Woman of the Ashes

A Novel

Fiction & Literature, Historical, Literary
Cover of the book Woman of the Ashes by Mia Couto, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mia Couto ISBN: 9780374715663
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publication: April 10, 2018
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Language: English
Author: Mia Couto
ISBN: 9780374715663
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication: April 10, 2018
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Language: English

The first in a trilogy about the last emperor of southern Mozambique by one of Africa’s most important writers

Southern Mozambique, 1894. Sergeant Germano de Melo is posted to the village of Nkokolani to oversee the Portuguese conquest of territory claimed by Ngungunyane, the last of the leaders of the state of Gaza, the second-largest empire led by an African. Ngungunyane has raised an army to resist colonial rule and with his warriors is slowly approaching the border village. Desperate for help, Germano enlists Imani, a fifteen-year-old girl, to act as his interpreter. She belongs to the VaChopi tribe, one of the few who dared side with the Portuguese. But while one of her brothers fights for the Crown of Portugal, the other has chosen the African emperor. Standing astride two kingdoms, Imani is drawn to Germano, just as he is drawn to her. But she knows that in a country haunted by violence, the only way out for a woman is to go unnoticed, as if made of shadows or ashes.

Alternating between the voices of Imani and Germano, Mia Couto’s Woman of the Ashes combines vivid folkloric prose with extensive historical research to give a spellbinding and unsettling account of war-torn Mozambique at the end of the nineteenth century.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The first in a trilogy about the last emperor of southern Mozambique by one of Africa’s most important writers

Southern Mozambique, 1894. Sergeant Germano de Melo is posted to the village of Nkokolani to oversee the Portuguese conquest of territory claimed by Ngungunyane, the last of the leaders of the state of Gaza, the second-largest empire led by an African. Ngungunyane has raised an army to resist colonial rule and with his warriors is slowly approaching the border village. Desperate for help, Germano enlists Imani, a fifteen-year-old girl, to act as his interpreter. She belongs to the VaChopi tribe, one of the few who dared side with the Portuguese. But while one of her brothers fights for the Crown of Portugal, the other has chosen the African emperor. Standing astride two kingdoms, Imani is drawn to Germano, just as he is drawn to her. But she knows that in a country haunted by violence, the only way out for a woman is to go unnoticed, as if made of shadows or ashes.

Alternating between the voices of Imani and Germano, Mia Couto’s Woman of the Ashes combines vivid folkloric prose with extensive historical research to give a spellbinding and unsettling account of war-torn Mozambique at the end of the nineteenth century.

More books from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Cover of the book Smile, Pout-Pout Fish by Mia Couto
Cover of the book Dragons in the Waters by Mia Couto
Cover of the book The Magician's Apprentice by Mia Couto
Cover of the book Lucky Little Things by Mia Couto
Cover of the book The Future of the Past by Mia Couto
Cover of the book Houdini, Tarzan, and the Perfect Man by Mia Couto
Cover of the book Across by Mia Couto
Cover of the book Untold Stories by Mia Couto
Cover of the book The Function of the Orgasm by Mia Couto
Cover of the book Skunk Girl by Mia Couto
Cover of the book The Riddle and the Knight by Mia Couto
Cover of the book Rowing to Latitude by Mia Couto
Cover of the book Brazil: A Biography by Mia Couto
Cover of the book Every Riven Thing by Mia Couto
Cover of the book Paper Lantern by Mia Couto
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy