Despite not really liking the main characters who were understandably depressed and discouraged with their lot in the US, this book has much to be liked. The author's use of quotes from Danta and deToqueville added meaning and offered some hope for these immigrants that they might one day find success and happiness. ( )

This book examines the immigrant experience, in this case the African immigrant in America battling cultural reorientation and economic struggles.

The book I immediately think of in comparison is Rose Tremain’s The Road Home, which describes an Eastern European man adjusting to life in England. Unfortunately, it is not in the same 5 star category - in my opinion, the Tremain book had more depth and character development. In both cases there is the struggle with memories of home and family, a search for regained dignity and parameters – both social and cultural.

Stephanos is the narrator and he describes an isolated world, trapped between his African heritage and the world of the American.

The title reflects the writer’s struggles to leave behind a hellish world and emerge into a more beautiful space. It is an immortal line from the epic poem by Dante, telling of his escape from hell with his guide Virgil:

“We climbed up, he first and I second, so far that through a round opening I saw some of the beautiful things that Heaven bears; and thence we issued forth to see again the stars.”

These issues of the immigrant experience are important and necessary to examine, and the underlying struggle is one of poverty, disconnection, and loneliness. The Dantian revelation suggested by the title does not appear to emerge through the book. Instead, there is disillusionment, reflected in scenes of racism and social intolerance.

It was a smooth and gentle read, filled with satisfying narrative and important issues. Perhaps too littered with aphorisms for my taste, and a tad too distracted and disjointed in the second half, it was nevertheless a worthwhile and laudable first novel. ( )

“The beautiful things that heaven bears” is a line from a passage in Dante’s Inferno, in which Dante is emerging from hell. According to one of the characters in the book, “no one can understand that line like an African because that is what we lived through. Hell every day with only glimpses of heaven in between.” The passage is definitely a metaphor for Sepha’s story, whose existence seems to be just one long, endless trudge through life. I enjoy books like this that give me a glimpse of life in a different culture than my own, but I think that in some ways this book is a little too subtle. For example, when the “series of racial incidents disturbs the community”, I wouldn’t have known they were racial incidents if the back of the book hadn’t said so. They could just as easily been class-based as race-based. Also, the pacing of the story was difficult for me to follow. The story jumps back and forth in time, and once in a while I would lose track of where I was in the timeline. I think I would have enjoyed learning more about the culture than just about Sepha. Overall, this was a well-written novel, but it left me wanting more — or maybe, just something different. ( )

How wonderful it is to find a first novel that feels so accomplished and tells such an engrossing story. I can't imagine that real, enjoyable talent is becoming rarer in a world that contains such eloquent proofs of its health.

Mengestu tells the story of three friends, African immigrants all, who meet in Washington DC, for so long the home territory of nativist sentiment in our republic of exclusion. I don't think a recap of the plot will help anyone decide whether or not to buy the book, because its outlines are simple: Men seeking material success in the motherland of same are thwarted and, through effort and good fortune, succeed at things they weren't looking to succeed at...temporarily.

A fire plays a major role in completing the story, and since I am currently seeing a fireman, that caught my eye. It's not, to my surprise, used as a pat plot device, but imbued with a real sense of the inevitability of sadness, loss, and change in the entwined lives of three lovely characters. Naomi, to name but one, is a heartbreakingly well observed actor in the piece despite her tender years, and Judith her mother is such a deftly drawn, conflicted, real person that I was tempted to look her up in the phone book; as for Sepha, he can come stay with me until things get better. That's the kind of connection Mengestu's characters call forth in me, and I hope in you too.

Bravo, Dinaw Mengestu. Thanks. Write...well, publish...more soon, please. Recommended for all readers of fiction. ( )

Mengestu's 2007 debut novel is an intriguing if polarizing tapestry, a work that is subtle and reveals its layers patiently but, despite its great beauty, seems at times to not have much of a story to tell.

