State of Wonder discussion

I´m still stuggling with this book; I can´t seem to be albe to read more than 15 pages each time I open it (which is extremely unusual for me). Most of all, I am irritated by the inconsistency related to Patchett´s description of Manaus. Having lived there for 22 years, I can guarantee the Black River is not brown (surprise, surprise, eh?!), that the city is NOT a wasteland and that it is a REAL city - contrary to what Barbara Bovenders states. The whole description of everything that happens in Manaus is rather shallow; Patchett should have done some more research or actually have visited the city before throwing words around about it. It almost feels as if she is trying to convey superiority for not being one of the people who inhabits the city. That might not be too big a problem for anyone who has no connection with the city, but couldn´t she have thought that people who were born/raised/lived there would read her book and notice the discrepancy and air of superiority in her writing? Other things are bothering me as well, but I will not talk about them before reading the entire book - maybe a shift in the narrative can make me understand why this is such a praised book.

Honestly I struggled with it too. If I hadn't set a goal for myself to read every day, I probably would have abandoned this novel months ago. But I made it through and I don't regret it. Does Patchett stereotypically paint her African landscape as dark and harrowing? Yes. Does the book progress at a plodding pace, packing most of its narrative substance in the last hundred pages? Absolutely. But if you stick with it, the book does have an unusual subject matter and meaty moral dilemmas to offer. Completely up to you to decide if that's worth it.

It's not Africa, it's Brazil.