Gifts: A Novel (2) (The Blood in the Sun Trilogy) Paperback – February 2, 2016

This novel is set in modern Somalia and is about how the West treats poor Nations like Somalia and other countries that has no choice in the transactions decided solely by the NGO's of the West where the lines between what is government and non government assistance is concerned. It is a cultural definition of what really is a gift or is it really a gift or something else, like a lifetime obligation to a Patron?

A great narrative with a controversial theme as it could turn round a foundling. Excellent timing in the events. A very special approach to understand different cultures .The male role from another point of view- no superiority as a men in the main character- the role of man who enjoys be in the life of a woman leaving her the space to her to decide- The respect of a mother towards the private life of her adolescent -A book to enjoy , don't miss it

I came to thi s book after reading the review in the New York Times Book Review (the quote on this page doesn't do the review justice). I had never heard of the author and thought I was discovering someone completely new. When I looked at the book I learned that many of the world's great writers--Rushdie, Achebe, Gordimer--have been reading him for years and loving him. If you look at the page for Secrets and click on the Click Here for All the Reviews button you'll see what I mean. They're right. He's a great writer who deserves to be more famous. This is a great book. Now I'm going to read all of his other books.

Woow! When I read this book, I though this author is rather unique in this world. The language is rich and vivid. From there I decided to read all his work.

Firstly, the Kindle edition is rife with spelling errors and missing punctuation.I had to read this book for a college course and it was my least favorite out of the five African novels I've read so far. The entirety of the class (~20 people, professor included) did not enjoy the book. The main theme of the book is--as the title clearly states--gifts. The protagonist, Duniya, must learn how to give gifts to and accept gifts from the people around her while also learning the true meaning of gifts. Farah does not give subtle hints of symbolism or foreshadowing, instead opting to put everything right in front of your face. There is also no secondary theme in the novel. Several other plot points are quite confusing, including the shared dreams between Duniya and Bosasso. I was surprised to find out that this book was not one that he wrote originally in Somali, as many of the passages read as if they were translated to English. Farah does give a good understanding of the role tradition plays in Somali life, especially with his frame stories about the cow and Juxaa.Perhaps Farah's work as a playwright is better than Gifts, as he is apparently well-praised for his plays. However, I wouldn't recommend this novel to anyone before suggesting books such as Segu, Half of a Yellow Sun, or Things Fall Apart.

i still haven't received the book yet. horrible experience. finally i just had to borrow the book from library.

I read this book based on the glowing, 5 star reviews of others. I stopped reading the book 30 pages before the end. The first half of the story held my interest well, but then it started lagging until my interest stopped altogether.Mr. Farah does have a pleasant way with words and presents the life in Somalia well indeed. I enjoyed the differences and understand the importance of superstition in their society. Also it seems that every word spoken is analyzed by each person to the extent that all sorts of unspoken psychological challenges are experienced in a chit chat conversation.For me this was not a reading joy.