The Fortune Men
- Downloads：9778
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-12-16 10:19:20
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Nadifa Mohamed
- ISBN：0593534360
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST - Based on a true event， this novel is "a blues song cut straight from the heart 。。。 about the unjust death of an innocent Black man caught up in a corrupt system。 The full life of Mahmood Mattan， the last man executed in Cardiff for a crime he was exonerated for forty years later [is] brought alive with subtle artistry and heartbreaking humanity" （Walter Mosley， best-selling author of Devil in a Blue Dress）。
In Cardiff， Wales in 1952， Mahmood Mattan， a young Somali sailor， is accused of a crime he did not commit: the brutal killing of Violet Volacki， a shopkeeper from Tiger Bay。 At first， Mahmood believes he can ignore the fingers pointing his way; he may be a gambler and a petty thief， but he is no murderer。 He is a father of three， secure in his innocence and his belief in British justice。
But as the trial draws closer， his prospect for freedom dwindles。 Now， Mahmood must stage a terrifying fight for his life， with all the chips stacked against him: a shoddy investigation， an inhumane legal system， and， most evidently， pervasive and deep-rooted racism at every step。
Under the shadow of the hangman's noose， Mahmood begins to realize that even the truth may not be enough to save him。 A haunting tale of miscarried justice， this book offers a chilling look at the dark corners of our humanity。
In Cardiff， Wales in 1952， Mahmood Mattan， a young Somali sailor， is accused of a crime he did not commit: the brutal killing of Violet Volacki， a shopkeeper from Tiger Bay。 At first， Mahmood believes he can ignore the fingers pointing his way; he may be a gambler and a petty thief， but he is no murderer。 He is a father of three， secure in his innocence and his belief in British justice。
But as the trial draws closer， his prospect for freedom dwindles。 Now， Mahmood must stage a terrifying fight for his life， with all the chips stacked against him: a shoddy investigation， an inhumane legal system， and， most evidently， pervasive and deep-rooted racism at every step。
Under the shadow of the hangman's noose， Mahmood begins to realize that even the truth may not be enough to save him。 A haunting tale of miscarried justice， this book offers a chilling look at the dark corners of our humanity。
Reviews
Diane Payne
，
Mohamed's historical fiction brings the characters involved in this 1952 murder， here a former merchant seaman is arrested for killing a shop killer。 Mattan is hanged for a crime he did not commit。 This is a gripping novel about racism and the faulty judicial system。For the most part， the narrative and pace move along swiftly， though， at times， the details are a bit muddled， but overall it's an important novel， even if the ending is a bit predictable because we have endured this form of injustic Mohamed's historical fiction brings the characters involved in this 1952 murder， here a former merchant seaman is arrested for killing a shop killer。 Mattan is hanged for a crime he did not commit。 This is a gripping novel about racism and the faulty judicial system。For the most part， the narrative and pace move along swiftly， though， at times， the details are a bit muddled， but overall it's an important novel， even if the ending is a bit predictable because we have endured this form of injustice over and over， yet this is a deeply personal account that provides the readers with an intimate insight into this case。 。。。more
T
，
Birmingham library
Caren
，
“The wrongful conviction and execution in 1952 of Somali migrant Mahmood Mattan became the first miscarriage of justice ever rectified by a British Court”， forty-five years after his execution as the murderer of a Jewish shopkeeper。 In this fictionalised account of the racism， conspiracy and lack of humanity that characterised the accusations that were responsible for Mattan’s verdict， Nadifa Mohamed skilfully recreated the atmosphere of Cardiff’s Tiger Bay and the multi-cultural/multi-racial ch “The wrongful conviction and execution in 1952 of Somali migrant Mahmood Mattan became the first miscarriage of justice ever rectified by a British Court”， forty-five years after his execution as the murderer of a Jewish shopkeeper。 In this fictionalised account of the racism， conspiracy and lack of humanity that characterised the accusations that were responsible for Mattan’s verdict， Nadifa Mohamed skilfully recreated the atmosphere of Cardiff’s Tiger Bay and the multi-cultural/multi-racial characters who populated its streets and businesses: “Somalian and West Indian sailors， Maltese businessmen， and Jewish families。” Most impressively， the author brought Mattan himself to life through the series of events that allowed us to connect with the former sailor， gambler， and “chancer” as he lost his fight for truth。Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2021， the novel certainly showcased Mohamed’s astute research into the dark conspiracy that surrounded Mattan’s incrimination， even his defence going so far as to label Mattan as “Half child of nature， half semi-civilised savage。” The reader is made to see the deception of witnesses， the deeply-held racism that made the verdict a certainty from the beginning of the slanted police investigation。 The last third of the novel was brilliant and certainly deserved to be considered for the Booker Prize。 However， the additional narratives of the first half， side-stories about other characters， about other seedy escapades that involved Mattan， were distracting and often tedious to get through。 Nonetheless， once Mattan was accused and the focus remained on his fight， on his contact with his Welsh wife， Laura and their three children， and on the mounting of the conspiracy to wrongly convict him， I could not put the book down。 This accounts for my high rating。 More strident editing was indicated。 。。。more
Ron Charles
，
The outrageousness of the case against Mahmood Hussein Mattan still burns: In 1952， Mattan， a former merchant seaman， was arrested for slitting the throat of a shopkeeper in Cardiff， Wales。 His murder trial was riddled with lies and suppressed evidence。 His own defense lawyer described him in court as a “semicivilized savage。”And then Mattan was hanged。For more than four decades afterward， the wheels of justice turned excruciatingly slowly。 But in 1998， the Court of Appeal overturned Mattan’s co The outrageousness of the case against Mahmood Hussein Mattan still burns: In 1952， Mattan， a former merchant seaman， was arrested for slitting the throat of a shopkeeper in Cardiff， Wales。 His murder trial was riddled with lies and suppressed evidence。 His own defense lawyer described him in court as a “semicivilized savage。”And then Mattan was hanged。For more than four decades afterward， the wheels of justice turned excruciatingly slowly。 But in 1998， the Court of Appeal overturned Mattan’s conviction and awarded his family £725，000 as compensation。Although there can be no restitution for the unjustly executed man， his ordeal is the subject of an extraordinary novel that insists on his innate value and exposes the system that killed him。 “The Fortune Men，” by a Somali-British author Nadifa Mohamed， was shortlisted for this year’s Booker Prize， and is now finally available in the United States。As a work of historical fiction， Mohamed’s novel is equally informative and moving。 While the details of her story are drawn from news accounts and court records， the interior portraits stem from her own deeply sympathetic imagination。 The resulting confluence of fact and fiction provides a。 。 。 。To read the rest of this review， go to The Washington Post:https://www。washingtonpost。com/books/。。。 。。。more
Maykala
，
Historical fiction is not a genre I usually gravitate towards， but The Fortune Men’s premise and it’s place on the Booker shortlist intrigued me。 Mahmood Mattan is a Somali sailor who has built a life and a family in Cardiff。 It’s 1952。 Mahmood has not gone out to sea in a while。 His wife， Laura and his children have moved back in with Laura’s family， so Mahmmod is living in a boarding house。 Mahmood has been spending his time gambling and watching movies in the theater。 When Mahmood is falsely Historical fiction is not a genre I usually gravitate towards， but The Fortune Men’s premise and it’s place on the Booker shortlist intrigued me。 Mahmood Mattan is a Somali sailor who has built a life and a family in Cardiff。 It’s 1952。 Mahmood has not gone out to sea in a while。 His wife， Laura and his children have moved back in with Laura’s family， so Mahmmod is living in a boarding house。 Mahmood has been spending his time gambling and watching movies in the theater。 When Mahmood is falsely accused of killing a shopkeeper， he maintains his innocence， but neighbors and the police focus in on Mahmood as the prime suspect。 The Fortune Men is based on a true story。 Nadifa Mohamed does an excellent job humanizing Mahmood and the family of the murdered shopkeeper while exploring the injustice Mahmood endures。 This novel explores a system filled with prejudice， false witnesses， and the need to blame， even if the outcome leads to an innocent man's condemnation。 Mohamed fictionalizes Mattan’s story with a depth and care that I don’t often see when it comes to stories about murder and the accused。 I found this novel to be completely engrossing。 I knew going in that the story would be heartbreaking， but I could not stop reading。 The Fortune Men deserves all it’s current praise and I would highly recommend it。 。。。more
Laura Neale
，
