brogan7's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
3.75
Very difficult book. Trigger warnings in every moment.
Perhaps the difficulties with this book lie in the difference between the expectations as set up by the blurb versus the reality of the story as it is told?
Maybe this is meant to reflect the difference between war propaganda and the realities of war itself?
I'm not one to say: well, you can't like a book if you don't like what happened in it. If that were the case, there would be no books about incest, war, sexual assault, and a good number of other things. But then again, when you have a book that is so graphic and so detailed...not only in elements of historical veracity, but also in details that are to do with the fictional world that she created...I don't know, maybe it takes someone with less sensitivity than me to read such things? And if so, what is the point of writing them?
In Jarhead, the military guy says: there's no such thing as an anti-war movie. The military guys watch anti-war movies like they're porn, to get themselves hyped up for a battle.
I have a feeling that this book suggests to me there is a point where an anti-war, anti-violence-against-women book becomes itself an object of violence against women. (The (male) commentator on the cover says: "Beautiful and devastating." I wonder by what objective measure you can call this book beautiful? There were parts, certainly--I read it because of the beginning, because of how Mengiste pulls you in and the character of Hirut is so strong and so compelling and so downtrodden, that you are already caring about her before you even have a chance... but this book is not beautiful. In fact, I hate that he calls it beautiful because in a way I find this story hugely patriarchal. It says, it doesn't matter what you do to women, they will survive. It doesn't matter how trashed they are by men, they will survive. They won't be broken, they'll be survivors. And I just have a little more rage left than that, this kind of "all-forgiving," very martyr-mother-Mary kind of legend, where at the end of it, she's still standing, as though that is okay, then, that we as human beings read all of the ravages done unto her and other women, we're still goddamn well forgiving the heinous crimes of the men around her, because she comes out triumphant.
I call bullshit.
The book jacket says this book is "an unputdownable exploration of female power."
I would have to say, at close of reading, that if that is the extent to which we can imagine female power, we are in major trouble. It is an examination of power, certainly. But an exploration of female power? No. It is overwhelmingly about male power and the will to exterminate and destroy. It is about, as she says more than once in the book, those who are born to own things and those who are born to be owned.
I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. I wanted to learn something about the history of Ethiopia that would help me understand what is happening in the Tigray, now.
Perhaps the difficulties with this book lie in the difference between the expectations as set up by the blurb versus the reality of the story as it is told?
Maybe this is meant to reflect the difference between war propaganda and the realities of war itself?
I'm not one to say: well, you can't like a book if you don't like what happened in it. If that were the case, there would be no books about incest, war, sexual assault, and a good number of other things. But then again, when you have a book that is so graphic and so detailed...not only in elements of historical veracity, but also in details that are to do with the fictional world that she created...I don't know, maybe it takes someone with less sensitivity than me to read such things? And if so, what is the point of writing them?
In Jarhead, the military guy says: there's no such thing as an anti-war movie. The military guys watch anti-war movies like they're porn, to get themselves hyped up for a battle.
I have a feeling that this book suggests to me there is a point where an anti-war, anti-violence-against-women book becomes itself an object of violence against women. (The (male) commentator on the cover says: "Beautiful and devastating." I wonder by what objective measure you can call this book beautiful? There were parts, certainly--I read it because of the beginning, because of how Mengiste pulls you in and the character of Hirut is so strong and so compelling and so downtrodden, that you are already caring about her before you even have a chance... but this book is not beautiful. In fact, I hate that he calls it beautiful because in a way I find this story hugely patriarchal. It says, it doesn't matter what you do to women, they will survive. It doesn't matter how trashed they are by men, they will survive. They won't be broken, they'll be survivors. And I just have a little more rage left than that, this kind of "all-forgiving," very martyr-mother-Mary kind of legend, where at the end of it, she's still standing, as though that is okay, then, that we as human beings read all of the ravages done unto her and other women, we're still goddamn well forgiving the heinous crimes of the men around her, because she comes out triumphant.
I call bullshit.
The book jacket says this book is "an unputdownable exploration of female power."
I would have to say, at close of reading, that if that is the extent to which we can imagine female power, we are in major trouble. It is an examination of power, certainly. But an exploration of female power? No. It is overwhelmingly about male power and the will to exterminate and destroy. It is about, as she says more than once in the book, those who are born to own things and those who are born to be owned.
