Thanks to Soho Press and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book had an interesting premise and I'm always interested to read books that feature an African setting, in this case Zimbabwe.

It's a short book, I got through it in little more than an hour and a half and it seemed skewed towards younger readers.

I found it really difficult to follow and it managed to be confusing and boring at the same time. My main issue was with the writing, it felt clumsy and repetitive and this just served to distract me as I was reading. Not great when I was already struggling to work out what was going on.

A promising synopsis just didn't materialise into an enjoyable book for me.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This was a well-written book but I was not able to finish it though teens and middle schoolers may like it.

This was a lovely read and ideal for young adult or older teen readers.
It is heartwarming, sad but very human.

I recommend this book to readers aged 14+ and young adults who want a heart warming read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This YA novel was a good debut attempt for the author. I loved the way she described Zimbabwe which I think will be interesting for anyone, whether you live In Zimbabwe or have never been. There is a page in the back where she defines all of the Shona words which is helpful.
The characters could use some deeper development and the story was a less engaging than what I was expecting. I am glad that I read it and will likely try another book by the same author.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Soho Press for providing me with a free advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This debut novel by Tavengerwei is a well-written, thoughtful coming of age story, set in Zimbabwe.
The main character, 15 year old, Shamiso, has lost her father and is attempting to find her way through her grief. But as any typical teenager she is trying to deal with her own grief while navigating social cliques and the privileges of those around her.

The book mainly focuses on Shamiso and her friend Tanyaradzwa. Both girls are dealing with change. For Shamiso, it is the death of her father and for Tanyaradzwa; a cancer diagnosis.

This is a beautifully written story dealing with loss, grief, friendship, politics and the stark realities of life. But throughout the book you realize that when you feel like there is nothing else, there is always hope.

Recommend.
3.5 Stars

Thanks to Soho Press and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book had an interesting premise and I'm always interested to read books that feature an African setting, in this case Zimbabwe.

It's a short book, I got through it in little more than an hour and a half and it seemed skewed towards younger readers.

I found it really difficult to follow and it managed to be confusing and boring at the same time. My main issue was with the writing, it felt clumsy and repetitive and this just served to distract me as I was reading. Not great when I was already struggling to work out what was going on.

A promising synopsis just didn't materialise into an enjoyable book for me.

I wanted to love this book, as it has a fascinating synopsis. It follows friends at a boarding school in Zimbabwe, while one is coping with cancer. Its rapidly switching points of view makes it difficult to follow at times.

This book was all over the place I didn't know what going on. I was so confused, I didn't know what was happening. I DNF at 34%

This was a bit of a rambly book and very short. I didn’t connect with much of the story. I did find the parts about the teacher strikes and bread lines to be educational. But I am not sure I really understand what this book was even about.

Set in Zimbabwe, the story focuses specifically on the adolescent friendship between Shamiso and Tanyaradzwa, two schoolgirls that are each dealing with change. For Shamiso, it is the death of her father and for Tanyardzwa; a cancer diagnosis. Quite simply, this is a beautiful YA novel and I found it to be quite easy reading. Of course, the subject matter was not easy and I am quite interested in continuing my journey for more information about the country and it's history.

Goodreads Review published 28/08/19

Publicaton Date 10/09/19

Rutendo Tavengerwei has crafted a brilliant YA novel about Shamiso, a Zimbabwean teenager returning from Britain after her father, a political journalist’s suspicious death, to a country she left when she was five. She feels like an alien, not belonging amongst her peers. Her life has suffered a drastic change and she’s not coping very well. She meets Tanyaradwa who’s hiding her own secrets but shuns her friendship olive branch because everyone leaves in the end.

Hope Is Our Only Wing is an amazing and important story especially now that Zimbabwe is going back into the 2008 economic and political crisis. But it’s also a story about hope and friendship. I know a lot of Zimbabweans have lost hope, especially with last year’s elections and the current state of the economy but hope is all we have.

I don’t know how to write this review and separate my Zimbabweaness from the reviewer because Zimbabwe is in me and my heart is always breaking when I think of my country, my home. All I can say is that this book is reverent and it’s for everyone. Don’t look away from it because it’s set in a different place, read it because it’s set in a different place and teaches you about different experiences.

Story was very interesting and author's writing was lovely. Would recommend for fans of Alex Approximately and Girls of Paper and Fire.

