Scan barcode
rosadunnett's review
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
jennswan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
writingcaia's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
gomolemo_l's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
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? No
3.5
hannia222's review
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
sinamile's review
5.0
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
TW: the book does use ableist language a lot.
Oh Little Suns, how I enjoyed thee.
"Little Suns" tells the story of a man who goes out on a trek to find the woman from his past. The novel jumps from present Malanganaan old man on his journey to find Mthwakazi, a Mthwa (the San) woman from his youth who he was in love withto a young Malangana, a stubborn man who's always ready for a fight against anyone who undermines his traditional (Black) ways.
The thing I love the most about this book is how much I can relate to some things in it. The novel is set between 1800 - 1912, long before I was born, but it still has the ability to make me feel attached to you it.
As a Black South African, I got references a lot easier, was able to laugh at some situations because I understood them on a personal level. Although Malangana and his family speak IsiXhosa, I understood what was being said (without the help of the translations, which were slightly distracting though I understand why theyre there) because of the language's similarities to IsiZulu. That drew me closer to the novel than it would have if Zakes Mda had chosen to write the whole thing in English. I feel that it helped the book, helped me, as a Black South African, feel more attached to the story.
Now a little more about Malangana.
Malangana is a stubborn man, both in his younger years and his older years. When younger, he refuses to be changed by the white settlers, does not want to be converted to Christianity and lose his transitional ways, lose himself, and when he is older he refuses to be stopped by anyone in his trek to find the woman he so loved.
His stubbornness reminds me of older Black men, those who are gone in age but refuse to admit that they have; those who say things like "Unyoko loyo" as a respond to an insult. He kind of reminds me of grandfather if I'm being honest (minus the "your mother" insult). I actually liked his character because he reminds me of people i know; I can relate him to real life people in my own life.
Malangana, as expected in royalty, has a large family with many brothers (although in white terms they would be considered as half-brothers and cousins). He is the son of the King and the Kings last wife, meaning that even though he is royalty, his chances of getting the throne are slim to none. Essentially he is the Prince Harry of his family, and like Harry, he doesn't care for the throne. Malangana is happy just being the Kings horse groom. He respects his older brother, Mhlontlo, and is fine with being led by him and looks up to him. Mhlontlo is a fine leader, a man who respects himself and his people and who ties to keep to his traditions.
His respect for Mhlontlo however decreases slightly when he believes that his King has swayed to the ways of the white man, especially one Hamilton Hope. Malangana hates the way his King deals with Hope and his demands, and thinks his King a weak man. But he doesnt realise that his King has a plan, his King always has a plan.
I HATE Hamilton Hope with everything I am. He is an assand a racistwho uses his position and power to humiliate anyone who doesnt do what he wants them to do. He does not hesitate in threatening anyone with his infamous cat-o'-nine-tails, even on older men who should not at all be touched by said whip. Hope enjoys the fact that he has something over the so called 'natives' of the land, that as magistrate, he has higher authority then even the Kingwho he insists mist be called chief because there should only be one kind or queen and that is Victoria in England nywe, nywe, nywe. ASS!
I couldn't wait for Hope to die. I was super prepared for it too, even excited for it. Hope was an asshole personified, using his power to abuse the amaMpondomise. I was ready to celebrate his death, even after only a few mentions of his name.
And whoooow boy did I celebrate when he died. And it was such a lovely thing to read too.
First of all the king makes a speech right. He doesnt even say a lot in the speech but he is powerful king and his word are just 👌👌.
He starts off with praising Hamilton Hope, talking about how he has helped amaMpondomise with staying protected and staying fed. Then my guy, the MVP, says he is no longer king and the new king is Hope and even names him Dilikintaba—'the one who demolishes mountains', which is not a proper translation of the name, but close enoughand when Hope tries to play it down, Mhlontlo insists, even going so far as to say "There is your God; I am only a dog" when referring to Hope.
BIIIIIIIII. I was just there like BIIIIIIIITCH!
And then King MVP turns to Davies/Sunduza (a white guy who grew up around the amaMpondomise people, and they consider him one of them, hence the name Sunduza) and says "Come here, I want to talk to you privately. I have a secret message that I want you to convey to the magistrate."
And oh laaawrd what happens next!?
Well the King takes Sunduza away and then the King's men pull Hope off his horse (right at the point when he's about to go for some speech I didn't care for) and kill him. They also kill his two buddies, who I cared nor at all about.
Eeeeexceeeellenttttt.........
It was coming, I didn't see it happening this way, but there was always that thing. The whole time when Hope is preparing things for the war the King is not happy. He isn't happy about the fact that Hope forces him to go to war when he is in mourning, he hasn't been happy about it since he was forced into agreeing to 'help'. His wife was queen, she deserves a proper mourning from her husbands (which includes him not touching any weapons of war or eating anything with salt) but Hope keeps insisting coz you know: asshole.
So all in all, Hope deserves what he gets.
Okay, now without spoiling the entire bookscoz I might just do that with how excited I am to share how good it isI just want everyone to know that this is a good book.
And the ending! That ending FMU and I was screeching because HOW DARE but also OMG! What a good ass ending. I am both mad and happy and I kinda want to fight someone because again HOW DARE but it was such a good ending!
PS:
I won't pretend that it doesn't have problematic moments, and language, because it does, but it was a good book. I'm usually not one for historical fiction, but this one I truly enjoyed because I got it, I understood the characters because they were so close to people I grew up around, people who are still around me every day. When people scream #RepresentationMatters, I agree without really feeling it. But I get it in a deep and true way now, I really do. Representation matters in every way possible. More representation for everyone, every time, always!
