Abimbola Gbemi Alao

The Legendary Weaver: New Edition Abimbola Gbemi Alao Updated edition

The Legendary Weaver is set in Nigeria, where Kike, the protagonist, lives with her mother Aduni, in a small, remote village. A serious bout of fever leaves Kike weakened. She recovers slowly but gradually loses her hearing until, in her early teens, she is totally deaf. After a period of deep depression, she turns her disability into a challenge and this challenge into wondrous capability, as she advances from her lowly station to a symbolic house on the hill. "Told in a simple, sometimes earthy style, this story is a parable and moral tale, a paean to the indomitability of the human spirit." Niyi Osundare, Poet and Literary Critic "Abimbola's skill as a tale-teller is evident from the off. Like all the best novelists, you cannot tear your eyes from the page..." Katie, Evening Herald, Plymouth "Abimbola draws upon the richness of the African oral tradition... The interplay of orality and literacy, both in the narrative proverb and frame narrative is highly effective." Grace Yesufu, Head of English, The John Warner School Hoddesdon