Praise Song For The Butterflies
Hardback Published on: 31/01/2019
Price: £16.99
Bookseller Reviews
View all
Effortlessly powerful and deeply affecting
This brief yet brilliant journey chronicles the worst a human can suffer at the hands of those closest to them, but is so wonderfully crafted that you are ... READ MORE
Beautiful and Healing
This novel, longlisted for the women's prize, tells the story of Abeo Kata. Raised in a happy and comfortable home, Abeo suffers unspeakable misfortune whe... READ MORE
Deeply Moving
This is the first book I've read by Bernice L. McFadden, but it certainly won't be the last. Praise Song for the Butterflies looks at ritual servitude in W... READ MORE
Synopsis
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2019
Abebe Tsikata lives a comfortable, happy life in West Africa as the privileged 9-year-old daughter of a government employee and stay-at-home mother.
But when the Tsikatas' idyllic lifestyle takes a turn for the worse, Abebe's father, following his mother's advice, places her in a religious shrine, hoping that the sacrifice of his daughter will serve as religious atonement for his ancestors' crimes.
Unspeakable acts befall Abebe for the 15 years she's enslaved within the shrine.
When she's finally rescued, broken and battered, she must struggle to overcome her past, endure the revelation of family secrets, and learn to trust and love again.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Jacaranda Books Art Music Ltd
- ISBN: 9781909762886
- Number of pages: 224
- Dimensions: 236 x 158 x 24 mm
- Weight: 400g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allA glimpse into the true dignity of the human spirit
The narrative begins as the story of a 9 year-old girl in Ghana. This may be far distant in place and culture from a corner of the UK but Bernice McFadden,... READ MORE
Brilliant!
As soon as the women's prize long list for 2019 was announced I knew this book would have to be read!
Loved the cover, loved the idea of it... So thank you... READ MORE