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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I think my experience of reading this book was colored by a) my admittedly sparse understanding of the history involved, and b) the translation into English which just... read like a translation in a major way. There were a lot of clunky moments where I felt like the meaning was lost. Particularly in regards to the emotions and inner lives of the characters.
That said, I liked the episodic nature of this book, and the way the stories of all the girls built up to a crescendo, and taught me different aspects of Rwanda's culture and history at this specific time. Knowing, even vaguely, what everything was leading to, made it really chilling to read the escalating instances of Nationalism and zealotry as expressed by the character of Gloriosa.
That said, I liked the episodic nature of this book, and the way the stories of all the girls built up to a crescendo, and taught me different aspects of Rwanda's culture and history at this specific time. Knowing, even vaguely, what everything was leading to, made it really chilling to read the escalating instances of Nationalism and zealotry as expressed by the character of Gloriosa.
Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated from the French by Melanie Mauthner, is historical fiction set at an all girls boarding school in Rwanda in the years leading up to the Rwandan genocide.
Almost more of a collection of short stories than a novel, each chapter serves as a vignette into life at this school as the students climb social hierarchies, make visits to local witch doctors, and navigate relationships with the men of Rwanda's elite. As the girls come into their own, the school becomes a microcosm of the county at large, with all of its violent attitudes and racial tensions.
Mukasonga's writing style is very straightforward, which is lovely to read, but it's also terribly chilling when the topic is how Tutsis are "cockroaches" and need to be eradicated. And the book serves as a reminder that tragedies on the scale of the Rwandan genocide never spring up out of nowhere. They are years in the making, with violence starting small in scope and gradually escalating in predictable ways. It's certainly something to think about as warning signs blare in Florida and elsewhere.
This is a no plot just vibes book where the vibes are impending genocide, and it is deeply unsettling.
Almost more of a collection of short stories than a novel, each chapter serves as a vignette into life at this school as the students climb social hierarchies, make visits to local witch doctors, and navigate relationships with the men of Rwanda's elite. As the girls come into their own, the school becomes a microcosm of the county at large, with all of its violent attitudes and racial tensions.
Mukasonga's writing style is very straightforward, which is lovely to read, but it's also terribly chilling when the topic is how Tutsis are "cockroaches" and need to be eradicated. And the book serves as a reminder that tragedies on the scale of the Rwandan genocide never spring up out of nowhere. They are years in the making, with violence starting small in scope and gradually escalating in predictable ways. It's certainly something to think about as warning signs blare in Florida and elsewhere.
This is a no plot just vibes book where the vibes are impending genocide, and it is deeply unsettling.
slow-paced
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“I did what I needed to do. But I also learned that Tutsi aren't humans: here, we're
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes