The Shadow King
Maaza Mengiste
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
Set during Mussolini's 1935 invasion of Ethiopia, The Shadow King takes us back to the first real conflict of World War II, casting light on the women soldiers who were left out of the historical record. At its heart is orphaned maid Hirut, who finds herself tumbling into a new world of thefts and violations, of betrayals and overwhelming rage. What follows is a heartrending and unputdownable exploration of what it means to be a woman at war.
Product Details
Price
$17.95
$16.69
Publisher
W. W. Norton & Company
Publish Date
September 01, 2020
Pages
448
Dimensions
5.4 X 8.1 X 1.4 inches | 0.85 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9780393358513
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About the Author
MAAZA MENGISTE is a novelist and essayist who was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is the recipient of fellowships from the Fulbright Scholar Program, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Creative Capital. Her debut novel, Beneath the Lion's Gaze, was selected by the Guardian as one of the ten best contemporary African books and named one of the best books of 2010 by Christian Science Monitor, Boston Globe, and other publications. Her work can be found in the New Yorker, New York Review of Books, Granta, the Guardian, the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and BBC, among other places. She was a writer on the documentary projects Girl Rising and The Invisible City: Kakuma. Her second novel, The Shadow King, was published in September 2019. She is the editor of Addis Ababa Noir.
Reviews
Lyrical, remarkable.-- "New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice"
Capacious.... adopts the register of myth to shape an epic of nationhood and resistance.-- "The New Yorker"
Unforgettable.... [A] propulsive read that captures a historical moment from a fresh perspective.-- "Time"
[The Shadow King] is written in a key of pride and exaltation, and its characters have the outsize form of national heroes.... Stirring.--Sam Sacks "Wall Street Journal"
In haunting and beautiful prose, Mengiste shines a light on those whose lives are not often heralded.-- "Newsweek"
Ambitious and illuminating.--Elizabeth Sile "Real Simple"
A beautiful and thoughtful epic.--Francesca Capossela "Los Angeles Review of Books"
Stunning.... [Mengiste] produced a work of fiction that is epic in reach, with brilliant borrowings from the forms of classic tragedy.... The book is impossible to put down or put out of mind.-- "BookPage (starred review)"
The Shadow King exposes a brutal chapter in Ethiopia's history and urges readers to listen for the untold stories of war, especially those of women.--Katie Noah Gibson "Shelf Awareness"
Monumental.... Mengiste's extraordinary characters--shrewd Kidane, militant Aster, the enigmatic cook, narcissistic Italian commander Fucelli, conflicted photographer Ettore, elusive prostitute Fifi, even haunted Selassie--epitomize the impossibly intricate ties between humanity and monstrosity, and the unthinkable, immeasurable cost of survival.-- "Booklist (starred review)"
Capacious.... adopts the register of myth to shape an epic of nationhood and resistance.-- "The New Yorker"
Unforgettable.... [A] propulsive read that captures a historical moment from a fresh perspective.-- "Time"
[The Shadow King] is written in a key of pride and exaltation, and its characters have the outsize form of national heroes.... Stirring.--Sam Sacks "Wall Street Journal"
In haunting and beautiful prose, Mengiste shines a light on those whose lives are not often heralded.-- "Newsweek"
Ambitious and illuminating.--Elizabeth Sile "Real Simple"
A beautiful and thoughtful epic.--Francesca Capossela "Los Angeles Review of Books"
Stunning.... [Mengiste] produced a work of fiction that is epic in reach, with brilliant borrowings from the forms of classic tragedy.... The book is impossible to put down or put out of mind.-- "BookPage (starred review)"
The Shadow King exposes a brutal chapter in Ethiopia's history and urges readers to listen for the untold stories of war, especially those of women.--Katie Noah Gibson "Shelf Awareness"
Monumental.... Mengiste's extraordinary characters--shrewd Kidane, militant Aster, the enigmatic cook, narcissistic Italian commander Fucelli, conflicted photographer Ettore, elusive prostitute Fifi, even haunted Selassie--epitomize the impossibly intricate ties between humanity and monstrosity, and the unthinkable, immeasurable cost of survival.-- "Booklist (starred review)"
