Three Strong Women
France

Three Strong Women

by Marie NDiaye

Identity & Belonging Fiction 2009

Summary

The story of three women who say no: Norah, a French-born lawyer who finds herself in Senegal, summoned by her estranged father to save another victim of his paternity; Fanta, who leaves a contented life as a teacher in Dakar to follow her boyfriend back to France, where his depression and dislocation poison everything; and Khady, a penniless widow put out by her husband's family with nothing but the name of a distant cousin in France. As these three lives intertwine, each woman manages an astonishing feat of self-preservation against those who have made themselves the fastest-growing and most-reviled people in Europe. In Marie NDiaye's stunning narration we see the progress by which ordinary women discover unimagined reserves of strength.

Reviews

Login to leave a review.

No reviews yet. Be the first!

You might also like

The Day of the Jackal
The Day of the Jackal
Frederick Forsyth
Eye Spy
Eye Spy
C.M. Ewan
Last Train to Istanbul
Last Train to Istanbul
Ayşe Kulin
Safiyyah's War
Safiyyah's War
Hiba Noor Khan
Country
France
Europe
About the author
Marie NDiaye
Marie NDiaye

Marie NDiaye is a French novelist and playwright known for her psychologically complex fiction, blending realism with surrealism, fairy-tale elements, and the uncanny. Born in Pithiviers, France, in 1967 to a French mother and a Senegalese father, she began writing at a young age and published her first novel, Quant au riche avenir, at just 18. Her work frequently explores identity, family relationships, alienation, social exclusion, and the unsettling dynamics of power. Her acclaimed novel Three Strong Women (Trois femmes puissantes, 2009) won the Prix Goncourt, one of France’s most prestigious literary awards. Other notable works include Rosie Carpe and My Heart Hemmed In. Through her enigmatic narratives and distinctive prose, NDiaye examines the fragility of belonging and the hidden tensions beneath ordinary life, establishing herself as a major voice in contemporary French literature.

View author page
Details
Published
2009
Author
Marie NDiaye