TW: the book does use ableist language a lot.
Oh Little Suns, how I enjoyed thee.
"Little Suns" tells the story of a man who goes out on a trek to find the woman from his past. The novel jumps from present Malanganaan old man on his journey to find Mthwakazi, a Mthwa (the San) woman from his youth who he was in love withto a young Malangana, a stubborn man who's always ready for a fight against anyone who undermines his traditional (Black) ways.
The thing I love the most about this book is how much I can relate to some things in it. The novel is set between 1800 - 1912, long before I was born, but it still has the ability to make me feel attached to you it.
As a Black South African, I got references a lot easier, was able to laugh at some situations because I understood them on a personal level. Although Malangana and his family speak IsiXhosa, I understood what was being said (without the help of the translations, which were slightly distracting though I understand why theyre there) because of the language's similarities to IsiZulu. That drew me closer to the novel than it would have if Zakes Mda had chosen to write the whole thing in English. I feel that it helped the book, helped me, as a Black South African, feel more attached to the story.
Now a little more about Malangana.
Malangana is a stubborn man, both in his younger years and his older years. When younger, he refuses to be changed by the white settlers, does not want to be converted to Christianity and lose his transitional ways, lose himself, and when he is older he refuses to be stopped by anyone in his trek to find the woman he so loved.
His stubbornness reminds me of older Black men, those who are gone in age but refuse to admit that they have; those who say things like "Unyoko loyo" as a respond to an insult. He kind of reminds me of grandfather if I'm being honest (minus the "your mother" insult). I actually liked his character because he reminds me of people i know; I can relate him to real life people in my own life.
Malangana, as expected in royalty, has a large family with many brothers (although in white terms they would be considered as half-brothers and cousins). He is the son of the King and the Kings last wife, meaning that even though he is royalty, his chances of getting the throne are slim to none. Essentially he is the Prince Harry of his family, and like Harry, he doesn't care for the throne. Malangana is happy just being the Kings horse groom. He respects his older brother, Mhlontlo, and is fine with being led by him and looks up to him. Mhlontlo is a fine leader, a man who respects himself and his people and who ties to keep to his traditions.
His respect for Mhlontlo however decreases slightly when he believes that his King has swayed to the ways of the white man, especially one Hamilton Hope. Malangana hates the way his King deals with Hope and his demands, and thinks his King a weak man. But he doesnt realise that his King has a plan, his King always has a plan.
I HATE Hamilton Hope with everything I am. He is an assand a racistwho uses his position and power to humiliate anyone who doesnt do what he wants them to do. He does not hesitate in threatening anyone with his infamous cat-o'-nine-tails, even on older men who should not at all be touched by said whip. Hope enjoys the fact that he has something over the so called 'natives' of the land, that as magistrate, he has higher authority then even the Kingwho he insists mist be called chief because there should only be one kind or queen and that is Victoria in England nywe, nywe, nywe. ASS!
I couldn't wait for Hope to die. I was super prepared for it too, even excited for it. Hope was an asshole personified, using his power to abuse the amaMpondomise. I was ready to celebrate his death, even after only a few mentions of his name.
And whoooow boy did I celebrate when he died. And it was such a lovely thing to read too.
First of all the king makes a speech right. He doesnt even say a lot in the speech but he is powerful king and his word are just 👌👌.
He starts off with praising Hamilton Hope, talking about how he has helped amaMpondomise with staying protected and staying fed. Then my guy, the MVP, says he is no longer king and the new king is Hope and even names him Dilikintaba—'the one who demolishes mountains', which is not a proper translation of the name, but close enoughand when Hope tries to play it down, Mhlontlo insists, even going so far as to say "There is your God; I am only a dog" when referring to Hope.
BIIIIIIIII. I was just there like BIIIIIIIITCH!
And then King MVP turns to Davies/Sunduza (a white guy who grew up around the amaMpondomise people, and they consider him one of them, hence the name Sunduza) and says "Come here, I want to talk to you privately. I have a secret message that I want you to convey to the magistrate."
And oh laaawrd what happens next!?
Well the King takes Sunduza away and then the King's men pull Hope off his horse (right at the point when he's about to go for some speech I didn't care for) and kill him. They also kill his two buddies, who I cared nor at all about.
Eeeeexceeeellenttttt.........
It was coming, I didn't see it happening this way, but there was always that thing. The whole time when Hope is preparing things for the war the King is not happy. He isn't happy about the fact that Hope forces him to go to war when he is in mourning, he hasn't been happy about it since he was forced into agreeing to 'help'. His wife was queen, she deserves a proper mourning from her husbands (which includes him not touching any weapons of war or eating anything with salt) but Hope keeps insisting coz you know: asshole.
So all in all, Hope deserves what he gets.
Okay, now without spoiling the entire bookscoz I might just do that with how excited I am to share how good it isI just want everyone to know that this is a good book.
And the ending! That ending FMU and I was screeching because HOW DARE but also OMG! What a good ass ending. I am both mad and happy and I kinda want to fight someone because again HOW DARE but it was such a good ending!
PS:
I won't pretend that it doesn't have problematic moments, and language, because it does, but it was a good book. I'm usually not one for historical fiction, but this one I truly enjoyed because I got it, I understood the characters because they were so close to people I grew up around, people who are still around me every day. When people scream #RepresentationMatters, I agree without really feeling it. But I get it in a deep and true way now, I really do. Representation matters in every way possible. More representation for everyone, every time, always!
More...