The novel revolves around the tribulations of an Ethiopian immigrant named Sepha who lives and owns a small mini-mart in the Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC. He and his fellow immigrant friends lament their lack of opportunities and the tortured histories that brought each to America. When a white woman named Judith moves into the largely black neighborhood, she not only triggers unrest amongst the locals but promises to change Sepha's life for the better.

Mengestu's style is simple but intoxicating, his spare sentences making for great readability and his command of the novel's alternating temporality betraying an unusually high level of skill. What is perhaps most frustrating about the novel's pacing, then, is that not much happens during its course: to read the trade paperback's blurb on the back is to give away events that occur very near the climax of the book, events that are far less exciting as plot devices than the blurb would make it seem. This, have no doubt, is a novel of moods.

What makes the work seem most plausible, however, is the transitory nature of the main characters. Sepha, Joseph, and Kenneth each have their own reasons for coming to America, and each has reached varying levels of success, and though we only get deep glimpses into Sepha's story, his history adds a humanity to him that might have been lost if Mengestu would have simply cast him as the typical immigrant store-owner. I did not find the payoff nearly as satisfying as the rising action, but if you're not expecting a radical denouement, the read is surprisingly exciting and moving.

The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears may not be, at least in my mind, the rookie masterpiece that many critics have claimed it to be, it is nonetheless an impressive and evocative effort that has interesting things to suggest about exile and American life. And it declares that Mengestu is a strong, confident voice that will be worth watching for in the future.

It has been seventeen years since Sepha Stephanos, the narrator of this beautiful debut novel, fled the violence of Ethiopia for the lackluster existence he now leads in Washington, D.C. Moving from hotel valet to shop owner has been the culmination of Sepha’ goal to lead a quiet life where he does no harm, but this is not a dream fulfilled. Sepha is, in fact, living a life in limbo – not committed to a life of progress in America, but no longer part of his family and heritage in Africa. Perhaps he is still plagued with guilt over the arrest of his father back in Addis after some political flyers of Sepha’s were found in the house. Or is it fear of failure that inhibits his actions? There are many questions such as these to discuss in the thoughtful book, but it can also be read simply for the beautiful turn of phrase and the astute observations about human nature. As Sepha’s run-down Logan Circle neighborhood begins a turn toward gentrification it has emotional consequences both for the community at large and for Sepha personally as he becomes involved in the lives of white newcomer Judith and her biracial daughter Naomi. Author Mengestu left Ethiopia with his family before he turned three, so while the story is not based precisely on his own personal experiences, the book is a blend of fiction and fact. One of Mengetu’s uncles was a lawyer in Addis and was arrested during the Red Terror campaign, and another uncle fled Ethiopia for Sudan. The author accumulated facts and impressions over many years and has brewed them together to create a moving and thoughtful story of displacement and acceptance. ( )

About Ethiopian man in Washington D.C. who owns a small grocery store - his struggles, his friends, his neighbors. Nicely written, gentle, enjoyable read. ( )

This book came across my way by chance, when I was just lingering around in a big bookstore. I'd never heard of it, or its author, but was attracted by the exotic name of the writer, took it from the shelf, started reading in it a little and just couldn't stop.

The book tells the tale of Sepha, who came to the USA as a teenager. He is a refugee from Ethiopia, who however quickly left the Ethiopian refugee community and abandoned the grand American dream of making a great fortune. Instead, he started a small grocery store in a "historic turned bad" neighbourhood in Washington DC. He enjoys reading great literature in his little corner shop, discussing the state of the world, especially of the African continent, with his two African friends, Kenneth and Joe, and otherwise leads a quiet life, perhaps a bit lonely.

Then the neighbourhood starts to change. White people with more money begin to move in, joggers are suddenly seen in the streets, the statue at the central circle of the neighbourhood gets repaired. As the historic neighbourhood is being renovated, rents go up, and longtime residents are being forced out. Sepha doesn't take sides in this conflict. Partly because he is not that kind of person, observing more than being an activist. But also because he has befriended his new neighbours, Judith and her daughter Naomi, who comes into the store to read Dostoyevsky with him.

