A sad story, in which all characters are fallible. The legacy of a colonial and racist structure falls heavily on the lives of Ousmane, Mireille, and every other character in the book, as Ba reveals the real costs behind political platitudes that are borne our of real suffering. ( )

Tragische Gschichte. Beide versuchen vorab ihre Unterschiede zu erkennen und scheitern trotzdem in ihrer Beziehung an den Differenzen der Kulturen. ( )

This book kept me up at night after I finished ... the ending was absolutely shocking yet appropriate. Being immersed in the Senegalese culture was fascinating for me, especially because it is a predominately Muslim culture so I learned how that religion and the tribal ways work (and sometimes don't work) together.

The hero of the novel is challenging to name. One wants to name both Mirielle and Ousmane, the "star-crossed lovers." But as life goes on for them, both of their heroism is called into question. Ultimately, that is what is so powerful about the novel for me. Neither character is perfect, and life is not perfect. I know in the end who the author saw as the hero, but I won't give that away here for risk of ruining the ending for future readers! ( )

Mycket bra skildring ur olika människors perspektiv av en kärlek och ett äktenskap mellan senegalesen Ousman och fransyskan Mireille. ( )