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Petals of Blood (Paperback)

by Ngugi Wa Thiong'O (Author), Ngugi W. Thiong'o (Author), Ngguggi (Author) "They came for him that Sunday ..." (more)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Books; Reissue edition (Oct 1991)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140153519
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140153514
  • Product Dimensions: 19.9 x 12.9 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,636,295 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #37 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > N > Ngugi, Wa Thiong'o

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Inside This Book (Learn More)
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First Sentence
They came for him that Sunday. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Petals of Blood
59% buy the item featured on this page:
Petals of Blood 4.4 out of 5 stars (5)
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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as Grain of Wheat, 2 Mar 2007
This review is from: Petals of Blood (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)
This offering by Ngugi is not as powerful as his earlier work "A Grain of Wheat" but nevertheless it is still a passable read. The book tells of the story of four people who arrive at a village for different reasons, their actions and decisions leave the village transformed. Munira, a teacher is the character that is given the most voice and he is he is also the one that is most real. Haunted by the fact he did little to gain Uhuru for his native land he now takes up teaching in the village of Ilmorog in a bid to do his part. We witness his struggle to start the school and most of his struggle to possess Wanja, one of the other four protagonists and the only notable female character in the book, though as if to make of for this lack of females Wanja's promiscuity is present with almost monotonous regularity. The story is about their struggle for justice, how they are exploited by the capitalists and how ultimately they get their revenge.

Here a very unsubtle political message is on display and Marxist tendencies constantly litter the text. So too worryingly is the nationalism that is very overt and almost lauded by Nugugi, at one point a half Indian half black man is writing a letter to his Indian father telling him to get out the country. Unfortunately the story sometimes gets lost in the politics he tries to put across, though for most part it is still an enjoyable read.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars correction, 15 Nov 2005
By Philippa (London, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Petals of Blood (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
I believe this book to be set in Kenya, rather than Nigeria as above stated, as Nugugi is an author of Kenyan descent.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Kenya not Nigeria, 11 Feb 2006
This review is from: Petals of Blood (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
Yes this book is set in Kenya! It's a classic on many university reading lists when studying imperialism, as it is about Mau mau. But don't let that put you off... It's a damn good book...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Petals of Blood is an immensely powerful book
I lived in the world of this book for some time and was often on the point of tears.
Published on 13 Jun 2006 by epower

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and political
Petals of Blood is a metaphor of the violence suffered by the Nigerians when colonisation took place. Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2001

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