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xtie's review against another edition
3.0
I came back to this book a year after I had to return it to my friend before I moved away - only a hundred pages in and with the plot just picking up. A painful and at times, beautiful story within the Second Italo-Ethiopian War - although certain concluding plot points seemed too convenient. Lots of trigger warnings for this book too! But I desperately wanted to finish it, so for that, it gets a 3.5.
redheadreading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
I was very intrigued to learn more about this moment of history and it was an illuminating read. It's a bit disappointing that, for a book that's marketed as being about the women in this army, so much of the narrative is focused on male characters and the women who accompany the army are largely unnamed and unexplored. I initially liked the way the narrative skittering from perspective to perspective (particularly the chorus!) But after a while it left me feeling quite disjointed - perhaps because the writing is highly lyrical, so it felt like wading through descriptions and side perspectives quite a lot? That said, when moments hit, they do hit hard, particularly those to do with the photographs (like the hanging scene).
irati03's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
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
4.5
jordan_linder's review against another edition
3.0
Incredible history I did not know about. Interesting story, sometimes hard to follow with all the characters and jumping back from one POV to another POV. Long book.
souljaleonn's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
yashrin's review against another edition
Was too hard fpr me to focus on the story while constantly trying to figure out if someone is speaking bc there are no quotation marks.
lren1983's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
coco1922's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
saraanneb3's review against another edition
2.0
I started this a long time ago and then I was in a major depressive episode and found myself unreasonably angry every time I picked it up and so I decided to set it down until I was better, which I am now.
I really wanted this to be good. The final battle is beautifully written and I thought “where was this the whole rest of the book?”
It takes 230 pages to get to the Shadow King plotline, and then barely anything is done with that.
And the book comes out of the true story of her grandmother serving as a soldier and yet SO much of the book is from male characters’ POV. Hirut barely had a personality. This book could have been about Hirut, Aster, Fifi, the cook. Instead we get endless POV of Ettore.
WAY too much Italian POV, I could have done with 75% less of Colonel Fuccelli—I fully would have believed he was a monster without needing to be in his mind so much.
I just really wish this had been entirely focused on the Ethiopian characters, especially the women.
I really wanted this to be good. The final battle is beautifully written and I thought “where was this the whole rest of the book?”
It takes 230 pages to get to the Shadow King plotline, and then barely anything is done with that.
And the book comes out of the true story of her grandmother serving as a soldier and yet SO much of the book is from male characters’ POV. Hirut barely had a personality. This book could have been about Hirut, Aster, Fifi, the cook. Instead we get endless POV of Ettore.
WAY too much Italian POV, I could have done with 75% less of Colonel Fuccelli—I fully would have believed he was a monster without needing to be in his mind so much.
I just really wish this had been entirely focused on the Ethiopian characters, especially the women.
nicolaspingies's review against another edition
4.0
An incredible story worthy of being told.
Beautifully written with so much precision and clarity that it felt like I was fighting with Hirut and Aster, walking through the Italian camp with Ettore as he was taking his photos, and sitting in England with Haile Selassie while he listened to his gramophone. It was like the weight of memory was pressing down on me too.
Beautifully written with so much precision and clarity that it felt like I was fighting with Hirut and Aster, walking through the Italian camp with Ettore as he was taking his photos, and sitting in England with Haile Selassie while he listened to his gramophone. It was like the weight of memory was pressing down on me too.