part of Kenya, there
existed (still exists) a world remarkably untouched by western
influence. This provides the backdrop to the couple's valiant efforts to
establish a livelihood - through farming, then building and running a
hotel (with a bit of gold-panning thrown in for fun) and finally
pioneering a new form of enterprise in the form of mushroom cultivation.
The scenes towards the end of the book (glimpsed in the opening
chapter), of the couple literally fleeing the threat of mob violence, is
as gripping as any fiction, with all the vividness and stark brutality
we associate with the worst side of Africa, all the more powerful for
its gradual build up through the story and, of course, its utter
veracity.
This is a good antidote for the all too numerous superficial,
lightweight and stereotypical pot-boilers coming off the press and
jumping into airport terminal bookstalls (where they belong).
Beautifully written, keenly observed and with a true sense of narrative,
I found it hard to put down once caught up in the unerringly convincing
and intensely human story.
---
A Swedish couple in Kenya, I'm in the
safari business, so I have been to Kenya many times and made many friends in
Kenya. I love that country very much. The people are so genuinely friendly and
accommodating. However, I've never lived in Kenya, I always wanted to, but ....
Anyway, it was with great anticipation that I embarked on reading this book, in
my native Swedish. What an eye-opener! Wow! This very brave couple gave up all
their comforts, everything they were accustomed to in their Swedish socialistic
society and moved to Kenya where you are on your own to fend for yourself as
they quickly found out. The laws of Kenya are not there to protect you, as they
so naively thought, but to be used by those in power. I give this book three
thumbs up for suspense and adventure with some very powerful witchcraft thrown
in. A very different book from your regular safari
journal.
Kristina Trowbridge "WinWin Vacations" (Seattle, WA USA)
----
Nedan recensioner har gjorts på Elib
Ulla-Britt Frandén (2011-02-28)
Boken beskriver på ett mjukt sätt de kulturskillnader som uppstår när
man flyttar in i andra kulturer. Den är lätt att ta till sig. Jag vill
rekkommendera denna bok till personer som på olika sätt arbetar med
intgrationsfrågor både svenskar och från andra länder inflyttade
personer. Det kan skapa förståelse för hur lätt det kan vara att
missförstå varandra och förhoppningsvis ta hänsyn till vid planering av
mottagande och integrering med olika kulturer.
| Margreth Brodd (2011-03-09) |
|
| Ofattbart att detta har hänt så
nyss. Mycket intressant. Jag kunde nästan inte sluta lyssna. Det kändes
väldigt bra att författaren själv läste. |
| E (2011-02-25) |
|
| en väldigt trevlig beskrivning av Kenya och den vites varadagsliv där. |
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