I Swear By Apollo

by Margaret Ogolla

“Kill a man if you must but never deprive him of hope— for with that you kill him anyway and in a much more cruel way.”

he dawn of the 21st Century and a country struggles to rise from the vortex of inefficiency, corruption, and filth that dogged it up to the close of the last century. In this sequel to the award-winning The River and Source, Margaret Ogola weaves around the lives of the grandchildren of Mark and Elizabeth Sign —lives that mirror the tribulations and aspirations of a people going through a reexamination of their values and attitudes in search for their true human identity and place in a fast-changing world. About the Author
Dr. Margaret Ogola was a pediatrician married to Dr. George Ogola. They had five children. She was the Executive National Secretary, Commission for Health and Family Life, Kenya Catholic Secretariat. She was also the Country Coordinator, Hope for African Child Initiative (HACI), Kenya. Her first novel The River and The Source won the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature in 1995 and The Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for the Best First Book, Africa region, 1995. She also coauthored Educating in Human Love together with her husband George.

191 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Giacomo Gubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

LIVING TRADITION

These two Margaret A. Ogola's novels ("The river and the source" and "I swear by Apollo") were for me a valid and delightful introduction to the Kenyan culture and its changes in the last century. But what I like the most in Ogola's works is the living experience of tradition. Each novel's character represents a different creative development of the same kenyan tradition. The reader can observe how a traditional culture courageously cultivate the human nature with all problems and contradictions that the life's adventure involves. These two novels are probably to optimistic to be truly narrative masterworks: nonetheless they are both high-quality entertainment.

[Y_thera ❤️ Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a 5 star read this year!

I love Margaret Ogola's work.
😂😂 I had hearty laughs and at times i had to read again to soak up the wisdom she spews.

The ending of this book however was not the best, for me, there was dwelling on one event.. the honeymoon...which was boring given that i wanted to hear what Mark and Gandhi were up to😂😂

Themes such as Motherhood, loss, career, marriage... coming of age were explored which was very nice.

[Phillip Gauronskas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Ms. Ogolla's "The River and the Source". If I am completely honest, I feel that the prequel was more dynamic and interesting, as this tends to focus on Wandia and Mark's, and most of the historical and cultural changes happening within Kenya have slowed down to modern, contemporary Kenya. I am not saying that the book isn't good, but rather I was spoiled by the original story which I found to be way more fascinating in terms of its breadth and scope. Nevertheless, if you were invested in the original story and characters from The River and the Source, I would recommend reading this sequel, so you can find out "what happens next".

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was excited to read this especially when I found out it was a sequel to the river and the source. Its definitely not better than the river and the source but it was great to read what happened to the family. There were several sections such as explanations about the president and narratives about the environment thatI found irrelevant. But still worth a read, especially if you have read the river and the source

[Collins Hinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

A continuation of the family line of the great Akoko from The River and the Source. Wandia seems to have taken up her spirit, her rational way of viewing things notwithstanding considering she is extremely well-educated and all. Anyways, great read about what transpired in the lives of Akoko's great and great great grandchildrens' lives from their careers to their family lives. Definitely read this book after reading the aforementioned The River and the Source by the same author to fully enjoy and appreciate its themes.

[Alfred Orero · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Kill a man if you must, but never deprive him of hope. For if you do, you kill him in a much more cruel way".
Stuck with me even 12 years later after reading this book.
Fantastic read!

[Jesse Odeph]

Greta book

[Benjamin Ndeti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book by a Great Writer

[africawrites - The RAS' annual festival of African Literature]

This is not a book I've read, but this year there's a strong Kenyan strand and current to our literature festival, Africa Writes, and its encouraged me to explore Kenyan writing - so this book has been added to my list, and is part of our 'First Lines, Best Lines' campaign on twitter, as it starts quite boldly. "THE FLAME TREES, their flowers the colour of newly spilt blood stood sentinel by the main avenue....


If you like this book or others like it, you may want to join us for Africa Writes. It takes place this year at the British Library from 5-7 July 2013.

For more info on the festival, visit our website: www.royalafricansociety.org/event/afr...

You may also like our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AfricaWrites

Follow us on twitter - www.twitter.com/royafrisoc

Dele Meiji Fatunla
Website Editor
Royal African Society

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[Temi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful