Reviews

The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu

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mariane_g's review against another edition

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challenging dark hopeful 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

3.75

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om_nom_nomigon's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

4.25

tangogeek's review against another edition

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4.0

The plot is not particularly original, but the book is still very pleasant to read. I particularly enjoyed the vivid snapshot of how life is in Zimbabwe, these alone are worth the whole book.

cathebes's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

3.25

zaelle's review against another edition

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4.0

I grew up in South Africa and heard all kinds of stories about life across the border when the land reclamations began. This book is kind of a snapshot of life in the aftermath. What do you do when your money devalues as rapidly as the Zim dollar does? Well, people don't bother with pickpocketing anymore, even bricks of money in a handbag are worthless by the next day. But there's humor in that reality, as grim as it is. There's also the fact that while reading this book, none of the problems, so dramatized in the news, come across as major problems (though they are). They are simply presented as life. Vimbai is a single mother who works as a hairdresser and she gets by. Her will is indomitable, she learns from her mistakes (though they are significant mistakes), and yet her future is never quite certain.

Most of the story takes place in salons, which enables the characters to interact with Zimbabwe's diverse peoples.

Ultimately while fun, there's an air of tragedy in it all, with no solution in sight.

dominic_t's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

The book was beautifully written, and it was an interesting window into the everyday life of people in Zimbabwe. It went into how differently the rich lived from the poor. I grew to really love the characters, so it was hard to see the pain they went through.

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