Behold the Dreamers
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Behold the Dreamers
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Narrated by:
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Prentice Onayem
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By:
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Imbolo Mbue
About this listen
A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
AN OBSERVER BOOK OF THE YEAR
OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK
A powerful and timely story of marriage, class, race and the pursuit of the American Dream. Behold the Dreamers is a dazzling debut novel about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – and of what we’re prepared to sacrifice to hold on to each of them.
‘We all do what we gotta do to become American, abi?’
New York, 2007: a city of dreamers and strivers, where the newly-arrived and the long-established jostle alike for a place on the ladder of success. And Jende Jonga, who has come from Cameroon, has just set his foot on the first rung.
Clark Edwards is a senior partner at Lehman Brothers bank. In need of a discrete and reliable chauffeur, he is too preoccupied to closely check the paperwork of his latest employee.
Jende’s new job draws him, his wife Neni and their young son into the privileged orbit of the city’s financial elite. And when Clark’s wife Cindy offers Neni work and takes her into her confidence, the couple begin to believe that the land of opportunity might finally be opening up for them.
But there are troubling cracks in their employers’ facades, and when the deep fault lines running beneath the financial world are exposed, the Edwards’ secrets threaten to spill out into the Jonga’s lives.
Faced with the loss of all they have worked for, each couple must decide how far they will go in pursuit of their dreams – and what they are prepared to sacrifice along the way.
‘There are no heroes in this marvellous debut, only nuanced human beings. A classic tale with a surprise ending, as deeply insightful as it is delightfully entertaining’ Taiye Selasi
‘Imbolo Mbue would be a formidable storyteller anywhere, in any language. It’s our good luck that she and her stories are American’ Jonathan Franzen
‘Eerily timely … bittersweet and buoyant’ Jessie Burton, Observer Books of the Year
©2016 Imbolo Mbue (P)2016 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Imbolo Mbue would be a formidable storyteller anywhere, in any language. It's our good luck that she and her stories are American." (Jonathan Franzen)
"Realistic, tragic, and still remarkably kind to all its characters, this is a special book." ( Kirkus, starred review)
"A debut novel that illuminates the immigrant experience in America with the tenderhearted wisdom so lacking in our political discourse.... Mbue is a bright and captivating storyteller." ( Washington Post)
"Mbue writes with great confidence and warmth.... A capacious, big-hearted novel." ( The New York Times Book Review)
"Warm and captivating." ( People)
"A heartfelt rumination on immigration, race, class, marriage, and hope." ( Buzzfeed)
"Imbolo Mbue's masterful debut about an immigrant family struggling to obtain the elusive American Dream in Harlem will have you feeling for each character from the moment you crack it open." ( In Style)
" Behold the Dreamers challenges us all to consider what it takes to make us genuinely content, and how long is too long to live with our dreams deferred." ( O: The Oprah Magazine)
"Reminiscent of Jonathan Franzen and Joyce Carol Oates...a finely nuanced examination of the American Dream." ( Sydney Morning Herald)
What listeners say about Behold the Dreamers
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Adeleke Adewole
- 25-02-18
A good story, excellently read.
The voice, the accents, the music bring this story of African life in New York to life.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Don
- 28-02-17
Excellent!
This is the equivalent of a five star hotel, where everything is of the highest quality. The story is captivating, the characters believable, and the narrator has made this my most enjoyable listen. I came to it through reading a review of the book in the Sunday Times Culture section. Just out of curiosity I looked to see if it had been released on Audible, and am glad that I did. Superb.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Shannon
- 20-06-21
Taken By Surprise !!
This book sneaks up on you. You don’t realise the moment you are invested. The main theme of this book was loyalty.
Jende is my RUBIX cube I still do not know how to figure him out or how I feel about him. He did right, he did wrong. Maybe Mbue wanted him to be human and relatable and if so job done!
Neni caught me off guard. She is the definition of desperate and that reflected in her virtues.
Clarke was the character that surprised me the most. His character developed so much during the course of the book and the enlightening moments were heartwarming.
Cindy - well the least said the better.
Vince made me smile and reminded me to be brave and tackle anything that comes your way.
Listening to this book aided the experience. The narration was easy to listen to and the change in voices helped keep track of the various characters.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Raifa Ali
- 02-08-17
Touching Story!
loved it , the book takes you on a personal journey teaching you that you must battle relentlessly to achieve your ends, & when you know exactly what you want and you will get it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 05-03-24
Emotional and interesting read
Portrayed experiences in real and thought provoking ways. The main characters' struggles and emotions were really brought alive.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amina Jaffar
- 11-08-22
Captivating!
Best book I have listened to in ages. The characters are developed so well that you are part of their lives. The storyline is interesting and I couldn’t stop listening. Well worth the credit!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa Foreman
- 02-07-23
Wonderful story beautifully written excellent narration
I loved this book and couldn’t stop listening. The characters are all so beautifully described I felt a connection to them all.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- El.0221
- 21-01-24
Good story but not so good accent or pronunciations
The accents and mispronounced place names irked me and distracted from the story as I am from Cameroon and lived in Limbe where the main charater is from.Despite this I did enjoy the story and look forward to Imbolo's other book
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 17-01-18
Touching & compelling novel wonderfully read!
I loved this novel - you really get to know and love the characters well, and root for them throughout. Very poignant and relevant for today, even though it's set in '08. I can't say enough about Prentice Onayem either, his delivery and voices were so natural and beautifully done. Both narrator and writer are great talents.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sam N
- 27-12-17
Excellent
Great characters brought to life by really excellent narration. The story is really absorbing and I couldn't stop listening, finished in two days!
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