I wanted to enjoy this book a lot more than I actually did. This book is set in Zimbabwe and follows two friends in boarding school as one is battling Cancer and the other being back in a country that they barely remember.

The two characters were interesting, but I couldn't find myself connecting to either of them. Since the book goes back and forth between the past and present very quickly which makes it hard to connect to either as as soon as you start to really follow the story it switches up.

It is a quick read, but not a very satisfying one.

I found this one to be an interesting read, in a way that it is one of the most insightful YA novels I have ever read. And I think that is why I liked this one. It didn’t involve the generic formula you commonly see in YA literature. This compelling story deals with some hefty themes: grief, loss, illness poverty, government corruption, and political assassination. The challenges that both Shamiso and Tanya face may not be what every teen face, however, that doesn’t make this story less real. In a thought-provoking way, the author conveys the emotional impact the characters had to face. Oddly enough, the emotion and pain lept off the pages.

A wonderful boarding school story set in a city and culture that we don’t see enough. The two main characters have a lot to deal with: Shamiso has just lost her father and is trying to find her way out of grief when she befriends a girl with cancer who hemos her cope with her emotions.

Something of a difficult book to place - writing level seems aimed for middle grade readers while the main character's age, her smoking, and the required contextual/conceptual background seem more YA. (Even for older readers, the details of Zimbabwean history isn't generally taught to US students and the book seems to expect a built in understanding of the topic.) A bit of a sweet story, if clumsy with forming character arcs and moving between POVs,

Hope Is Our Only Wing
by Rutendo Tavengerwei
Pub Date: 10 Sep 2019
read courtesy of Netgalley.com

Note: Let your readers know that there is a glossary at the back of the book. Because I read this as a digital galley, I didn't find the glossary until after I finished reading, and it would have been helpful to have been aware of it earlier.

I agree with prior reviews that this is a middle school book, but I also think that it's not as easy a read as others have noted. While the vocabulary is not too difficult (besides the references to African terms, for which there is a glossary), the concepts of politics and disease and cultural references might pose a challenge for some students. We're lucky, however, in this time of the Internet, that we have the ability to easily quench our curiosities. For example, as a result of a reference to "Oliver Mtukudzi's timeless voice," I was able to find out that he died recently, January 2019, and hear an example of his sound on YouTube (https://youtu.be/p-JUy6p0Qpw). And though I could figure out what ZESA was from context, I could also look up that it's the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority.

As an educator, I was drawn to the words of wisdom one character's grandfather imparted, one "could quit if it was the instrument that was making him miserable. But if it was the learning he was trying to avoid, he would have to toughen up."

In spite of the unfamiliarity with the setting, readers will be drawn in by the developing friendship between the two main characters. As readers we're given room to experience the interplay of actions and feelings the two girls experience rather than being explicitly spoon fed what to think and feel. I liked that about Tavengerwei's style. I think sophisticated middle school readers will like this story.

When the main character, Shamosi is sent from her home in England to boarding in Zimbanwe, she is thrown into a totally different world. As you can imagine, this book contains all the usual behaviours of girls towards the new pupil and Shamosi is thrown right into the middle of this world. She is desperate t find out what actually happened to her dad and seeks the truth, clinging to her rucksack that she has brought to school with her.
She also develops a wonderful friendship with the terminally ill Tanyaradzwa. The girls develop a beautiful friendship that we should cling to hope in the worst possible situations. I really enjoyed this book as I felt that I was taking these difficult steps with Shamosi. It teaches us about resilience and the power of hope and friendship.

Teenage Shamiso and her mother return to Zimbabwe, grieving the mysterious death of her father, a journalist known for speaking truth against power. Shamiso doesn't fit in at her boarding school but Tanyaradzwa, another teen, offers Shamiso a friendship that starts to help her heal. Swirling around them is the mystery of Shamiso's death, the specter of Tanyaradzwa's cancer, and a country in turmoil.
Shamiso's voice and grief are engaging and invite reader sympathy and curiosity. The setting, while often unclear for those of us without a deep knowledge of Zimbabwe's history, provoked curiosity.
The story is told in alternating close-third narration. These leaps in perspective and time were often confusing, and several characters only had one perspective chapter -- which felt like a false investment. Sometimes, the perspective shifted within chapters. Overall, the characters felt well-developed, but the plot was scattered.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great middle school novel. It would be a good choice for a multi-cultural unit.