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katieik1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-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
4.5
kalynlarva's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
pujadev's review against another edition
4.0
I love reading books that are not your 'typical western novels'. This book is a hard read, it is about a little girl forced into slavery, in the name of religion. To think of 100s of girls in this situation, to be sacrificed to turn one's luck may seem preposterous, but it is no more ludicrous that some of the religious customs that have existed over time.
Abeo is a victim through and through. I would give it 5 stars for the story, the writing itself is not amazing, but then Ms. Mcfadden is sharing an important story and that is what we need to show up for.
Abeo is a victim through and through. I would give it 5 stars for the story, the writing itself is not amazing, but then Ms. Mcfadden is sharing an important story and that is what we need to show up for.
sandra_buckwell's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
sad
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? No
3.0
chigby22's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
tensy's review against another edition
3.0
A harrowing story of a young girl, Abeo Kata, who lives in West Africa with her parents and brother when her grandmother moves in and begins to change her idyllic life. Abeo's story of betrayal and life as a trokosi, where young girls are given in ritual servitude to a priest in order to atone for the crimes of their ancestors, is often difficult to read. However, in simple prose McFadden illustrates an account of real practices in Africa that show a different kind of slavery. We read about Abeo's struggles and endurance and the power of love to heal deep wounds. My one issue with the book is that in order to move the plot along, there were often too many improbable things written into the story. The book was strong until about the last section and then one trite situation after another, not to mention the ending, fell flat.
sarahlopod's review against another edition
3.0
This review can also be found on my blog.
This is a difficult book to review; it feels wrong to give it a number and talk about it as “good” or “not good.” The story follows the life of a girl named Abeo, who is born into a relatively privileged West African family. After bad luck befalls them, Abeo is brought to a shrine and is left in ritual servitude. Praise Song for the Butterflies is quite simplistically written, but its matter-of-fact tone makes the horrors within all the more appalling. Unfortunately, it also holds the characters at arms length and makes it difficult to empathize with them on anything more than an artificial level. While the story is important and eye-opening I didn’t find it to be a meaningful literary experience. I’d recommend it to anyone interested, if you can stomach the content.
This is a difficult book to review; it feels wrong to give it a number and talk about it as “good” or “not good.” The story follows the life of a girl named Abeo, who is born into a relatively privileged West African family. After bad luck befalls them, Abeo is brought to a shrine and is left in ritual servitude. Praise Song for the Butterflies is quite simplistically written, but its matter-of-fact tone makes the horrors within all the more appalling. Unfortunately, it also holds the characters at arms length and makes it difficult to empathize with them on anything more than an artificial level. While the story is important and eye-opening I didn’t find it to be a meaningful literary experience. I’d recommend it to anyone interested, if you can stomach the content.
myza's review against another edition
5.0
This novel is just over 200 pages and hit me hard. It was beautifully written about a very hard subject (sexual slavery) and how people heal. I tore through this book in a day - every time I finished a chapter I wanted to know what happened next. One of the highlights of my reading year and would highly recommend to everyone.
manaledi's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very quick, very good read. There's a lot to unpack here about gender and custom and U.S. (in this case Black) saviorism in Africa. The slavery parallels were very intentional and explicit.