Scan barcode
sonnymirrors's review against another edition
5.0
“What happens when we all see the hidden lion Don’t wish for the lost colours of the chameleon?”
The Lost Colours of the Chameleon. What a title. Beautiful. Intriguing. Powerful. I went into this book feeling good about the title and with no expectations as I had not before encountered the author. I wanted an enjoyable experience, needed it, but I was ready for anything.
Mandla Langa is definitely a literary artist, a true talent. The praise and celebration accorded to him as being among the greats is not undeserved. The Lost Colours of the Chameleon is an excellent demonstration of how glorious Langa’s pen is. What he does to the mind just with his words, the beautiful arrangement and neat craftsmanship, is so moving, so soulful it’s enviable. The sentences, each and every one, are like perfect lyrics to a perfect song. Each a marvel, altogether a sweet melody. A chart topping hit!
If words could lift, it would be those in Langa’s The Lost Colours of the Chameleon. If sentences could speak, it would be those of Langa’s The Lost Colours of the Chameleon. If a novel could imitate life, it would be Langa’s The Lost Colours of the Chameleon. The words paint a picture -“But the real rulers are dust mites and sand fleas that hatch their eggs under the skin causing victims to break out in pustules that are less sore than scary.“- so vivid and intense that it lingers in one’s mind, never failing to impress itself upon the heart. No matter what and how, something in the reader will be moved, it’s imperative. Such is the beauty of Langa’s writing and the success of the story telling in The Lost Colours of the Chameleon.
My favourite character in this book was MaZembe. I appreciated her voice and presence, stern and steadfast and at times soft. She could be unfair and full of contradictions. But that is what makes her, a woman of her time and place, an interesting human being and a fascinating character. Truly enjoyed her everytime she SHOWED UP!
This novel provides interesting insight into the world of ‘postcolonial’ politics and governments, the successes and failures of these projects in so much of Africa and the world; and also brings out the human and people aspect of it. Often we imagine and see from the outside the unfolding of the revolutioary- to-leader-to-dictator-to-coup pipeline, and we miss the details of the personal and interior, the fact that these actors are people too, once ordinary. What do they think? What do they do? What and how do they feel? This novel helps us reimagine our histories and realities in Africa and the world in more deep and eye-opening ways. The Lost Colours of the Chameleon hits so close to home the reader would swear it’s about their country, wherever they are, in the time that they are reading it. Perhaps this is what makes it feel so resonant and painfully hilarious, that although first published in 2008, it is about this time and any other time; my president, your president or another; my country, your country and any other country. It remains truly timeless and boundless.
It’s for all of us, I highly recommend this book.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
The Lost Colours of the Chameleon. What a title. Beautiful. Intriguing. Powerful. I went into this book feeling good about the title and with no expectations as I had not before encountered the author. I wanted an enjoyable experience, needed it, but I was ready for anything.
Mandla Langa is definitely a literary artist, a true talent. The praise and celebration accorded to him as being among the greats is not undeserved. The Lost Colours of the Chameleon is an excellent demonstration of how glorious Langa’s pen is. What he does to the mind just with his words, the beautiful arrangement and neat craftsmanship, is so moving, so soulful it’s enviable. The sentences, each and every one, are like perfect lyrics to a perfect song. Each a marvel, altogether a sweet melody. A chart topping hit!
If words could lift, it would be those in Langa’s The Lost Colours of the Chameleon. If sentences could speak, it would be those of Langa’s The Lost Colours of the Chameleon. If a novel could imitate life, it would be Langa’s The Lost Colours of the Chameleon. The words paint a picture -“But the real rulers are dust mites and sand fleas that hatch their eggs under the skin causing victims to break out in pustules that are less sore than scary.“- so vivid and intense that it lingers in one’s mind, never failing to impress itself upon the heart. No matter what and how, something in the reader will be moved, it’s imperative. Such is the beauty of Langa’s writing and the success of the story telling in The Lost Colours of the Chameleon.
My favourite character in this book was MaZembe. I appreciated her voice and presence, stern and steadfast and at times soft. She could be unfair and full of contradictions. But that is what makes her, a woman of her time and place, an interesting human being and a fascinating character. Truly enjoyed her everytime she SHOWED UP!
This novel provides interesting insight into the world of ‘postcolonial’ politics and governments, the successes and failures of these projects in so much of Africa and the world; and also brings out the human and people aspect of it. Often we imagine and see from the outside the unfolding of the revolutioary- to-leader-to-dictator-to-coup pipeline, and we miss the details of the personal and interior, the fact that these actors are people too, once ordinary. What do they think? What do they do? What and how do they feel? This novel helps us reimagine our histories and realities in Africa and the world in more deep and eye-opening ways. The Lost Colours of the Chameleon hits so close to home the reader would swear it’s about their country, wherever they are, in the time that they are reading it. Perhaps this is what makes it feel so resonant and painfully hilarious, that although first published in 2008, it is about this time and any other time; my president, your president or another; my country, your country and any other country. It remains truly timeless and boundless.
It’s for all of us, I highly recommend this book.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
acraig5075's review against another edition
3.0
Just fiction, and set in a fictitious country, but describes politics that hit uncomfortably close to home.
More...