Reviews

Glory, by NoViolet Bulawayo

humdrum_ts's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence

cyndqls's review against another edition

4.5

4.5 stars!

as always the odyssey bookshop rarely steers me wrong, and glory is an incredibly told story about how a nation survives. glory is inspired by zimbabwe's recent history and is told in a style reminiscent of animal farm (which is almost a lazy comparison, but i love animal farm and i've been looking forward to getting to this book for awhile). i think bulawayo's writing is electric and i love the way the story was broken up. i read glory via audio from the library, which was incredibly narrated, though i also own a hard copy which i'm grateful for because i definitely think i'll re-read this.

i will say that at times glory felt a bit long, though it ties together nicely. also, while i found that there are parts that are highly repetitive and it works, it's also a little more challenging to get through on audio, though there's power in that, too, i think. (for example Spoileri found the part where "i can't breathe" is being repeated to be both very powerful and also very hard to get through on audio). overall really excellent!!

jannyslibrary's review against another edition

4.0

I think if I read this faster I would have liked it more and I’ve also heard the audiobook is really good. I wonder how certain pages were handled in the audio version. Repetition and the chorus of voices used really well.

bookaddictpnw's review against another edition

dark informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

jendella's review against another edition

funny inspiring reflective medium-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? No

4.0

miakilpatrick's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.0

kansas_b's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

pergie's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

3.75

A lot of times I found that the characters being animals distracted from the really great parts of this book.  In that sense, I found myself tripped up a lot in the world-building, and would have liked this more if it were set more in a human-filled fictional country in Africa. Well-written, tough themes about nationhood, colonialism, and repair. My favorite parts were the longer sections focusing on one narrative. I laughed, I cried. Parts were slow/repetitive but that also felt intentional. 

megansoetaert's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.75

Bulawayo is a literary force and definitely knows how to use words to make an impact. I didn’t love the repetition at times, but it does what it’s meant to do! the first half-ish of the book felt so slow, but I loved the second half. 

i’m verrry glad i have an understanding of post-colonial era zimbabwean politics or else i would’ve had a much harder time reading this & getting the full weight/symbolism. i love how fearlessly Bulawayo critiques Zimbabwe and critiques the world of oppression, of colonization; the imperial world order the West still rules.

without a doubt, my favorite parts of the book were Destiny’s chapters. Destiny and her mother’s stories made me cry so much. the representation of what real zimbabweans go through and went through was so emotional and hit me hard

epickering's review against another edition

3.0

3.5⭐️
Not really my cup of tea but I can totally appreciate the cleverness and beautiful play with language.