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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 843
EAN num: 9780435905552
ISBN number: 0435905554
Label: Heinemann
Manufacturer: Heinemann
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 96
Printing Date: June 28, 1989
Publishing house: Heinemann
Sale Popularity Level: 61711
Studio: Heinemann
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
It is not only the fact that this is the most deeply felt presentation of the female condition in African fiction that gives distinction to this novel, but also its undoubted literary qualities, which seem to place it among the best novels that have come out of our continent. - West AfricaThis novel is a perceptive testimony to the plight of articulate women who live in social milieux dominated by attitudes and values that deny them their proper place. It is a sequence of reminiscences, some wistful, some bitter, recounted by a recently widowed Senegalese school teacher. The letter, addressed to an old friend, is a record of her emotional struggle for survival after her husband's abrupt decision to take a second wife. Although his action is sanctioned by Islam, it is a calculated betrayal of his wife's trust and a brutal rejection of their life together.
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Rated by buyers 
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Our youngest son is 11th grader this year and French student. He has this book in French - but decided he could really use the English version as well. We ALWAYS get awesome prices and service through Amazon and have ordered many things over the years. So, we headed to that website 1st. It was there (of course!) (smile) - and for a lower price as well. We placed the order - got an estimated TIA - - - but as always - we had the book in matter of 3 or 4 days (if that). . . my son was very pleased and he was able to continue with his Summer assignments for this school year. THANKS AGAIN AMAZON!!
Rated by buyers -
This book is so beautifully written and moving- one of the most amazing books I have read in a long time. I was unable to put it down. Gorgeous prose- I loved it.
Rated by buyers 
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A recently widowed Senegalese woman (Ramatoulaye) writes a diary in the form of a letter to her best friend, in which she recounts both her and her friend's experience with their husbands' taking a second wife. Through the narratives, the author explores the roles of women in society and the differences between the sexes (as she does here, "whereas a woman draws from the passing years the force of her devotion,...a man...looks over his partner's shoulder. He compares what he had with what he no longer has, what he has with what he could have"). Underlying the narrative is the power and value of friendship between two women who have seen each other through years of trial.
The two stories are saddening and compelling. The protagonist is nuanced. Even after being burned by polygamy, she considers becoming a second wife herself. She and her friend made very different choices in the face of their marital trials, and each must find what peace she can.
Occasionally the narrative structure bothered me, only because it is easy to forget that the book takes the form of a letter but is in fact a diary (as is stated in the second sentence of the book). If mistaken for a true letter, the detailed recounting of the letter addressee's experience feels contrived.
That is a small critique, however, of what is overall a powerful illustration of the trials of West Africa's women. I can see why the book is currently required school reading in several African countries (Sierra Leone and the Gambia at least) alongside Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.
[And it's short: just 90 pages. What do you have to lose?]
Rated by buyers -
This has been the best little book I've ever read.It should be recommended reading for girls, and women who think they have lost their way. It re-energies on so many levels..It is a truly a must read.
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A touching, moving and inspirational story for women all over the world, it does not matter race, age or religion.
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