November wrap up 🌨

November was such a happy reading month. I loved making my way through some wonderful, unique ❤️ stories. Heading into December with 13 books left to read for the year 😬

Read This Now 🤯
* The Half God of Rainfall - Inua Elams

Pretty Darn Good 😀
* Red, White and Royal Blue - Casey McQuinston
* Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
* Love on the Brain - Ali Hazelwood
* The Heart Principle - Helen Hoang
* The Snakehead - Patrick Radden Keefe
* The Rez Sisters - Tomson Highway
* Seven Days in June - Tia Williams

Sure 🙂
* The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gĩkũyũ And Mũmbi - Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

Not For Me 🤷‍♀️
* Hooked - Emily McIntire

#thehalfgodofrainfall
#redwhiteandroyalblue #theheartprinciple #readyplayerone #loveonthebrain #thesnakehead #rezsisters #sevendaysinjune #theperfectnine #readingwrapup #novemberreads #readinginstead #bookstagram

I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. It didn't seem fair for me to review a book that I didn't finish.

A beautiful celebration of the Kikuyu culture written in an excellent epic method and translated to stay gorgeous and serene.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A great and diverse collection of folklore and mythology that is not often represented in the traditional media. The writing is powerful and makes a statement with each word.
A good read.

I like folklore and mythology and I LOVED The Perfect Nine. Strong female characters were a bonus. This is different that Roman/Greek mythology I'm used to reading and it's better. I will be pressing this into the hands of many readers.

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is an epic poem retelling the folklore surrounding the origins of Kenya's Gikuyu people. While folklore and mythology are not my favorite genres (I tend to prefer more character-driven stories), I enjoyed this exposure to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's writing and Kenyan cultural history. Thiong'o wrote The Perfect Nine in his native tongue, Gikuyu, and translated himself to English; as a fan of translated literature I thought this was a really cool opportunity to read a translation perfectly true to the author's intent. I was pleasantly surprised by the feminist elements of this story, and was impressed by Thiong'o's ability to write women in particular! I recommend this story to readers interested in novels in verse and/or mythology.

Thank you to The New Press and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

Now available.

In epic form, renowned writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o latest work is an awe-inspiring legendary retelling of the Gikuyu origin myth. Almost like an oral retelling, The Perfect Nine tells the tale of ten daughters who are to be wed to the best and brightest in the land. As ninety nine suitors battle it out for a coveted final position, they must battle ogres and conquer their inner demons. This an electrifying, imaginative and memorable retelling, definitely worth checking out!

I am a fan of Ngugi wa Thiong'o and was so happy to get a chance to read this! I was not very familiar with the folklore but this was a beautifully written story told in an epic poem style that was surprisingly easy to read and understand. Thank you to NetGalley and the pusblishers!

An epic of Gikuyu and Mumbi, The Perfect Nine tells the story of their daughters and the origins of Gikuyu clans. This book has been published in Kenya for a year or so, and I get the sense that it is widely popular there. It is being released in English this month, and I'm so glad I had the chance to read it.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is such a talented writer. He captures the voice of the storyteller in this book and I can vividly imagine being told this tale aloud (and I think it was originally written to be spoken so he certainly does that well). While the story itself is rather simple in plot, he weaves in life lessons, descriptions of the land, and oh so much more. It is a really great short read and he packs in a lot for what it is. While Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o did not come up with the story himself, as it is a traditional tale, the way he has written it and adapted it in his own was is certainly admirable.

This is written in a pretty unique style (at least for US readers). "Epic" is certainly an apt description, and the story is beautifully told by this talented author. I'll have to check out some of his other work. Recommended.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

I have never sat around a fire and listened while my grandmother told folktales but i have always wanted to and this book brought that feeling to me after I finished it. This is a story that follows the ten daughters of Agikuyu and Mumbi who were the ancestors of the Agikuyu people and their daughters who are the matriarchs of the clans. This is a story of bravery and love and overcoming odds despite our situations and I think we could always use more stories where we win.

I loved the prose in this I have read some other works by Mr. Ngugi and I think this has to be my best writing of his, his choice of words is perfect and really grounds you in the scenery and the flow of the story is very enjoyable. The story is written in verse and I think it adds some novelty to the flow of the story and with one word sentences allowed us a peek of the personalities of the ten daughters. Magical African stories are important and especially those written by Africans and I loved that this is one of those stories.
If you love mythical stories with beautiful yet simple writing this one is for you

Thank you to New press and netgalley for the ARC

This is my first experience with an epic poem from African origin. This is also my first experience with this author. However, this book is quite extraordinary. I could not find any fault in this retelling of the first man and woman from Kenyan culture. The Gĩkũyũ are one of several peoples that make up the Kenyan nation. The Gikuyu people trace theirs to Gĩkũyũ (man) and Mumbi (woman). God put the pair on the snowcapped Mount Kenya, from where they surveyed the lands around. They made their home in a place called Mukuruweini. They had nine daughters, but they were actually ten, hence the Perfect Nine.

