The Shadow King

A Novel

By: Maaza Mengiste

Narrated by: Robin Miles

"A brilliant novel, lyrically lifting history towards myth. It's also compulsively readable. I devoured it in two days." (Salman Rushdie)

In 1935, orphaned servant Hirut struggles to adapt to her new household as Ethiopia faces Mussolini's looming invasion. As the battles begin in earnest, Hirut and other women must care for the wounded. But when Emperor Haile Selassie goes into exile and Ethiopia is about to lose hope, Hirut helps to disguise a gentle peasant as the emperor to keep the fight alive. She becomes his guard, inspiring women to join the war against fascism.

In this extraordinary, beautifully told epic, Hirut overcomes rape, violence, and imprisonment, finding the strength to fight for her country's freedom and her own. Maaza Mengiste breathes life into complicated characters on both sides of the battle line, shaping a searing story of ordinary women and the advanced army they courageously opposed. Set against the first real conflict of World War II, The Shadow King is a heartrending, indelible exploration of what it means to be a woman at war.

©2019 Maaza Mengiste (P)2019 Recorded Books

Beautiful book, but hard to read

This book is beautifully written, tells an important and often overlooked story, but is very violent and hard to get through. The tough parts I listened to at a faster speed. When I was about to give up, I read some reviews of the book and interviews with the author and this helped me appreciate the story so much more and want to finish it. I am so glad I did.

Narration accents were awful!

Narration was very, very disappointing. The ethiopian accents were extremely off-base. Audible should be finding authentic voices to read books like this. You’ve done a disservice to an incredibly powerful and beautiful text.

Excellent book, superb reader!

This book is historical fiction that centers the real-life Ethiopian women who fought the invading Italians during WWII. This book brings them to life in beautifully written language. The reader is phenomenal. Highly recommend!

Exposing my own ignorance through powerful prose

Wow! This book was hardcore and compelling. I couldn’t put it down. The reader did a stunning job. I learned/felt so much through this historical fiction.

Amazing

Loved every second, inspiring and touching story of the women soldiers during the Ethiopia war.