paperquilt's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Death, Murder, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and War
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
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
zoes_human's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
4.0
A beautifully written story of Ethiopia's fight against Mussolini's invasion. It is brutal and heartbreaking, but I don't think the truth of war can be told in any other way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Violence, and War
Minor: Antisemitism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Death, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
booksjessreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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? No
4.0
This book took me ages to read but this was such a rewarding novel and honestly stick with it if you are struggling. This book is centred around military history, but demonstrating how war in Ethiopia against the Italians in 1935 was not strictly masculine territory. Mengiste's work demonstrates women fighting for their place to be amongst their fellow men on the battlefield, following the story of Hirut and her master Kidane.
I liked how this book showed you how no character was 100% good or bad and that each person had their own good and bad qualities. It demonstrates that the oppressed can also be the oppressor and provokes mixed feelings for each character throughout the novel.
I really loved the writing style too, beautiful prose. I found the lack of speech marks hard at first, but like with Girl, Woman, Other, you get there when you get into the flow of the book.
I liked how this book showed you how no character was 100% good or bad and that each person had their own good and bad qualities. It demonstrates that the oppressed can also be the oppressor and provokes mixed feelings for each character throughout the novel.
I really loved the writing style too, beautiful prose. I found the lack of speech marks hard at first, but like with Girl, Woman, Other, you get there when you get into the flow of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Blood, Murder, Racism, and War
Moderate: Violence, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Antisemitism
athenaia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
The book is very challenging to read but beautifully written. However it is also not a book that is for light reading. The topics that are discussed were sometimes hard to deal with and I would recommend anyone who wants to read it to do it slowly and stop if it is too much for one day. In my opinion the book is a fantastic litterary work even though I needed half a year to finish it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and War
blessing_aj's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Violence, War, Rape, and Racism
daisymaytwizell's review
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
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
4.0
I listened to the audiobook of this, and while that helped me as a white person learn how to pronounce the names/places, I do think that with all the shifts in time and perspective it would be a much easier read with a physical copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Body horror
Moderate: Death of parent, Child abuse, Misogyny, and Antisemitism
Minor: Sexual violence
Mengiste has a fantastic balance between communicating the horrors of war, without making the descriptions gratuitous.boogsbooks's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Shadow King tells the story of the unsung among the Ethiopian armies who fought the Italians during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War in the mid-1930s. It asks: What is home? What is honor? What is owed? It’s an intimate look of the pain and glory of war shared mostly through the eyes of Hirut, a servant girl turned soldier. Hirut works for and fights alongside Aster and her husband Kidane. Each character is a person who buries their grief, sadness, and shame in anger, ego, or false ownership. Infuriating and all the more compelling because of it.
A portion of the story is also told through the lens of Ettore, an Italian photographer who has no business being in war. Ettore’s story revolves around his father, where his father comes from, and how that defines him. While I was interested in the layer Ettore’s father added to the book, I felt as though Ettore was here simply to carry the novel’s focus on photography as storytelling. Excerpts throughout the book are told as descriptions of photos. This worked well but made me question the role of Ettore as a central character.
This was my final read of 2020 and it felt like such a fitting ending. It’s epic in all of its forms. It left me reflective, cheering for the underdog, acknowledging pain in repeated history, and finding hope in moving forward.
A portion of the story is also told through the lens of Ettore, an Italian photographer who has no business being in war. Ettore’s story revolves around his father, where his father comes from, and how that defines him. While I was interested in the layer Ettore’s father added to the book, I felt as though Ettore was here simply to carry the novel’s focus on photography as storytelling. Excerpts throughout the book are told as descriptions of photos. This worked well but made me question the role of Ettore as a central character.
This was my final read of 2020 and it felt like such a fitting ending. It’s epic in all of its forms. It left me reflective, cheering for the underdog, acknowledging pain in repeated history, and finding hope in moving forward.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, and Xenophobia
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