This retelling of this African folklore is from a feminist perspective, and how the 10 daughters (nine were perfect) founded the nine clans of Gĩkũyũ. The Perfect Nine is an immersive epic poem that showcases the power of women and how the daughters have attracted 99 men from cultures abroad and have to choose their suitor after embarking through a perilous journey to help their sister (the last born and not perfect) find a cure for her ailment. This journey helps to distinguish the men from boys and help the daughters learn about themselves and each other and how to survive through danger. There are morals to the story, allegorical examples, and poetic prose that helps the reader truly dive into this epic poem and not come up for air until after it’s over.

“The journey of life is not a shortcut to knowledge; it is a long learning process. One cannot hurry it, and one does not travel on it alone.”

“Woman is the mother of life,
For she is the one who carries the womb of life.
Woman is the carrier of creation. We show her gratitude always.”

This myth has all the things that you need to make this retelling of origins to be perfect; ogres, lions, sacred mountains, prowess in welding weapons, suspense, adventure and plot twists. The story was very rich in mythological tradition, and I could not put it down!

Thank you to New Press and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o for providing me with this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is my second read by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and it is vastly different from the other piece that I read. This epic poem tells the tells the story of the founding of the Gĩkũyũ people of Kenya. At the start of this novel, I didn't really know anything about Kenya, and I would argue that I still don't, but I know a little more and I definitely have a greater appreciation of the mythology/folklore of the area. This beautifully woven tale speaks of gender equality, adventure, and being kind to each other. It was a surprisingly easy read for being written in verse about a subject I knew nothing about, but I found myself sucked into the story each time I opened it. I look forward to my next read by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o.

Thank you to NetGalley and The New Press for an e-ARC, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The only other book I have read by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o was “The Wizard of the Crow” – an epic, sprawling, satirical, magical-realism account of the fictional African country of Aburiria in post cold war period.

That story was originally designed to be performed aloud in Gĩkũyũ (the language of one of the people groups making up the Kenyan nation) and was then translated by the author to English (so that as English readers we receive the author's voice directly).

This book too has been translated by the author from Gĩkũyũ and one can even more easily imagine it being performed aloud, but in many other ways this is a very different story.

This book is effectively a feminist reworking of the foundational myth of the Gĩkũyũ people – and is best explained by the author from his introduction.

"The Gĩkũyũ people trace theirs to Gĩkũyũ (man) and Mũmbi (woman). God put the pair on the snowcapped Mount Kenya, from where they surveyed the lands around. They made their home in a place called Mũkũrũweinĩ. They had nine daughters, but they were actually ten, hence the Perfect Nine. Legend has it that when the girls came of marrying age, Gĩkũyũ went back to the mountaintop and asked God to provide. On waking up one morning, the family found ten handsome young men outside their home in Mũkũrũweinĩ. The ten clans of the Gĩkũyũ people are named after the ten daughters. The epic The Perfect Nine is an interpretation of that myth starting from a question: where did the Ten Suitors come from? I imagined them as the last left standing after others failed tests of character and resolve."

Overall this is a very simple to read tale, like much oral mythology delighting in repetition (the nine daughters are often each referenced in turn); in real but striking natural features – here snow and volcanoes; in daunting mythical creatures, representing trials and challenges – in this case mainly ogres; in heroic quests – here for a magical hair with curing powers; of split loyalties (the suitors and their own families against the ties of the daughters to their legendary parents); and in the victories of unlikely heroes (with the tenth daughter moving increasingly from the margins to the centre of the tale).

I have seen the book compared to Greek mythology, but while I am no expert on this, I found the strong morality in the tales much closer to Eastern religions.

Overall this simple tale when set aside his previous epic, showcases the author’s impressive literary virtuosity while still circling around his central idea of a celebration of African language, oral storytelling and culture.

I had high hopes for this one. English language readers are in desperate need of legendry and mythologies from around the world. Unfortunately, The Perfect Nine feels more like a modern attempt at a legend than a deep-seated tale. The plot line and characters are, indeed, engaging and archetypal.

The issue comes with either the contemporary additions or the translation. Having no knowledge of the original legend or language, I am unable to dial it in any more clearly; however, in too many instances, contemporary idioms and cliches break the elevated, epic tone. A disappointment.

This is my first approved request on NetGalley so I was really excited to read the book.

