Reviews

Glory is a satirical novel about the recent political landscape of Zimbabwe but set in an invented country, Jidada, where all inhabitants are talking animals. We follow the lives of political actors and citizens alike, during the fall and rise of authoritarian regimes, and follow the consequences of these political changes.

While I appreciated what the author was trying to do, some of the literary devices that were used did not work for me. For one, the excessive use of repetitions was really distracting, sometimes even annoying. Then, the fact that the characters are animals created a detachment from otherwise really brutal scenes that did not allow me to appreciate the story to its maximum extent.

I felt that the last third of the novel was stronger than the first two. In the first two-thirds, politics was the main focus and we read almost exclusively from the perspective of government agents/allies/opposition, which resulted in a very unidimensional view of the plot. On the contrary, the inclusion of Destiny’s storyline brought a new perspective to the story that made me speed through the last section of the book and have more sympathy for the message it was trying to convey. This was when we got to understand more closely how the revolution impacted families and communities, and that’s what moved me most.

Overall, it was not an easy read and there’s a lot of violence involved, but it was very informative about a reality I was unaware of.

roseyjarvis's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

raef's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny sad medium-paced

4.75

kimthezombie's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

vickihill's review against another edition

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5.0

I was absorbed in the writing style and will read this book again. Thinking about it often in light of the upcoming 2023 Zimbabwe elections.

thebakersbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

There were times when I found the mode of storytelling frustrating; I even told my wife "I wish this were a novella." However, I'm used to a certain Western method of structuring books and that was getting in my way of what I eventually did, which was enjoy the pace and rhythm very much. The slowness of the book is sometimes the point and the emotional payoff of the end is more than worth any tedium. What an excellent and appropriate book for our times. I appreciate the hope. Also the mourning and anger.

dvo19's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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