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coco1922's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-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
3.5
qls's review against another edition
5.0
very powerful and well-written dive into ethiopian history. informative both about events and the emotional and psychological toll of events. a hard read, emotionally, but so beautifully and confidently written it’s hard to believe it’s a first novel.
thukpa's review against another edition
5.0
Ethiopian struggles in 1974 told in a compelling narrative of one family.
katie_killebrew's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-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
4.5
balletbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Very restrained style, I feel like it makes the characters do the work of explaining what is going on, their relationships, the history of the time period, etc. - and then every once in while Mengiste throws a beautiful metaphor or descriptive passage and they stand out in stark relief.
Very well-done novel and many thanks for the reading list at the very end; my history of Ethiopia and this time period of its history is sadly lacking.
Side note for the publisher: the blurb on the back is terrible and more-or-less gives away a major turning point in the plot that comes almost 2/3 into the novel. Fix it for the reprint.
Very well-done novel and many thanks for the reading list at the very end; my history of Ethiopia and this time period of its history is sadly lacking.
Side note for the publisher: the blurb on the back is terrible and more-or-less gives away a major turning point in the plot that comes almost 2/3 into the novel. Fix it for the reprint.
manaledi's review against another edition
5.0
This was a hard read about the overthrow of Haile Selasssi and the red terror in Ethiopia. Hard because at times it feels like nothing good is happening, but that's military dictatorship for you. It's really a story of different ways of coping and resisting and about the choices and priorities of people and families living under repression. Definitely would recommend.
ipreferquiet's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't finish this because I think it's not written very well. Too bad, because I would've liked learning more about Ethiopia in the 70s.