imlfox's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual violence, Genocide, Violence, and Police brutality
toniamarieparker's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, Death of parent, Rape, Colonisation, Death, War, Sexual harassment, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Genocide and Kidnapping
faduma's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Violence, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Police brutality, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, and Trafficking
eliodelio's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
animal farm if the animals had won but instead of a farm its an african country (and i think in this universe all people are animals, not just the people in the specific country, although i cant actually remember if that was ever mentioned).
i found the first half of the book quite slow, i think because it was more focused on the dictator and his inner circle and how they were ruling the country rather than the ordinary citizens of the nation and their struggles, which is what the second half was more about. it was interesting to imagine the behind-the-scenes of a dictatorship too, though; i've always wondered how they rationalise their actions and this helped understand it a bit better. in the second half the plot focuses more on a specific character and the people around her, all of them ordinary citizens in a village, as well as on the brewing revolution.
some things i wasnt a fan of: chapters showing public sentiment through tweets. it was a bit corny. im not really familiar with african twitter but to me the writing style didnt feel super authentic and it seemed like kind of a forced way to show conflicting opinions on politics etc among the citizens (as well as those who had left the country). i understood what the author was trying to do but i wasnt that satisfied with the execution.
kind of a small detail but it kept bugging me whenever it came up - race is a topic in this book, they often bring up how they are a black nation ruled by black people etc since they became independent from the white colonisers. what was never made clear though was how race works among animals - do the "black people" all have black fur? that doesnt really make sense to me. what race are orange cats? or ur classic black and white cows? or was the point just to illustrate the absurdity of race as a social construct? either way i feel like it could have been more clear.
other than that i did quite enjoy the book, it gave a lot of insight into how political systems often function outside of the imperial core and it was especially spooky reading it this close to the turkish elections.
i found the first half of the book quite slow, i think because it was more focused on the dictator and his inner circle and how they were ruling the country rather than the ordinary citizens of the nation and their struggles, which is what the second half was more about. it was interesting to imagine the behind-the-scenes of a dictatorship too, though; i've always wondered how they rationalise their actions and this helped understand it a bit better. in the second half the plot focuses more on a specific character and the people around her, all of them ordinary citizens in a village, as well as on the brewing revolution.
some things i wasnt a fan of: chapters showing public sentiment through tweets. it was a bit corny. im not really familiar with african twitter but to me the writing style didnt feel super authentic and it seemed like kind of a forced way to show conflicting opinions on politics etc among the citizens (as well as those who had left the country). i understood what the author was trying to do but i wasnt that satisfied with the execution.
kind of a small detail but it kept bugging me whenever it came up - race is a topic in this book, they often bring up how they are a black nation ruled by black people etc since they became independent from the white colonisers. what was never made clear though was how race works among animals - do the "black people" all have black fur? that doesnt really make sense to me. what race are orange cats? or ur classic black and white cows? or was the point just to illustrate the absurdity of race as a social construct? either way i feel like it could have been more clear.
other than that i did quite enjoy the book, it gave a lot of insight into how political systems often function outside of the imperial core and it was especially spooky reading it this close to the turkish elections.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, and Murder
your_true_shelf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Animal death, Sexual violence, Murder, War, Police brutality, Torture, and Genocide
mappy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
What a phenomenal book. The breadth and ambition is astounding as Bulawayo successfully paints a picture of the terror, hope and complexity of a dictatorial regime, a corrupt revolution, and the effects of a colonial past - both at a societal level and for every individual.
What stands out is the role technology plays in liberation, religion's place in the toolbox of oppressors, and how a regime cannot prosper without the support of those who are the long hand of the law. The narrative voice embodies the oral tradition of those who dream of revolution and the power of grassroots action in communities that have endured so much.
This is dark and challenging, but often entertaining in its satire. While not my highest rated, and having read only half of the longlist so far, Glory is my pick for winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction. It would take a powerful contender to usurp its position at the top of my list.
What stands out is the role technology plays in liberation, religion's place in the toolbox of oppressors, and how a regime cannot prosper without the support of those who are the long hand of the law. The narrative voice embodies the oral tradition of those who dream of revolution and the power of grassroots action in communities that have endured so much.
This is dark and challenging, but often entertaining in its satire. While not my highest rated, and having read only half of the longlist so far, Glory is my pick for winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction. It would take a powerful contender to usurp its position at the top of my list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Police brutality, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Homophobia
bibim's review
adventurous
dark
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Classism, Death, Grief, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Rape, and Sexual violence
Minor: War
tarajoy90's review
challenging
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Police brutality
foreverinastory's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Glory is an allegory of Animal Farm set in the historical background of the Zimbabwe revolution (1980s-2019). We follow various animals as they fills roles of historical figures and we see how dictatorship follows the patterns laid out in Orwell's fictional piece.
This was a very compelling and emotional story. I loved the way repetition and humor were used as tools in the narrative. The audiobook narrator (Chipo Chung) was absolutely incredible and brought a rhythm to the story with the way they repeated words with various intonations.
Bulawayo did a beautiful job of crafting this intricate historical fiction. I am glad I read this immediately following Animal Farm. Such an interesting juxtaposition. There were so many characters followed in this story, but I was most invested in Destiny's and my heart felt all the emotions. *insert tears*
Rep: All Zimbabwean cast.
CWs: Violence, genocide, war, rape, police brutality, murder, colonisation, death, gun violence, grief, misogyny, sexual assault, torture, blood, classism, sexual violence, religious bigotry, sexism, injury/injury detail, child death, gore, physical abuse, racism. Moderate: suicide (off-page action, on-page mention), xenophobia, mass shooting, death of parent, animal death, body horror, cursing, homophobia/homomisia, slavery, panic attacks, fire/fire injury, vomit.
This was a very compelling and emotional story. I loved the way repetition and humor were used as tools in the narrative. The audiobook narrator (Chipo Chung) was absolutely incredible and brought a rhythm to the story with the way they repeated words with various intonations.
Bulawayo did a beautiful job of crafting this intricate historical fiction. I am glad I read this immediately following Animal Farm. Such an interesting juxtaposition. There were so many characters followed in this story, but I was most invested in Destiny's and my heart felt all the emotions. *insert tears*
Rep: All Zimbabwean cast.
CWs: Violence, genocide, war, rape, police brutality, murder, colonisation, death, gun violence, grief, misogyny, sexual assault, torture, blood, classism, sexual violence, religious bigotry, sexism, injury/injury detail, child death, gore, physical abuse, racism. Moderate: suicide (off-page action, on-page mention), xenophobia, mass shooting, death of parent, animal death, body horror, cursing, homophobia/homomisia, slavery, panic attacks, fire/fire injury, vomit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, War, Colonisation, Violence, Rape, Police brutality, Murder, Death, and Misogyny
orla_h's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Torture, Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Police brutality, Rape, Physical abuse, Grief, War, and Death