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aglith's review
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
an4is's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
meram's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
seeceeread's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
💭 "Patience is a divine prescription. It is the first response. It is the solution to everything."
Amal scripts. The internal dialogue of women forced into polygamy. Aunts' and mother-in-laws' scolding when a new bride is vocal about debilitating rape. Fathers' apoplexy when daughters return home, seeking shelter from addicted, adulterous spouses. Women's scheming and subterfuge to subdue the shame they feel when their husband chooses another. The simmering resentment among wives who wait a turn for their husband's attention. Men's lectures on their preferred interpretation of the Koran and values women should demonstrate: submission, service, and above all, 𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘺𝘢𝘭, patience.
Amal's narrators are bitter, self-reflective, infuriated, damning. They dip the culture into a clarifying wash, drag the sopping over ragged commentary, wring out sexism. This is grounded in the author's experience and already translated into several languages. On one hand I'm fascinated by what I assume was an trying process to get this published. Powerful people must wish the author had adhered more closely to the silence imposed on her characters. On another hand, I'm wary of Western audiences' tendency to flatten when faced with Other. Some will read this and pull out Saviorism and Islamophobia, failing to accept the invitation to reflect on how these womens' specificity adds nuance to the ways that violence against women distorts every place.
Amal scripts. The internal dialogue of women forced into polygamy. Aunts' and mother-in-laws' scolding when a new bride is vocal about debilitating rape. Fathers' apoplexy when daughters return home, seeking shelter from addicted, adulterous spouses. Women's scheming and subterfuge to subdue the shame they feel when their husband chooses another. The simmering resentment among wives who wait a turn for their husband's attention. Men's lectures on their preferred interpretation of the Koran and values women should demonstrate: submission, service, and above all, 𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘺𝘢𝘭, patience.
Amal's narrators are bitter, self-reflective, infuriated, damning. They dip the culture into a clarifying wash, drag the sopping over ragged commentary, wring out sexism. This is grounded in the author's experience and already translated into several languages. On one hand I'm fascinated by what I assume was an trying process to get this published. Powerful people must wish the author had adhered more closely to the silence imposed on her characters. On another hand, I'm wary of Western audiences' tendency to flatten when faced with Other. Some will read this and pull out Saviorism and Islamophobia, failing to accept the invitation to reflect on how these womens' specificity adds nuance to the ways that violence against women distorts every place.
landolphia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
nderwa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
elisala's review against another edition
3.0
Le fond est intéressant et bien bien déprimant.
Pour ce qui est de la forme, je n’ai pas accroché à l’écriture, et puis je trouvais ce regroupement de 3 destins un peu artificiel...
Jusqu’à ce que je découvre que l'auteure elle-même en a subi une bonne partie à elle seule…
Complètement déprimant, tiens.
Je crois qu’au fond je n’ai pas voulu croire pendant une bonne partie du bouquin qu’il s’agit d’histoires contemporaines, je les plaçais quelque part au 20ème siècle, il y a longtemps, quoi. Mais non, c’est là, c’est des gens de mon âge qui ont pu subir ça.
Pour ce qui est de la forme, je n’ai pas accroché à l’écriture, et puis je trouvais ce regroupement de 3 destins un peu artificiel...
Jusqu’à ce que je découvre que l'auteure elle-même en a subi une bonne partie à elle seule…
Complètement déprimant, tiens.
Je crois qu’au fond je n’ai pas voulu croire pendant une bonne partie du bouquin qu’il s’agit d’histoires contemporaines, je les plaçais quelque part au 20ème siècle, il y a longtemps, quoi. Mais non, c’est là, c’est des gens de mon âge qui ont pu subir ça.
flowahh_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
thatothernigeriangirl's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Omo! I thought I was angry when I read Tomorrow I Become a Woman; I thought women were suffering when I’d read The Joys of Motherhood; the way that suffering took on new layers in this book was MAD!
I was just laughing as a way to deal tbh and props to the author for the satirical tone she used for the narration.
I also appreciated how the sweet and exciting traditional practices of Cameroonian Fulani weddings are still highlighted despite the sad reality of force’s marriages and forced polygamy that’s the main theme of this work.
I was just laughing as a way to deal tbh and props to the author for the satirical tone she used for the narration.
I also appreciated how the sweet and exciting traditional practices of Cameroonian Fulani weddings are still highlighted despite the sad reality of force’s marriages and forced polygamy that’s the main theme of this work.