Review of Leaving Dahomey
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Anjellina
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- Latest Review: Leaving Dahomey by Jude Shaw
Review of Leaving Dahomey
[Following is a volunteer review of "Leaving Dahomey" by Jude Shaw.]
Set in 1841 in the ancient West African kingdom of Dahomey, Jude Shaw’s Leaving Dahomey is the first book in the Friendlytown trilogy. This book follows the life of Adeoha, a young, spirited 16-year-old girl from a noble family. Adeoha is invited by her friend Sewexetu to join in the initiation training for membership in the Language of Drums, an old society led by priestesses who teach rituals and taboos through dance and music. She is reluctant at first, as her dream is to become a rich trader buying goods and selling them for a profit in faraway towns like Atagon and the City of Kumasi.
Adeoha and her friend Sewexetu are accepted as initiates in the Language of the Drums. Sewexetu goes ahead to complete her training and becomes a popular dancer performing from town. Adeoha on the other hand does not finish her training, even though an unlikely event happened at her initiation ceremony that made the priestesses and the gathered audience believes she was fulfilling an ancient prophecy. She goes ahead and launches her trading business all the while still participating in storytelling, dance ceremonies, and her responsibilities to her clan.
Her growing popularity and the secrets of her father’s ancestry create tension between her clan and the stubborn King Guezo. This makes her father, Lord Tubutu take drastic measures to protect his daughter and his family. Will Adeoha be able to adapt to her new circumstances in an ever-changing world?
What I enjoyed most about this book is the stories within the story. The author uses different characters in the book to explain Dahomeyian mythology and culture without digressing too far from the main plotline. I also enjoyed the realistic dialogue between the characters and the overall conversational tone of the story.
On the other hand, the author uses mainly flashbacks and monologues as exposition. This is very confusing to a reader and I sometimes had to read a chapter twice to understand what was going on. The character development was also not well done. Only Adeoha seems to progress with the story. The author also introduces a lot of new characters who disappear after a few paragraphs without any contribution to the main storyline. The few punctuation errors in dialogue, especially in the first chapters distracted me from my enjoyment of the story.
I am thus giving this book a 2 out of 4 stars rating. For a historical fiction book, the author has succeeded in describing a part of Africa that is unknown in a remarkably simple and realistic way. However, for the first book in a trilogy, the story lacked all the components needed to keep a reader hooked through all three books let alone this first one. I would recommend this book to historical fiction lovers and any person who enjoys stories about a strong female protagonist that makes it against all odds.
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Leaving Dahomey
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Set in 1841 in the ancient West African kingdom of Dahomey, Jude Shaw’s Leaving Dahomey is the first book in the Friendlytown trilogy. This book follows the life of Adeoha, a young, spirited 16-year-old girl from a noble family. Adeoha is invited by her friend Sewexetu to join in the initiation training for membership in the Language of Drums, an old society led by priestesses who teach rituals and taboos through dance and music. She is reluctant at first, as her dream is to become a rich trader buying goods and selling them for a profit in faraway towns like Atagon and the City of Kumasi.
Adeoha and her friend Sewexetu are accepted as initiates in the Language of the Drums. Sewexetu goes ahead to complete her training and becomes a popular dancer performing from town. Adeoha on the other hand does not finish her training, even though an unlikely event happened at her initiation ceremony that made the priestesses and the gathered audience believes she was fulfilling an ancient prophecy. She goes ahead and launches her trading business all the while still participating in storytelling, dance ceremonies, and her responsibilities to her clan.
Her growing popularity and the secrets of her father’s ancestry create tension between her clan and the stubborn King Guezo. This makes her father, Lord Tubutu take drastic measures to protect his daughter and his family. Will Adeoha be able to adapt to her new circumstances in an ever-changing world?
What I enjoyed most about this book is the stories within the story. The author uses different characters in the book to explain Dahomeyian mythology and culture without digressing too far from the main plotline. I also enjoyed the realistic dialogue between the characters and the overall conversational tone of the story.
On the other hand, the author uses mainly flashbacks and monologues as exposition. This is very confusing to a reader and I sometimes had to read a chapter twice to understand what was going on. The character development was also not well done. Only Adeoha seems to progress with the story. The author also introduces a lot of new characters who disappear after a few paragraphs without any contribution to the main storyline. The few punctuation errors in dialogue, especially in the first chapters distracted me from my enjoyment of the story.
I am thus giving this book a 2 out of 4 stars rating. For a historical fiction book, the author has succeeded in describing a part of Africa that is unknown in a remarkably simple and realistic way. However, for the first book in a trilogy, the story lacked all the components needed to keep a reader hooked through all three books let alone this first one. I would recommend this book to historical fiction lovers and any person who enjoys stories about a strong female protagonist that makes it against all odds.
******
Leaving Dahomey
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Leaving Dahomey by Jude Shaw
