content warnings:

Spoiler

major character death, suicide by hanging, systemic misogyny & misogynistic language, domestic violence, physical & emotional child abuse, animal sacrifice, mention of animal slaughter, infanticide, death of children/adolescents, ableist language, mass shooting, colonization

rep:

Spoiler

African setting & cast

Based on the themes and prose I can see why this is considered a classic. There's a lot of rich cultural detail, social commentary, passages that invite interpretation/discussion. It's not super heavy on plot or character development, which can be both good and bad (but, for the record, didn't really work for me personally — particularly the lack of resolution).

So in short, I think this is an interesting, certainly worthwhile read, but for me it may also be a forgettable one.

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CONVERSION: 7.8 / 15 = 3 stars

Prose: 6 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 3 / 10
Emotional Impact: 2 / 10
Development / Flow: 4 / 10
Setting: 9 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: N/A
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 2 / 5