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sebbie's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
seeceeread's review against another edition
It was the privilege of our generation to be the link between two periods in history, one of domination, the other of independence.
Ramatoulaye writes to Aissatou, a friend and sister in struggle, as she eases out of a forty day mourning period for the husband who abandoned her and her children. She reminisces on their girlhood and shared love for a headmistress who ushered them into new ways of thinking. She reflects on Aissatou's divorce and subsequent move to the United States, denounces her own husband's second marriage to their daughter's best friend, and laments that she still loves and misses the man who left her. She explains why she turned away a man who has loved her since they were teens. She's flabbergasted to learn that three of her children have taken her progressive cultural stance to mean they can smoke in the house, and shocked to discover that one of her daughters is pregnant before she has finished high school. Tomorrow, they will reunite.
The plot is a vehicle for Bâ to reflect on women's liberation. As Kenneth W. Harrow writes in the Introduction,
Independence for the New African Woman came a full generation after independence of the African state.
20 years after seeking independence from the colonizing French, the novel's West African women are struggling to enjoy films at the cinema solo, to balance work and child-rearing, to truly partner in marriages with men who see them as more than receptacles of lust or hurdles in a social journey to fulfill duties.
Bâ's sentences often conjure and transfix – we join in her breezy childhood under the mango trees, her fury at discovering her husband's clandestine second marriage, her aloofness towards a meddling neighbor. Absolute classic.
africanbookaddict's review against another edition
5.0
Same rating this time around, because of the writing. Very poignant.
Interesting that I'm re-reading this at a time where I can deeply relate to Ramatoulaye & Daouda's situation - sad. My 1st reading of this classic was when I was a junior in college (2011 - 10 years ago!). At the time, I read this with a semi-heavy heart as well.
Senegalese patriarchy, Islam, the male ego, mid-life crisis, greed, loneliness, mother-daughter relationships, feminism, sisterhood, courage vs cowardice, poverty, modernity vs tradition, colonialism, death, misogyny and family customs take center stage in 'So Long a Letter.'
The only issue I had was Ramatoulaye's slight misogynistic views on women's sexuality and pleasure. It wasn't super surprised given the character's overall way of life and the setting/timing of the story, but I couldn’t help but feel those sentiments were Bâ's as well. But then I understand that those sentiments further showed how women of that time were grappling with the challenges modernity brought - seen especially in contrasting Dada and Ramatoulaye's realities with respect to marriage and gender roles.
Last but not least, I loooove how Ramatoulaye's mother judged her daughter's suiters by their teeth! Midline diastema (of Modou - the wide gap between his two upper incisors as a sign of 'the primacy of sensuality in the individual') versus closely set teeth (of Daouda - which won her mother's confidence). As a Dentist, this was super fascinating to me!
Interesting that I'm re-reading this at a time where I can deeply relate to Ramatoulaye & Daouda's situation - sad. My 1st reading of this classic was when I was a junior in college (2011 - 10 years ago!). At the time, I read this with a semi-heavy heart as well.
Senegalese patriarchy, Islam, the male ego, mid-life crisis, greed, loneliness, mother-daughter relationships, feminism, sisterhood, courage vs cowardice, poverty, modernity vs tradition, colonialism, death, misogyny and family customs take center stage in 'So Long a Letter.'
The only issue I had was Ramatoulaye's slight misogynistic views on women's sexuality and pleasure. It wasn't super surprised given the character's overall way of life and the setting/timing of the story, but I couldn’t help but feel those sentiments were Bâ's as well. But then I understand that those sentiments further showed how women of that time were grappling with the challenges modernity brought - seen especially in contrasting Dada and Ramatoulaye's realities with respect to marriage and gender roles.
Last but not least, I loooove how Ramatoulaye's mother judged her daughter's suiters by their teeth! Midline diastema (of Modou - the wide gap between his two upper incisors as a sign of 'the primacy of sensuality in the individual') versus closely set teeth (of Daouda - which won her mother's confidence). As a Dentist, this was super fascinating to me!
juliawndrlnd's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
nafisahajjateeumar's review against another edition
5.0
This book feels like listening to my grandmother. Ramatoulaye is such a wise, self-assured, opinionated and passionate narrator that I found myself wishing I had known her. The contemporary knowledge and the social critique in the letter make me want to stop shutting myself off from current events so that I can also have these discussions with my bestie.
There are many defining moments in Ramatoulaye's narration of events in her life as a wife, and a mother, and many learnable lessons. I feel like this is a book that I'll often come back to.
There are many defining moments in Ramatoulaye's narration of events in her life as a wife, and a mother, and many learnable lessons. I feel like this is a book that I'll often come back to.
whynotcherries's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
anouk_i's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0