Rating: 
Summary: insipid and flat
Review: I want the few hours of my life that I spent reading this book back! If good fiction is equal parts description & dialogue, this is certainly neither. This novel takes place in Africa, but it may as well have been a generic backyard in New Jersey. There are no stunning descriptive details here. The main character, Esme, may as well be one of the Heathers from the movie of the same name. Esme's entire worldview is based on judging people's style of dress and sizing them up depending on whether she wants to sleep with them, prevent them with sleeping with her catch, or deciding whether they are chic enough to talk to. The character has no existence except in relation to the man she is sleeping with. The only action that defines her, other than smoking and drinking,is having sex. In fact, the book's division into the names of two main men, Adam and Hunter, demonstrates that her use value in the world only happens when annexed to a guy. Esme has nothing to offer: no personality, no intelligence (although she believes herself to be so saavy), no job, no skills- just an inheritance and a willingness to bed anything not wearing Dockers. I have never disliked a main character more; she is utterly without redeaming features, or any features really.
Please do not waste your time on this unless you like supermarket fantasy books or have a penchant for the pouty, spoiled little rich girl writer-hack type. Oh, it's so difficult being wealthy, unemployed and bored! This is a horrid novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A romance of a sort, with Africa itself
Review: This first novel by Francesca Marciano takes a fresh look at the world of young expatriates living in contemporary Kenya. Her writing is simple, but rings with clarity and levels of meaning that go far beyond her words. Written in the first person, her protagonist is Esme, a young Italian woman in her twenties. She is part of a group of young people in an affluent white suburb of Nairobi who shop at the mall, meet at parties and drink, drug and sleep with each other. Esme, however, is different, as her eyes are always wide open as she gently pokes fun at contradictions and raises serious questions about her place in that particular world.Esme's romantic involvements with two very different men account for the plot, but this book is more than just the plot. One of the men leads safaris and she is exposed to the world of the natural beauty of Africa as well as to the tourists who are always interested in the big animals but never see the smaller and equally impressive wildlife. The other man is a journalist, who reports on the carnage in Somalia as well as the massacres of the Hutu and Tutsi. His descriptions are bone chilling and stand is stark contrast to the upscale and privileged life of her friends. Esme's relationships strain and shatter and her honest view of herself is refreshing. She grows and learns and moves on. I identified with her completely and totally enjoying viewing Africa through her eyes. To her credit, the author keeps her focus sharp and doesn't try to do too much. She just tells Esme's story. Yes, this is a romance of a sort, but it is not just about the men in her life. It is about Africa itself. I loved it!
Rating:
Summary: The better of two evils
Review: I am in the middle of my 8th reading of this book that I found by accident. I have suggested it to friends who have many different favorite types of reading-- and all of them have loved this book. Esme is a beautifully complex character who has a hard time finding what she wants. She moves back and forth through the story explaining her world, so that you would want to be in this "second-hand" kind of world. I recommend this book for a million different reasons to a million different people.
Rating:
Summary: uh
Review: I couldn't read this book. Sorry, just didn't hold my interest. I thought I'd love it, I love Out of Africa. Gave this book to someone else and she couldn't get into it either.
Rating:
Summary: I was part of the story
Review: It was my intense interest in africa that 'led' me to this book... and what find! From the first page to the last I felt as though I was part of Esme's life, a silent observer ever present in the background. When hear a story of any type, I want to relate to the characters in one form or another, feel their pain or happiness, have something to dream about when it's over. In my opinion Marciano did an amazing if not extraordinary job at creating believable and most interesting characters that I felt for from the beginning. Marciano's writing flows beautifully... her sentences simple and thought provoking, creating the most amazing images in my mind. Yes, I truely loved this book, and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: If you've ever lived in Africa, you HAVE to read this
Review: This book is amazing. Everyone who has ever lived in Africa (especially Kenya, Namibia or South Africa) will find him/herself in Marciano's story. She manages to describe the fascination this continent has on Europeans and she also gives the reader an idea how confusing life as an expatriate can be.
Rating: 
Summary: Unreliable, unlikable, yet still readable
Review: I agree with reviewers who didn't like the character of Esme, in part because I felt the author simply didn't make her real enough. Marciano keeps telling us what an extraordinary woman Esme is, how she's "different from everyone else," but I couldn't see that at all. If anything, Esme comes across unintentionally as a hypocrite; she (and Marciano) is absurdly judgmental about the crass, shallow tourists who simply can't see the beauty of Africa the way she can, and merely want to get it all on film before they hurry back home. But it is midway through the book before Esme offhandedly "realizes" that maybe the only reason she is able to explore this beauty full-time is because she doesn't have to work for a living! Also, she criticizes others for keeping distance from black Africans and not caring about their plight, but when she meets Hunter for their visit to the black slums, she puts on a pretty dress to allure him without giving a single thought to their grim mission. (Admittedly, she eventually sees the irony in that situation, but it still doesn't show me how Hunter can possibly see Esme as being so "different." While he agonizes over the horrors of Rwanda, she agonizes over the fact that he talks about those horrors as though talking to himself, and not to her.) This weakened every aspect of the book because I couldn't take Esme seriously as a "reliable narrator." The other characters are similarly flat, as many readers have pointed out. Despite all this, I still recommend the book. Marciano clearly knows her subject, and while it seemed at times derivative of Norman Rush's "Mating" (even though the two novels cover very different grounds and "Mating" is far superior) as well as other books mentioned by reviewers, it is still an entertaining read by itself. At its best, it will make you want to read more about Africa (though perhaps from authors with more refined skills).
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking
Review: This novel is absolutely amazing, I could not put it down. Marciano's prose is elegant, she gives vivid descriptions and uses such powerful parallels. I felt as if I myself had traveled to Kenya. Marciano also manages to touch on some very political issues that reveal a side of Africa that most have never seen. In her first novel, Marciano has managed to be sensual, adventurous and political all at once. A monumental achievement!
Rating: 
Summary: Highly recommend this book
Review: I picked this book because I was interested in the idea of a single woman living in modern Africa. I have never lived or worked outside of the USA, but know people that have and I have always found that fascinating. The story started off slow but it kept me interested. Then near the middle I got rivited. Marciano became very insightful and there were several well written passages describing the character's revelations. I also liked that she kept asking "Why?" She showed many sides to Africa that I did not know, and has got me interested to find out more. I loved the romance angle, and how her friends kept questioning her and her decisions in this. I also like how she and those around her are not perfect, and is ready to admit this. I also like how she is not afraid to change her view on people and things and actually sets out to do so. And above all you can see that she holds the beauty and nature of Africa above everyone and everything else.
Rating:
Summary: Rich language, okay plot, not for everyone
Review: I purchased this book because I had just read The Poisonwood Bible and was feeling intrigued by the idea of how white women and africa interact with each other. This book was perfect for further exploration of that concept. Marciano seems to have a great deal of insight, and her descriptive passages took my breath away. The only thing I didn't like about the book was purely personal - I simply didn't like the main character. Several of my friends who also read the book also disliked this character, and ended up not finishing the book at all. I would recommend that you give it a shot, but there are no guarantees!
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