"The Perfect Nine is an epic about the origin of Kenya's Gĩkũyũ people, with Gĩkũyũ, the father; Mũmbi, the mother and their ten daughters who made the title of the story, the journeys, and challenges that these women and their suitors took in order to take the daughters' hands.

I absolutely love this take on Gĩkũyũ people that Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o has shown me. It is an old tale written with such a modern mindset that many other books these days couldn't even achieve. I was amazed and in love many times over with these female figures. All are beautifully described in appearance and character. Each possesses its own morality, bravery, talent, and wisdom. You can clearly see the admiration the men showed in the book. I appreciate the values he spoke of in the book, which include gender equality, feminism, the desire for peace, courage, etc. I was even more surprised to know that all these details were written by a man. Props to Mr. Thiong'o for this.

I did not know the story was executed in poetry form and at first, I thought that the book should be how most stories are. The lines rarely rhymed But as I read more of it, I realized I pay more attention to the sentences than I did most of the other books. He did not abuse big words for flowery but instead used many simple but gorgeous expressions that depict the beauty of Kenyan nature, black beauty, and the ethics that the author aimed for.

My only complaint is that there were many repeating details that seem excessive. I had to reread about Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi's adventure, only with a different perspective. I think they could have been merged together. but maybe I'm not the one to tell. The same things happened to many other lines in many other chapters. Still, I want to give this 5 stars instead of 4 to encourage people to read this.

In The Perfect Nine, Gikuyu and Mumbi, have escaped disaster and war. Wandering in search of peace and beauty, while the earth is churning out new mountains and lava is chasing them, they climb a mountain and arrive at a place which enamors them and becomes home. They settle and have Nine daughters, who are actually ten. When time comes for them to get married, Gikuyu prays to the supreme being for grooms for his daughters. Meanwhile young men from far away places have embarked on their own search for beauty, that has called them in their dreams. Crossing various natural and man made hurdles, Ninety-Nine arrive at Gikuyu's homestead. Thus begins the adventure of selecting one for each of his daughters.

In the original myth, Gikuyu prays to Ngai(God) for husband for his daughters and nine young men perfect for his daughters arrive at his doorstep. Thiong'o has focused on the question of how those Nine suitors came to him. The answer is this epic, written in a spoken verse style, which makes you want to read it out loud to savor it.

This tale gives us ideals which are suitable for our current world. Here, the tasks are not divided on the basis of gender, rather on the basis of skill and inclination. Arguments are not settled by fighting, rather by conversation and discourse. It is a satisfying retelling with its emphasis on only taking as much from nature as we need and trying to replace what you can and other similar considerations.

The emphasis on developing not only crafting and building skills but also thinking and rational skills for the daughters, presents them as self-fulfilled women who can tend for themselves. Those who are familiar with the original legend may be able to glean more from the variations that Thiong'o has introduced. Having said that, I enjoyed this with minimal research into that.

When you read this epic poem, imagine someone telling this around a fire.

This is the origin story of the Gĩkũyũ people of Kenya. A mother and father have ten daughters (nine are perfect) who have so many suitors that their parents send them on a quest to prove themselves. The perfect nine daughters go with them so they may fall in love.

This was a fun story with lessens about equality and treating each other well. Especially in a land that has dangerous creatures like lions and ogres.

This review is based on a copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

Fascinating for an outsider with no idea of Kenya's tribal beliefs. Reads like an epic poem with the advantage it is quite sort. The book follows the original man and woman who find the perfect land, give birth to nine beautiful girls, then a tenth to make it a perfect nine. The girls grow into beautiful women who have various skills and achievements so they are all quite self sufficient. But they need to marry so men are invited to come and show why they should be worthy of one of the girls. The main part of this courting takes place in an odyssey of the women and their suitors across various lands, ogres and other dangers where the morals of the people are displayed and produced. I probably missed most of the symbolism due to my ignorance but nonetheless it was an interesting read.

I'll just start by saying: I don't think I have ever read anything like this! And I mean that in the best way. I've read some African lit before (although there is definitely a lot of room for improvement in terms of branching out to different authors and different countries), but this was my first experience with an epic poem or really any form of mythology from the continent. I found The Perfect Nine incredibly easy to just dive into. It's an immersive tale that is both classic and traditional, and also straightforwardly, delightfully feminist. The epic tells the story of the founding of the clans that make up the Gĩkũyũ people of Kenya through the betrothal of ten daughters—the titular Perfect Nine, who are given this title for reasons that I won't get into here—choosing from a pool of 99 suitors. [read this next part in a Stefon voice] This myth has everything: lions, ogres, sacred mountains, archery, morality, and two satisfying plot twists towards the end. I sped through it in just over a day and finished the story with a deeper appreciation for and interest in exploring this rich mythological tradition.