I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. I wanted to learn something about the history of Ethiopia that would help me understand what is happening in the Tigray, now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, War, Adult/minor relationship, Xenophobia, Violence, Rape, Vomit, and Misogyny
Moderate: Child death
tenten's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, and War
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual assault
Minor: Child death and Antisemitism
magalis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I expected to like this book much more than I did. I thought there was a good story somewhere in there, but it got bogged down in too many storylines and characters, and too much purple prose. I appreciated the extensive historical research that Mengiste clearly did for this, and the parallels and references to the Iliad were well constructed. I wanted there to be more to the characters and to the story though. For a 450 page long book, not a lot happens! I really liked Hirut as a character, but thought she got lost after the introduction of Ettore. I enjoyed the sub-plot following the Emperor and his deteriorating mental state, but didn't feel like his story was very fleshed-out. In the end, I found this a slog to get through and I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters and feel emotionally invested in the outcome of their stories.
Content warnings for rape and pedophilia (child brides in their early-teens).
Content warnings for rape and pedophilia (child brides in their early-teens).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, and Death
Minor: Mental illness, Child death, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Misogyny
popcornreading's review against another edition
This was way too lyrical for my tastes. Everything is written in metaphor to the point where I don’t understand how a character moved from point a to b. It was exhausting to decipher.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Child abuse, and War
sarrasegway's review
dark
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Antisemitism, Child death, Confinement, Excrement, and Gun violence
tabitha_isabelle's review
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
curatoriallyyours's review
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The positives: I learnt a lot from reading this book, even though it is a work of fiction, about Ethiopia and the Italian invasion under Mussolini. I intend to read some non-fiction on this topic as a result of reading this story.
The negatives: Though I pitied the main character for all she endured, I did not warm to her. The author's style was also quite off-putting and made it hard for me to sink into the narrative until well into the book. If I hadn't been reading this as the final book in a reading challenge (with only a few days to go) I'd probably have abandoned it. The author's refusal to use speech marks to denote speech baffled me and made me resentful for the re-reading I needed to do every time I realised someone had started speaking without the usual indication that this was the case. I don't care to read any more from this author as a result.
I feel that the story itself was worthwhile but the author's style really bothered me throughout the book and stopped me from ever truly being enveloped in the narrative.
The negatives: Though I pitied the main character for all she endured, I did not warm to her. The author's style was also quite off-putting and made it hard for me to sink into the narrative until well into the book. If I hadn't been reading this as the final book in a reading challenge (with only a few days to go) I'd probably have abandoned it. The author's refusal to use speech marks to denote speech baffled me and made me resentful for the re-reading I needed to do every time I realised someone had started speaking without the usual indication that this was the case. I don't care to read any more from this author as a result.
I feel that the story itself was worthwhile but the author's style really bothered me throughout the book and stopped me from ever truly being enveloped in the narrative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Excrement, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Antisemitism and Drug use
emilistevenson's review
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Child death
deedireads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- 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
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Shadow King is a difficult read that has gorgeous sentences. It refuses to look away from the violent truths of a period of history that’s little known by the rest of the world.
For you if: You are ready to read about the realities of Italy invading Africa in the 1930s, and all that involves.
FULL REVIEW:
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Shadow King is a difficult read that has gorgeous sentences. It refuses to look away from the violent truths of a period of history that’s little known by the rest of the world.
For you if: You are ready to read about the realities of Italy invading Africa in the 1930s, and all that involves.
FULL REVIEW:
“My own rupture, he would add if he could be understood, has been a slow progressive fall to the bottom. It has been an endless descent that began with these words: Take a picture, soldato.”
The Shadow King has received a lot of great reviews from the literary community, and it’s currently shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize.
I can see why. The writing, especially on the sentence level, is breathtaking. There were sentences that made me set the book down just so I could revel in them for a few moments. And the subject matter is heavy with weight and importance, telling a truth about the world in an unflinching way. It was a bit too heavy for me — at the moment, at least — so I think I appreciated it more than I enjoyed it. But that’s a me thing, not a book thing, so do with it what you will.
The book is about the invasion by Italy and Mussolini into Ethiopia in the 1930s. We spend time with a small troupe of Ethiopian soldiers, with focus on a maid named Hirut, and the man and woman she’s in service to. We also get some time in the Italian camp, with both the ruthless leader and a more sensitive but somewhat easily influenced photographer. The photographer’s also Jewish, and the antisemitic violence that threatens his parents back home is reaching across the world toward him as well.
I will tell you up front that there is quite a bit of severe sexual violence in this book. That’s not super surprising given the book’s setting and subject matter. It is definitely used in a way that feels important to the story and plot, and not just as a device for setting, so that helps a bit, but it’s still a LOT to stomach.
I thought the way this story harkened back to the Iliad was well done and fascinating. Some references are more overt and some more subtle, but it bends and twists around that mythology in a way that I thought was thought-provoking and resonant.
I also liked the ending; the plot felt circular and purposeful without being simplistic or overdone.
So I guess the verdict is this: If you are ready for a really tough but important read, and if you do well with books that feel more literary and less plot-driven, I say pick it up.
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Rape; Child marriage/rape; War violence; Death of a child
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Child death
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