The Shadow King
Maaza Mengiste
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars
3.67
· 24 ratings · 448 pages · Published: 24 Sep 2019
With the threat of Mussolini's army looming, recently orphaned Hirut struggles to adapt to her new life as a maid. Her new employer, Kidane, an officer in Emperor Haile Selassie's army, rushes to mobilize his strongest men before the Italians invade.
Hirut and the other women long to do more than care for the wounded and bury the dead. When Emperor Haile Selassie goes into exile and Ethiopia quickly loses hope, it is Hirut who offers a plan to maintain morale. She helps disguise a gentle peasant as the emperor and soon becomes his guard, inspiring other women to take up arms. But how could she have predicted her own personal war, still to come, as a prisoner of one of Italy's most vicious officers?
The Shadow King is a gorgeously crafted and unputdownable exploration of female power, and what it means to be a woman at war.
Tagged as:
- africa 3
- eastern africa 3
- ethiopia 3
- historical 3
- historical fiction 3
- war/big battles 3
- literary fiction 3
- on the move 2
- world war II 2
- protagonists of colour 2
- political 2
- drama 2
- colonization 1
- realistic 1
- 20th century 1
- female mc 1
- military, war & conflict 1
- action / adventure 1
- Add topics
- format - reader age
- audiobook 3
- book 1
- adult fiction 1