Confession of the Lioness, Mia Couto
Confession of the Lioness, Mia Couto
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Confession of the Lioness

Author: Mia Couto, David Brookshaw

Narrator: Kevin Kenerly, Lisa Reneé Pitts

Unabridged: 6 hr 36 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/14/2015


Synopsis

Told through two haunting, interwoven diaries, Mia Couto’s Confession of the Lioness reveals the mysterious world of Kulumani, a village whose traditions are threatened when ghost-like lionesses begin hunting the women who live there.Mariamar, a woman whose sister was killed in a lioness attack, finds her life thrown into chaos when the outsider Archangel Bullseye, the marksman hired to kill the lionesses, arrives at the request of the village elders. Mariamar’s father imprisons her in her home, where she relives painful memories of past abuse and hopes to be rescued by Archangel. Meanwhile, Archangel tracks the lionesses in the wilderness, but when he begins to suspect there is more to them than meets the eye, he starts to lose control of his hands. The hunt grows more dangerous, until it’s no safer inside Kulumani than outside it. As the men of Kulumani feel increasingly threatened by the outsider, the forces of modernity upon their traditional culture, and the danger of their animal predators closing in, it becomes clear the lionesses might not be real lionesses at all but spirits conjured by the ancient witchcraft of the women themselves.Both a riveting mystery and a poignant examination of women’s oppression, Confession of the Lioness explores the confrontation between the modern world and ancient traditions to produce an atmospheric, gripping novel.

About Mia Couto

Mia Couto, born in Mozambique, is one of the most prominent writers in Portuguese-speaking Africa. He has been awarded several important literary prizes, including the 2014 Neustadt International Prize for Literature.

About Kevin Kenerly

Kevin Kenerly, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, earned a BA at Olivet College. A longtime member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, he has acted in more than twenty seasons, playing dozens of roles.

About Lisa Reneé Pitts

Lisa Renee Pitts performs on stage and screen as well as in the recording booth. She is the winner of three AudioFile Earphones Awards.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Pakinam on November 26, 2024

مع أخر صفحة في الرواية سألت نفسي سؤال واحد فقط..هو أنا عجبني الكتاب؟؟ الصراحة معرفش! اعترفات شرسة من نوعية الكتب اللي مكتوبة حلو أوي لكن مقدرتش أندمج معها بس في نفس الوقت مقدرتش أسيبها.. تجربة جديدة بالنسبة لي وأعتقد دي أول قراءة ليا لكاتب من موزمبيق... الرواية من الوهلة الأولي تبان إنها مجرد رحلة يقوم......more

Goodreads review by Tahani on November 17, 2020

رواية أدبية خيالية شرسة، تختلط فيها الأساطير والسحر والرؤى والأحلام. القتل والموت والظلم والقسوة. الإساءة والاغتصاب والخوف والوحدة. قصة عن السياسة والصراع والوجود والمعتقدات. معاناة المرأة من النبذ والإهمال في المجتمع الأفريقي الذكوري الذي يعتبرها شيء ثانوي في الحياة. السرد شاعري وجميل وجاء متناوبًا......more

Goodreads review by Nada on November 13, 2024

"لن يُعاوِدَ السؤالَ عن الدافعِ وراء الصيدِ أبداً.. لأنّهُ سؤال بلا جواب.. فالصيدُ يجري من وراءِ العقل : الصيدُ شَغَفٌ، دُوارٌ مَشوبٌ بالهَذَيان" ......... روايةٌ شِعريةٌ و شاعرية.. لا أعرف هل الإبداع اللغوي في أصلِ النصِ أم إنّها ترجمة مارك جمال العظيمة.. ......... "لم يعد لديّ من الأوهام ما أستمرُّ في......more

Goodreads review by عبدالله on August 29, 2019

عظيمة إلى درجة يصح فيها أيضًا أن تقرأ كقصيدة.......more


Quotes

“It’s an old-fashioned tale whose earthy wisdom and shimmering magic will make you want to discover more of Couto’s work.” Vanity Fair

“Masterfully wrought…Confession of the Lioness sings with the musical nuance of a poem.” Los Angeles Times

“Couto’s work doesn’t so much blur the generic and stylistic boundaries we normally draw as explode them…Confession of the Lioness reads as a parable of human savagery and its consequences. It shows how humans might transform, literally and metaphorically, into animals; how violence, once committed, takes on an independent and inexorable life.” Boston Globe

“Inspired by real events experienced by prolific author Couto, this lyrical novel is about the many facets of fear that haunt the people in the tiny village of Kulumani, deep in the bush of Mozambique…Couto weaves a surreal mystery of humanity against nature, men against women, and tradition against modernity.” Publishers Weekly

“Couto, winner of the 2014 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, is known for his poetical writing style. Here he must share kudos with Brookshaw, whose translation beautifully captures the lyricism of this strange and disconcerting novel.” Library Journal

“A rich tale in which the spirit world is made real, animals are controlled by people, and dead ancestors are feared for their power to destroy cities. Couto also manages to explore the clash of disparate belief systems—tribal, Islam, Christian—in postcolonial Africa and deftly weaves in a critique of the embedded patriarchy…A haunting, ethereal flight of magical realism.” Kirkus Reviews

“One of the richest and most important authors in Africa.” Henning Mankell, praise for the author


Awards

  • Amazon Best Book of the Month
  • Boston Globe Pick
  • Los Angeles Times Favorite
  • PopSugar Best Books