Reviews

Beneath the Lion's Gaze by Maaza Mengiste

dgrachel's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

3.5

Set at the beginning of the Ethiopian revolution in 1974, this is a really hard book to read. Mengiste does not shy away from details of torture tactics used by The Derg, the group that overthrew the emperor. The whole novel is brutal and sad. I listened to the audiobook version, which is brilliantly narrated by Steven Crossley. While I found it challenging to remember names and family relationships via audio, I don't think I would have finished the book in print format. Crossley's voice kept me engaged, even when the plot either ground to a slog or when the cruelty became too much.

summernajjar's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

nkfanning's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

kyrap's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

kevinhendricks's review against another edition

4.0

I've read this book before but re-read it for book club. It tells the brutal story of the Ethiopian revolution in the 1970s from the perspective of one family. It's a difficult story, but also illustrates the difficulties of revolution—the clash of family and politics, the brutality of overreach and the dangers of government gone awry (both the cruel communist dictatorship but also the aging monarchy that failed to respond to a famine).

kateb5's review against another edition

sad tense

5.0

mimima's review against another edition

3.0

I heard about this on a recent podcast and it came in the same day I submitted the request at the library. While it is extremely difficult read (due to the brutality and topics) it was important and I learned a lot about recent Ethiopian history. Much to ponder about acts of corporal mercy, faith, revolutions, society, and family.

kellycavolo's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

tinkerer's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

2.5

Too slow-paced for me, and I didn’t feel like I was in any character’s head or heart. I could think it but not feel it; this might have something to do with the audio book version that I was using, which made the (superfluous, to me) adjectives stand out when describing characters. I might pick this up in paper form to try to finish. I want to persevere as it’s a series, and I have encountered series where the first book is not the best…

green_blue_skies0322's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0