A review by shaunnow38
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer

4.0

The scope of this book is astonishing, as it moves from the personal to the cosmic. The perils and tribulations experienced by Tendai, Rita, and Kuda slide are thrilling to read, and, perhaps more important, feel significant. The writing is what falls flat for me here. At times the writing is just uninteresting, failing to capture the majesty and the devastation for each trial. Farmer is able to convey something of the vast Shona mythology that underlies this novel, but never, in my eyes, fully embodies the possibility of it.

I do like that this novel so accessibly straddles the line between an adventure story and a anthropological novel. It was engaging enough, but never really took my breath away. If i could give this novel an extra half a star I would.