– C1-C2 (advanced) –

Practice Your Listening Comprehension

Practice Your Reading Comprehension

One of my favourite pieces of literature is a French novel written by Cameroonian author Léonora Miano, which is translated into English by Gila Walker. Its title: “Season of the Shadow.”

This is a short but poignant historical fiction story that blends elements of magical realism with challenging themes, such as colonization, genocide, and survival. Miano approaches a long-described topic using the tool of perspectivism to further explore and shed light on the oft disregarded point of view held, not by the colonizer or their beneficiaries, but by the colonized and potentially their future descendents.

While reading this novel, there are a variety of English language elements that one can learn about and practice:

• present tense

• past tense

• varied punctuation, including em dashes, colons, semi-colons, and ellipses

• use of italics in context

• question structures, including rhetorical questions

• descriptive language

• dialogue

• vocabulary related to:

  • civilization

  • colonization / colonialism

  • nature

  • violence

  • imagination

  • fear

  • the unfamiliar / the unknown

  • personal values

  • creed

  • relationships

  • communication

  • sound

• and much more…!

Does this book sound like something you would be interested in? Are you a fan of historical fiction as a genre? What is your favourite book from this genre? Let me know in the comments below.