Such an awfully sad book and knowing it’s based on true events makes it even sadder。 Even worse， similar injustices still happen today to those of different races， religions， disabilities， genders etc and it’s just awful。Despite the story being what it is， the plot is slow and drawn out， sharing the thoughts of those involved in the process and the court proceedings so don’t go into this expecting a fast paced crime mystery。
Gerard Murphy
，
An interesting premise but did not quite hold my attention throughout。
Jenn Adams
，
Slow start but really picks up as you approach the trial。 Detailed examination through the perspective of the condemned。 Emotional and depressing， but unique and enlightening。Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review。
Sheila
，
Quite an extraordinary book， set in Wales in 1952。A true story，outlining the lives of the Somalian and West Indian sailors， the Maltese busisnessmen and Jewish families who lived in CardiffsTiger Bay。 The book focuses mainly on Mahmoud， a Somalian drifter who married a Welsh girl and had three children with her。 He is accused of a murder he didn’t commit and the book goes through his time in prison， his trial， his claims of innocence but he is eventually convicted and hanged。 We see the change i Quite an extraordinary book， set in Wales in 1952。A true story，outlining the lives of the Somalian and West Indian sailors， the Maltese busisnessmen and Jewish families who lived in CardiffsTiger Bay。 The book focuses mainly on Mahmoud， a Somalian drifter who married a Welsh girl and had three children with her。 He is accused of a murder he didn’t commit and the book goes through his time in prison， his trial， his claims of innocence but he is eventually convicted and hanged。 We see the change in him as the reality of how his life is unraveling before him， heartbreakingly told。 In 1998 ， the conviction was quashed， 46 years after his execution。 。。。more
Marina
，
The way Mahmood is written is so perfect: unpredictable and charming， intelligent but dumb， at turns belligerent and loving， headstrong and proud。 But there was something in the style of writing that lacked warmth for me， and the novel would've been better without the first third， which dragged on。 I mean， I understand why the pov of the Volackis was there， but did we need it？ No。 The way Mahmood is written is so perfect: unpredictable and charming， intelligent but dumb， at turns belligerent and loving， headstrong and proud。 But there was something in the style of writing that lacked warmth for me， and the novel would've been better without the first third， which dragged on。 I mean， I understand why the pov of the Volackis was there， but did we need it？ No。 。。。more
Mark
，
Ends rather better than it starts。 The latter half， trial， conviction and execution are gripping。 Well worth a read。
Clare
，
This is a fictionalised account of true events， set in the Tiger Bay community in Cardiff in the 1950s， when a Somali man was accused of the murder of a white Jewish female shopkeeper。 It's no spoiler to suggest that the odds are heavily stacked against him from the start。 Nadifa Mohamed takes you into that world with complete authenticity， showing how peoples from all around the world lived uneasily side by side in the poor run down housing near the docks where many of them worked， and how quic This is a fictionalised account of true events， set in the Tiger Bay community in Cardiff in the 1950s， when a Somali man was accused of the murder of a white Jewish female shopkeeper。 It's no spoiler to suggest that the odds are heavily stacked against him from the start。 Nadifa Mohamed takes you into that world with complete authenticity， showing how peoples from all around the world lived uneasily side by side in the poor run down housing near the docks where many of them worked， and how quickly that uneasy tolerance breaks down in difficult circumstances。 No one is all good or all bad， although it's difficult from a present day perspective to overlook the actions of the police， but the accused man himself is not an angel and his actions often make things worse for himself and those who care about him。 I thought the writing was excellent and the story grips to the end。 。。。more
Helen Pakpahan
，
This is the true story of the murder of a Jewish shopkeeper/money-lender in Tiger Bay， Cardiff and the subsequent miscarriage of justice of a black man that was hangrd for the crime。The book is told from multiple perspectives， but all have same tone and style and there is absolutely no pace - meaning that the author has turned an important story into a dull one。 There is a lot of irrelevant detail which is there， one presumes， to give character and back-story both to protagonists and Tiger Bay， This is the true story of the murder of a Jewish shopkeeper/money-lender in Tiger Bay， Cardiff and the subsequent miscarriage of justice of a black man that was hangrd for the crime。The book is told from multiple perspectives， but all have same tone and style and there is absolutely no pace - meaning that the author has turned an important story into a dull one。 There is a lot of irrelevant detail which is there， one presumes， to give character and back-story both to protagonists and Tiger Bay， but they distance the reader rather than draw you in。 I cant understand how it was on the Booker shortlist as the quality of writing for me was below parr。 。。。more