The back cover of my edition speaks of a change in Sepha's life, because of this friendship. However, I don't feel it changes him so much. It makes him reconsider who he is, and why he made the choices he made in his life. Despite the open ending, I don't think that Sepha is going to change much. He is just not that kind of person.

I thought this was a good novel, giving insight into a migrant's (or: refugee's) life, into the process of gentrification, and into life in a Washington DC neighbourhood. Even though I have never visited this city in my life, the descriptions were so detailed, especially in the part where Sepha leaves his shop and goes for what ends up to be a big hike, that I felt I was walking there myself. I even looked up some of the places at the Internet! It just made me want to go there. What I also liked about this novel was the way the story of Sepha didn't get too sentimental, even though he had a dramatic history and seemed to be a lonely person. ( )

This book leaves one thinking about how our lives can just slip away over time. Time goes on, but nothing waits up for us. The main character, Sepha, had plans as young man, but as the years unfold, he just keeps minding the store he owns. Sometimes that's life, it unfolds differently than we had planned, yet it doesn't feel wrong. It's a good book, but of a serious nature. ( )

Book club selection ( )

An amazing book written by a young Ethiopian American. The story follows Sepha Stephanos, an Ethiopian who fled the red terror after he watched his father dragged out of his home in Addis. Twenty years since his arrival, Sepha, a grocery store owner in a neighborhood in DC where prostitutes are often his best customers, is still trying to find the "American Dream". Soon, however, the neighborhood is gentrified, and he befriends a white woman and her daughter. This connection has Sepha longing for friendship, love and family. This first novel is a great, often funny, often sad book about finding your place in a world you have never felt at home in. ( )

This first-person narrative tells of Sepha Stephanos who has been sent from the political turmoil of Ethiopia by his mother to find sanctuary in the U.S. He is a reluctant immigrant - unwilling, emotionally, to embrace a new start. He play acts the immigrant's dream of getting an education and starting a new business. I found the book a fresh view of immigration. Many immigrants would rather have just stayed home and the energy and optimism we associate with those who have come to pursue the American dream is absent. The depressive and bleak tone of the novel eventually lifts and we are left with a sense that Stephanos will learn to become a part of his new home. ( )

I really thought I was going to enjoy this book. I am usually very interested in immigrant experience type stuff and anything to do with Washington, DC. I made it about 3/4 of the way through the book before I gave up. I got to that point where you are just reading the pages, but not really reading the pages, you know? It started off really well, but got really choppy as things went along. The character development I thought was pretty poor, which is disappointing because the characters had real potential I thought. I got bored. I didn't care about the characters. The main character I thought was a bit of a wimp. His friends had potential, but I felt like they never went anywhere. I thought this book was a bit disappointing. I did however enjoy his depiction of Washington, DC. I thought it was true and accurate for the most part. ( )

This book was stunning. The life depicted was so true to the DC I lived in it was amazing. This book is definitely worthy of consideration. -Mary

The book is about three friends, all African immigrants to the USA, one does well as an engineer, one becomes a waiter in DC, and the protagonist (Sepha), opens a deli in a run-down part of DC. They amuse themselves attaching African coup dates to generals and such when they get together to share drunken stories.

The neighborhood where Sepha has his deli is changing, as in gentrifying, embodied by the arrival of a white woman and her bi-racial daughter who buy and restore an old mansion. Meanwhile, the deli is failing, since Sepha seems to lack that 'drive' that we tend to associate with immigrants. Still, he befriends (but never quite sleeps with) the woman, and he especially is friendly with her young daughter.

As the pace of gentrification picks up, which entails evictions of the neighborhood's long-standing African American residents, Stepha is not sure where he fits in. He's Black but he's not African American. Yet as a business owner his relationship with the neighborhood is uneasy. When things get ugly, he can't exactly choose sides. He wants to remain the observer, yet he knows he should choose sides. But things are never that easy, are they?

Good novel on what it means to emigrate to America, what it means to try and fit in, and what it means to be unable to fit into any of the standard cubbyholes we assign people. ( )