Take a photo of a barcode or cover
jessicat_meow 's review for:
Segu
by Maryse Condé
DID NOT FINISH: 59%
Started off loving the historical aspects of this tale, including the spread of Islam through North and West Africa - it did seem quite extensively researched. Had to stop due to the egregious use of r*pe throughout as a whimsical plot device - at a rate of every couple of pages (!!). And the bizarre portrayal of women in this book in general, who were nearly all one-dimensional, sexual objects. Every woman is introduced with a formulaic description of her looks and/or perceived fertility. Nearly every victim falls in love with their attacker.
I cannot believe this was written by a woman - it definitely can't be explained away as a reflection of attitudes at the time either, as it's the actual weirdo way it's written (lots of scene setting descriptions along the lines of "a land fertile with potential but unyielding, like a virgin who must be taken by force...") , not just characters talking about women in a certain way in reported speech.
I cannot believe this was written by a woman - it definitely can't be explained away as a reflection of attitudes at the time either, as it's the actual weirdo way it's written (lots of scene setting descriptions along the lines of "a land fertile with potential but unyielding, like a virgin who must be taken by force...") , not just characters talking about women in a certain way in reported speech.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Religious bigotry