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A review by joti
The First Wife: A Tale of Polygamy by Paulina Chiziane
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I enjoyed the writing style at first, and even at later points I still found myself marking some sentences or comparisons I really liked, although my appreciation of the book as a whole rapidly diminished during reading. Based on earlier reviews and the 'feminism' label, I had high expectations, so perhaps that was why I am a little disappointed.
It was very interesting to learn about other cultures and north-south differences and all sorts of rituals and expectations, but overall I had to force myself to continue reading the book at some point.
The narrator continuously contradicts herself, sometimes within the same paragraph, and there is an awful lot of repetition throughout the book. There are indeed moments where I felt hopeful it would become more feminist, and I guess the fact theyall leave him in the end does kind of make it feminist, but it just didn't work for me.
It was very interesting to learn about other cultures and north-south differences and all sorts of rituals and expectations, but overall I had to force myself to continue reading the book at some point.
The narrator continuously contradicts herself, sometimes within the same paragraph, and there is an awful lot of repetition throughout the book. There are indeed moments where I felt hopeful it would become more feminist, and I guess the fact they