Stuart
，
A story of prejudice，racism and greed resulting in a tragic miscarriage of justice。 Nadifa has taken it and produced a truly engaging book capturing the soul of the innocent victim caught up in it。 Thoroughly enjoyed it from first page to last。
Danny Owen
，
3。9
Faceyourfuuto
，
A GOD AWFUL BOOK HURT MY EYES TO READ DNF。
Suwayda
，
3。5⭐️
jasmine
，
DNF @ 35% The writing is clonky and filled with extraneous detail。 Not a fan of court room drama too。 Saw reviews mentioned that the last quarter of the story is great ， but I just can't see myself finishing it 😅🤦🏻 DNF @ 35% The writing is clonky and filled with extraneous detail。 Not a fan of court room drama too。 Saw reviews mentioned that the last quarter of the story is great ， but I just can't see myself finishing it 😅🤦🏻 。。。more
Jennifer Watts
，
A great historical fiction novel set in the early 1950s in Cardiff， Wales。 It’s a story about a real murder and subsequent execution of a Somali man accused of killing a shopkeeper。 I loved the details regarding the diaspora of many Asian and African migrants working the ships as well as the flashbacks to Somaliland and Africa。 The descriptions were believable and although it was a little slow in parts， it was very readable and kept me interested。 I selected this book as it was short listed for A great historical fiction novel set in the early 1950s in Cardiff， Wales。 It’s a story about a real murder and subsequent execution of a Somali man accused of killing a shopkeeper。 I loved the details regarding the diaspora of many Asian and African migrants working the ships as well as the flashbacks to Somaliland and Africa。 The descriptions were believable and although it was a little slow in parts， it was very readable and kept me interested。 I selected this book as it was short listed for the Booker prize and although it didn’t win， I can see that it was a worthy contender。 。。。more
Simon Butler
，
A historical novel set in early 1950s Cardiff based on the true story of Mahmood Mattan， a Muslim man from Somaliland unjustly hanged for a murder he did not commit。 Decades later， after a long campaign by Mattan's Welsh partner and children， he was exonerated。 A story about unacknowledged racism and the hypocrisies of British justice。 At times it reminded me of Bernard Malmund's The Fixer。 A historical novel set in early 1950s Cardiff based on the true story of Mahmood Mattan， a Muslim man from Somaliland unjustly hanged for a murder he did not commit。 Decades later， after a long campaign by Mattan's Welsh partner and children， he was exonerated。 A story about unacknowledged racism and the hypocrisies of British justice。 At times it reminded me of Bernard Malmund's The Fixer。 。。。more
Jared Ellingsen
，
I found this book tough to get through and I primarily blame the marketing。 I understand why it was sold the way it was， but knowing the outcome of the book before I started it made it difficult to connect with the protagonist emotionally。 And then the parts I did really enjoy， following Diana and Grace， strangely disappeared in the second half of the novel。 It’s a very engaging story and it’s well written， but knowing how it ended before I began made the overall experience rather hollow。
Michael Burke
，
Nadifa Mohamed's Booker Prize-nominated "The Fortune Men" is based on the true story of a man wrongfully convicted of murder and executed in Cardiff， Wales in 1952。 Mahmood Mattan was a Somali sailor and small-time thief who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in the wrong color of skin。 Violet Volacki， a 40 year old Jewish shopkeeper， had her throat slit one night as her family was in the other room。 There were no true witnesses， Mahmood had alibis， and any evidence against him Nadifa Mohamed's Booker Prize-nominated "The Fortune Men" is based on the true story of a man wrongfully convicted of murder and executed in Cardiff， Wales in 1952。 Mahmood Mattan was a Somali sailor and small-time thief who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in the wrong color of skin。 Violet Volacki， a 40 year old Jewish shopkeeper， had her throat slit one night as her family was in the other room。 There were no true witnesses， Mahmood had alibis， and any evidence against him was as flimsy as it was convenient for the police。The opening of the book illustrates the port of Cardiff in colorful detail。 Mahmood roams the streets and is portrayed as a mysterious and slightly unsavory character。 Once he is arrested， though， we gravitate toward him。 He is rebellious and snaps at the police-- he knows he is innocent， after all。 At his core is the central belief that truth has to win out。 Later， once he clearly sees the writing on the wall， he shows his concern and love for his three young sons when he makes his wife promise to nurture the account that their father had simply been lost at sea， thus sparing any further disgrace。In 1998， forty-six years after Mahmood's hanging， the British courts overturned his conviction。 It was determined that the one witness putting him at the scene of the crime had been pressured by the police and lured by the promise of a reward。 Mahmood's name was finally cleared， if decades too late for him and his family。"The Fortune Men" arrives with every historical spoiler alert。 The man is executed in one of history's more notorious injustices。 The magic of the book lies in Nadifa Mohamed's vivid depiction of the people whose lives were sucked into this tragedy。 Thank you to Knopf Doubleday， NetGalley and Nadifa Mohamed for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Amy
，
DNF。 Made it about 60 pages in， to death of shopkeeper。 Found it very slow going and became increasingly reluctant to pick it up and read it。
Maria Magdalena
，
I enjoyed learning of the inhabitants of multicultural Cardiff， with the Second World War and decolonisation looming。 Well written - worthy contender for the Booker Prize this year。
Hardcover Hearts
，
Like many people， I am sure， this book came on my radar when it was included in the Booker Prize long list， and then shortlist for this year。 I may have completely missed this book were it not for that。 In this book， Nadifa Mohamed paints a vivid picture of the port city of Cardiff in the 1950s as a bustling multicultural community of people， living side by side。 Among the Welsh are enclaves of people- Jews， Maltese， West Indians， and a Somali man who has a chip on his shoulder and a wife to win Like many people， I am sure， this book came on my radar when it was included in the Booker Prize long list， and then shortlist for this year。 I may have completely missed this book were it not for that。 In this book， Nadifa Mohamed paints a vivid picture of the port city of Cardiff in the 1950s as a bustling multicultural community of people， living side by side。 Among the Welsh are enclaves of people- Jews， Maltese， West Indians， and a Somali man who has a chip on his shoulder and a wife to win back。 We meet this unlikeable man， Mahmood Mattan， as he makes his way around the city， gambling， plotting， and scheming。 We also meet Diana who lives with her daughter and adult sister above the shop that their father owned。 The Jewish family fled the Nazi occupation and landed in Cardiff。 One night， there is a late customer wanting to make a purchase， so Diana's sister Violet goes to open up for the man while Diana teaches her daughter how to dance in the kitchen with the radio on。 Violet is found murdered shortly after。 Mahmood is picked up for the murder though he adamantly claims his innocence。 This book breathed life into these historical characters and she was so skillful in making me feel something for a man who was not just unlikeable but also arrogant， prideful， and blind to the actual bind he was in。 The details were sharp， the characters felt realistic， and the community was richly drawn。 I am so glad I read this book， and I understand why it was included in the Booker shortlist。 I would like to thank Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the access to the digital arc in exchange for an impartial review。 。。。more
Ozzy
，
Gut wrenching story but I’m so happy I got this book signed by Nadifa
Lesley Botez
，
Amazingly researched book。
Sam Edwards
，
Not a perfect book - moved between 3 and 4 stars but ultimately the story itself was one of the more powerful I’ve read。
Abigail
，
3。5 stars。 An important piece of history and miscarriage of justice to know about and I was really emotionally affected by the end。 However， it took a while to get into and the prose was lacklustre for the first half。
Linda
，
It wasn’t until the last third of this novel-based-on-fact that I actually found myself interested in the story。 The news of racism in the mid 1950s isn’t new but the seemingly stoic acceptance of it was bothersome。 The illiterate main character did not come across as likable until near the end of the novel。Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for the ARC to read and review。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Fortune Men
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Fortune Men&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Fortune Men&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0