Reviews

Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga

titus_hjelm's review against another edition

3.0

The ever fascinating themes of generations, honour, and being a 'victim of femaleness' in a patriarchal society (as the main character puts it), all in the context of colonial history are brilliantly explored by Dangarembga. But somehow it felt like 9/10 of the book was doing a great job setting up a story that then finished prematurely. It's positive praise to say that a book ended too soon, but it did leave a bit disappointed aftertaste.

lynnet_86's review

5.0

Loved ,loved this book and not just because its from my country but because there are very few female writers in Zimbabwe who write with a modern voice though this book was written so long ago .I read it when I was 16 and was amused to see my younger sister grappling with it recently for her O'levels. Get it to understand Zimbabwean(African) feminism.

mimz_07's review

4.0

“I was not sorry when my brother died”. I was hooked and taken on a wild ride with this one. Tsitsi perfectly paints the picture of the world in this beautiful book. The characters really popped out of the page. Heartfelt, gut wrenching, historical and beautiful

lowrythm's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

julia_eilis's review

emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.75

mmillerb's review

5.0

smart

petert1648's review against another edition

5.0

While I agree with those reviewers who highlight the critique of post-colonialism and the feminist aspects of this book, I would also want to praise the craft with which it is written, from the arresting beginning "I was not sorry when my brother died", through the experiences and education which gradually affect the young woman's perception of her place in the world, and the depiction of the forms of oppression, both subtle and brutal she and the other women in the novel are faced with. Throughout the book I had the feeling of reading about real people rather than just embodiments of a set of ideas.
When there have been so many coming-of-age stories, it is hard for one to stand out from the crowd, but, for me, this one did. Highly recommended.

songbird90's review

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

julietcamus's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

sethudlamz's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0