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Leaving Before the Rains Come
Leaving Before the Rains Come | Alexandra Fuller
6 posts | 8 read | 11 to read
New York Times Bestseller "One of the gutsiest memoirs I've ever read. And the writing--oh my god the writing." --Entertainment Weekly A child of the Rhodesian wars and daughter of two deeply complicated parents, Alexandra Fuller is no stranger to pain. But the disintegration of Fuller’s own marriage leaves her shattered. Looking to pick up the pieces of her life, she finally confronts the tough questions about her past, about the American man she married, and about the family she left behind in Africa. A breathtaking achievement, Leaving Before the Rains Come is a memoir of such grace and intelligence, filled with such wit and courage, that it could only have been written by Alexandra Fuller. Leaving Before the Rains Come begins with the dreadful first years of the American financial crisis when Fuller’s delicate balance—between American pragmatism and African fatalism, the linchpin of her unorthodox marriage—irrevocably fails. Recalling her unusual courtship in Zambia—elephant attacks on the first date, sick with malaria on the wedding day—Fuller struggles to understand her younger self as she overcomes her current misfortunes. Fuller soon realizes what is missing from her life is something that was always there: the brash and uncompromising ways of her father, the man who warned his daughter that "the problem with most people is that they want to be alive for as long as possible without having any idea whatsoever how to live." Fuller’s father—"Tim Fuller of No Fixed Abode" as he first introduced himself to his future wife—was a man who regretted nothing and wanted less, even after fighting harder and losing more than most men could bear. Leaving Before the Rains Come showcases Fuller at the peak of her abilities, threading panoramic vistas with her deepest revelations as a fully grown woman and mother. Fuller reveals how, after spending a lifetime fearfully waiting for someone to show up and save her, she discovered that, in the end, we all simply have to save ourselves. An unforgettable book, Leaving Before the Rains Come is a story of sorrow grounded in the tragic grandeur and rueful joy only to be found in Fuller’s Africa. From the Hardcover edition.
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Miss_Shush
Pickpick

I really like Fuller‘s stuff, but this wasn‘t my favorite book by her. It was a bit disjointed. I still enjoyed it and might reread in a few years to see if i like it better

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goodbyefrancie
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I was out of town for the library sale, so I stopped by after work and picked through the leftovers. You can never have too many books. :) #Imayhaveaproblem #NoShame

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CleverGirl
Bailedbailed

This book is beautifully written but it's also very, very sad so far. I will come back to it at another time.

Megabooks Sometimes I can't do sad either! 8y
CleverGirl It's just not the right time, but I'll definitely read it again (and finish it). 8y
7 likes2 comments
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CleverGirl
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Me, too, sister.

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CleverGirl
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Yay!!! I'm so excited to finally get to this! I loved Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight and Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness. They sent me looking for similar books. Recommendations more than welcome!

Megabooks Oooo...I've read and enjoyed all three, but it's hard to think of ones like them. Maybe, but it's somewhat different 8y
CleverGirl Thanks! I'll look for it! 8y
9 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Gyldendal
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"Alexandra Fuller skriver om Afrika med stærk, kompromisløs lidenskab - ligesom Isak Dinesens kærlighed til samme kontinent, som Joan Didions til Californien, som Faulkners til Mississippi" - The New York Times. Oversat til dansk: BRYD OP FØR REGNEN KOMMER 2015.

9 likes5 stack adds