The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears Audiobook

" This title is our January 2010 selection for the Arcadia Public Library Book Group. Please read... and join us. "

" Not much happens. Two hundred and twenty eight pages seemed much longer. "

" I highly recommend this book. The narrator, a young Ethiopian immigrant in D.C., shows how easy it can be to find a sense of belonging in places where so many among us are waiting for it. He tells his story in a mild-mannered style with amused every-day observations, then lightly drops profound and lovely human truths that catch my breath. At times, Mengestu's book also aches with the losses and longing of a lonely immigrant. But the young man relishes his solitude so consciously that his bouts of loneliness are almost surprising, somehow bearable and always familiar. "

" Overall I enjoyed this novel. I thought, at first, the novel was a memoir due to the author's small bio that I had read prior and the book jacket flap. It is a work of fiction about a man fled to the US from Ethiopia after the revolution. He moved to DC, and having lived in DC for some time I enjoyed reading about through the character's eyes. I find gentrification fascinating as I am seeing it currently outside of my window in Seoul. Although much didn't seem to happen in the book the characters were so developed that they were able to tell the story. The characters and their relationships with each other felt so true. "

" I liked the story and the writing, but I tend to agree with one of the reviews that expressed skepticism about the characters. An immigrant who lives in a place for 17 years and only has two friends? I can allow poetic license for that part and call it lack of character development in a short book. What I was more skeptical about was Stephanos reading Doestoevsky to a 10 or 12-year old child. Really? "

" This book is written simply and elegantly but really only hints at the experiences Sepha has been through in Ethiopia. He goes through his life very resigned to his existence and it was very frustrating that he wasn't more proactive in his choices. Still, a good read. "

" Great book and quick read. Lots of food for thought about the immigrant experience, as well as life of the city and American experience. Loved the writing too. "

" This is a fabulous debut novel. selected as the 2008 Seattle Reads book, this award-winning novel is incredibly elegant, literary and wonderful story that moved me so much. I am recommending this to EVERYONE! "

" A story about everyday life and the people who live it. It gives us the perspective of an immigrant who has a store, "

" This was such a beautiful book - a true Washington DC novel set in my old neighborhood, Logan Circle. I loved it. It was both tender and painful at the same time. I also like that the author is a young writer - he and I were at Georgetown at the same time! "

" while I didn't find myself engrossed in this novel, I think it'd make a really great movie. "

" Well-written and complex story about an Ethiopian immigrant living in the Logan Circle area of DC. "

" Mengestu packs a lot of meaning and sad beauty into a short novel. It's about an African immigrant who owns a convenience store in a run-down but gentrifying neighborhood of D.C. This was the "Seattle Reads" book a few years ago. He just published a new novel that I haven't read yet. "

" A thought provoking book. The plot was not overly interesting, but that was not the point. Overall: glad I read it, but not wild enough about it to read it again. "

" Well written, kind of a sleeper. The portrait of a complex, man struggling with questions of love and loyalty. The erosion of an immigrants dream,and he carries so much guilt. "

" Unique inside view of the immigrant experience and inner city realities. "

" An impressive first novel that's only occasionally heavy-handed, THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS THAT HEAVEN BEARS has the makings of a play, possibly even a movie. Wouldn't be surprised to see this one adapted down the line. "

" Also published under the title, "Children of the Revolution," it is both a tale of every man's struggle to adapt to living in a new country and a personal account of the tragedies that are occurring in Africa...a recommended read. "

" Some great moments, but not enough of them. As a vehicle for sharing a bit of African history, this is an interesting novel. As a story of three immigrants building new lives in DC, it is less successful. "

" First fiction I got through with ease since Summer of 2008. "

" A sweet, quiet book about the everyday life of an Ethiopian shopkeeper in a gentrifying neighborhood of Washington, DC. "

" One of the best books I have read this year. It is a great depiction of the lonely existence many African immigrants to the US experience. "

" The protagonist is self-defeating to a frustrating degree. A lot of local D.C. references which make parts of the book interesting. Despite not loving the book and almost loathing the main character, the book made me more aware of the other people who live in this city. "

" lovely in tone and use of language, effective foreshadowing, humorous and genuine in the way the Africans relate to each other and describe their world and deals with very serious substance. quite a good book. "

" Fun to read since it takes place about 15-20 years ago in my DC neighbordhood. "

" simple prose- beautiful depictions of a modern immigrant experience and affection "

" While I didn't hate this book I didn't particularly love it either. The story for me was just flat. Not something that I'd recommend anyone to read or not read. "

" This was very well written book and profound and thought provoking.... "

" Especially loved that it took place in DC, allowing me to visualize the story. "

" There's something about this book that I loved. There's an emptiness to it. Some authors try to fill up the emptiness. This author embraces it and makes it beautiful. "

" A beautiful portrayal of an alienated soul. Strange to read a novel about my own neighborhood. "

" Loved this, thanks Ashindi. A must read for DC folks, particularly Logan Circle. It's a heart breaking meditation on isolation and being an outsider--but so beautiful "