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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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Pages: 448 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0007200285
Pub: HarperPerennial
Pub date: 2007-01-15
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 35
Reader Reviews:
It will move you and stay with you (0/0 people found this helpful)
This book is a masterpiece. It is the only book I have ever read which I wanted to re-read the moment I turned the last page. I completely fell in love with the characters, grew totally attached to them. I couldn't put it down but found myself hiding the book from myself so I wouldn't finish it too quickly. It is a beautiful, tragic and yet hopeful book, but above all incredibly human. Do yourself a favour and read this book. Also read the other masterpiece, Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda or The Fates by Tino Georgiou. Both will move you and stay with you.
It must Be Me... (0/0 people found this helpful)
Bought this after so many good recommendations but I simply could not get into it. I personally found it was one of those books which did not flow for me. It felt more of a chore to read it than a pleasure. It's obviously well researched and the writing is good. But ultimately just not for me. Naturally I am in a minority.
What a let Down (1/1 people found this helpful)
I have read purple Hibiscus and it was one of the best books I have ever read! This however was one of the worst. I appreciate that it was a very important issue and I understand that but it had no story line, it was deeply depressing, the characters were boring. It was interesting as a history book and if your family or anyone you know lived in Nigeria in the 70's definately read but if not don't bother. Sorry for all those fans but I do not know how this book could be described as a masterpeice! Sorry but this book is boring and depressing not a good combo!
The Igbo perspective (2/2 people found this helpful)
It seems one has to go to authors from the developing world to get good novels these days, Afghanistan or Nigeria. Yes it is still Nigeria despite this book by an Igbo author being a great apology for Biafra. Other Amazon reviewers do not seem to pick up as to how one sided this perspective is. Northerners resented the Igbos for their intelligent commercial acumen. When they staged the first military coup, retaliation was sure to come. The one thing I found incredible in this book was the assertion that some expatriates encouraged the killing of Igbos in the North. I had friends in the North who witnessed the murders, They were horrified and traumatised by the butchery and never recounted any expatriate approval let alone encouragement of genocide.
This is a powerful well told story. The life of well to do Nigerians and expatriates in the newly independent Nigeria is well related. But were Nigerian sixties women as free with sexual favours as the twins i this novel?
The horror of the civil war is graphically portrayed and makes for uncomfortable reading. I found the reversion to earlier years part way through to be a confusing weakness in the story.
This is well told from an igbo perspective. Biafran soldiers are portrayed as brutal rapists. Not only their enemies were wicked. But not all Nigerians on the federal side were vandals.Gowon is an upright Christian and his magnanimous words in victory ae recorded. There is no explanation of why the British government backed federal Nigeria against much of public opinion. I believe the British were indeed indirectly responsible for this tragedy whem they kept missionaries and therefore education out of the Muslim North for so many years. They left a new country where educated southerners felt educationally superior to Muslim Northerners who believe the y have a divine right to rule.
Educational and riveting (2/2 people found this helpful)
My memories of the Biafran war as a 9 year old are TV pictures of starving women and children and being told to eat all the food on our plates and be thankful as the people of Biafra had no food. And I'm afraid that was all I knew of the situation until I read this book - a real education. The characters are interesting and very believable as are their stories as they each cope with the harrowing events and atrocities of the war. You will feel you have experienced Biafra. Another must-read.
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Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> Fiction -> General
Books -> Subjects -> Fiction -> Authors, A-Z -> N -> Ngozi Adichie, Chimamanda
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English