Scan barcode
A review by balletbookworm
Beneath the Lion's Gaze by Maaza Mengiste
5.0
Very restrained style, I feel like it makes the characters do the work of explaining what is going on, their relationships, the history of the time period, etc. - and then every once in while Mengiste throws a beautiful metaphor or descriptive passage and they stand out in stark relief.
Very well-done novel and many thanks for the reading list at the very end; my history of Ethiopia and this time period of its history is sadly lacking.
Side note for the publisher: the blurb on the back is terrible and more-or-less gives away a major turning point in the plot that comes almost 2/3 into the novel. Fix it for the reprint.
Very well-done novel and many thanks for the reading list at the very end; my history of Ethiopia and this time period of its history is sadly lacking.
Side note for the publisher: the blurb on the back is terrible and more-or-less gives away a major turning point in the plot that comes almost 2/3 into the novel. Fix it for the reprint.