Glory Audiobook By NoViolet Bulawayo cover art

Glory

A Novel

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Glory

By: NoViolet Bulawayo
Narrated by: Chipo Chung
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About this listen

2022 BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST

“Manifoldly clever…brilliant… ‘Glory’ is its own vivid world, drawn from its own folklore. This is a satire with sharper teeth, angrier, and also very, very funny.” —Violet Kupersmith, The New York Times Book Review

"Genius."—#1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds

From the award-winning author of the Booker-prize finalist
We Need New Names, an exhilarating novel about the fall of an oppressive regime, and the chaos and opportunity that rise in its wake.

NoViolet Bulawayo’s bold new novel follows the fall of the Old Horse, the long-serving leader of a fictional country, and the drama that follows for a rumbustious nation of animals on the path to true liberation. Inspired by the unexpected fall by coup in November 2017 of Robert G. Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president of nearly four decades, Glory shows a country's imploding, narrated by a chorus of animal voices that unveil the ruthlessness required to uphold the illusion of absolute power and the imagination and bulletproof optimism to overthrow it completely. By immersing listeners in the daily lives of a population in upheaval, Bulawayo reveals the dazzling life force and irresistible wit that lie barely concealed beneath the surface of seemingly bleak circumstances.

And at the center of this tumult is Destiny, a young goat who returns to Jidada to bear witness to revolution—and to recount the unofficial history and the potential legacy of the females who have quietly pulled the strings here. The animal kingdom—its connection to our primal responses and its resonance in the mythology, folktales, and fairy tales that define cultures the world over—unmasks the surreality of contemporary global politics to help us understand our world more clearly, even as Bulawayo plucks us right out of it.

Although Zimbabwe is the immediate inspiration for this thrilling story, Glory was written in a time of global clamor, with resistance movements across the world challenging different forms of oppression. Thus it often feels like Bulawayo captures several places in one blockbuster allegory, crystallizing a turning point in history with the texture and nuance that only the greatest fiction can.

©2022 NoViolet Bulawayo (P)2022 Penguin Audio
Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Political World Literature Tearjerking Heartfelt Royalty
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Critic reviews

2023, Aspen Words Literary Prize: Long-listed

2022, Booker Prize: Short-listed

2022, Booker Prize: Long-listed

2023, DUBLIN Literary Award: Long-listed

2023, Rathbones Folio Prize: Short-listed

2023, Women's Prize for Fiction: Long-listed

"A crackling political satire." —The New York Times

"Genius." —#1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds

"Manifoldly clever…brilliant... ‘Glory’ is its own vivid world, drawn from its own folklore. This is a satire with sharper teeth, angrier, and also very, very funny." —Violet Kupersmith, The New York Times Book Review

Editor's Pick

An animal tale that’s distinctly human
It was immediately evident from her arresting 2013 debut, We Need New Names, that NoViolet Bulawayo is the kind of writer sure to leave a massive impact on the literary world. She wields a knack for blending stark realities with a kind of near-magic lyricism, a skill that again proves effective in her sophomore novel, Glory. Sharply satirical and relentlessly incisive, this allegorical creature fable—a sort of spiritual successor to George Orwell’s classic Animal Farm—serves as both a deft, clever exploration of the 2017 coup in Zimbabwe that saw the fall of longtime leader Robert Mugabe and an ultimately hopeful look at the power held by ordinary folks in the face of tyranny. And there’s no one better to bring this skewering of the global political landscape to life than actress Chipo Chung, whose laudable performance adds a layer of depth and emotional magnitude to this already impactful novel. —Alanna M., Audible Editor

Powerful Storytelling • Rich Story • Masterful Narration • Compelling Tale • Gripping Storyline
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Great story, many of us have been in Chidada and so could relate. Chipo Chung has done a good job reading making it a good listen!

Great story!

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As someone who grew up next door in Zambia, this book was just amazing. She tells so much about Zimbabwe but also any people suffering injustice and trauma, but with a brilliant humor. The repetition feels not only very African, but also forced me to really dwell on what was happening. It's a powerful effect. Highly recommended!

phenomenal

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This is a great novel. Incredible reader. The performance added greatly to the story! Highly recommended.

wonderful.

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One of the best books I’ve read in a while. Good insight into how politics of hope can quickly be politics of despair.

Well written and so poignant.

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Beautifully and uniquely written. A work of art about the ugliness and enduring consequences of imperialism and greed and humanity’s power to survive and thrive.

The performance was enjoyable and captivating.

Unlike Any Book I’ve Read Before

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This is a must have for your audio book collection. The story and the performance are both rich and alive.

Wonderful

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One of the most powerfully written, and read, books that I’ve ever experienced. My feeble writing skills cannot possibly do justice to this incredible piece of literature. Never have I laughed, cried, held my breath, and seethed so viscerally all in one book.

Utterly Outstanding

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Hilarious & devastating by turns! A deeply moving book. Read it and experience the sorrow and the joy of Jidada with a da and another da!

Wonderful! A must-read

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I loved this book. I loathed this story. It is brilliantly told. It is stunningly narrated. It should make you laugh and scare you to tears.
I have recommended it to several true readers (absorbers), but I think that Bulawayo’s telling is so much more powerful being told by Chung’s masterful narration.
Please listen… carefully.

Stunning Storytelling.

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This is the best performance of an audiobook that I’ve ever heard, after hearing many. I don’t think reading this story would do it the justice or give the impact that the narrator gives it. I was brought to tears listening several Times. The story can be hard to follow at first but it’s definitely worth sticking with it.

Superb narration

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