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rskey's review
5.0
One of my favorite books of the year. It took a while for me to get hooked, but it absolutely dazzled me once I got into it. I felt all the feelings and that is a success to me.
wolfebh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, War, Child death, Racism, Drug abuse, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
melissa_li's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jfaberrit's review against another edition
4.0
More like 4 and a quarter than 4 stars. Gyasi's debut novel is a sweeping tale of a family split between Ghana and the US over two hundred years of separation. The best of the vignettes are beautifully told, and Gyasi is a born storyteller, whose rhythms and pace flow naturally and feel effortless. Unlike a lot of novels, it doesn't feel like a creative writing workshop project writ large, but instead a real novel by someone whois comfortable with the characters and their lives. To the extent that it has flaws, it is that she writes better when her narrators have stronger traits and motivations, and seems to drift when they themselves are driftless or weak-willed. I'm also a little skeptical if the generations really work out, since she averages about 40 years per generation which is pretty long, but these are details. Strangely enough, even though she was largely raised in America, the American sections often feel unmoored from their time and place than the African chapters. Overall though, this is a much better first novel than most writers can dream of, and suggests only good things in her future.
leahthebooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
Sweeping family generational story. Effia and Esi are half sisters, separated by circumstance and unknown to each other. They live on the Gold Coast of Africa in the 1700's. Effia is married to a British governor and lives in the Cape Coast Castle. Esi is a prisoner in that same castle's dungeon, soon to be shipped across the ocean as a slave. The story follows the generations that follow each of these women. None of the generations that follow have easy lives. Whether in Africa or America, their descendants suffer oppression, heartbreak, betrayal, deprivation, incarceration, addiction, discrimination and more - but still they endure. Each chapter highlights a different character, two from each generation, following the lineage through time. The final chapters are set in the present day, and somewhat reflect the author Yaa Gyasi's own experiences, growing up as a Ghanian immigrant in the United States. The inspiration for the book came when she visited Ghana to do research for a novel that was going to be about a mother and daughter. A serendipitous tour of the Cape Coast Castle changed her focus to the exploring the contrast between the upper class castle residents living in luxury and the enslaved residents of the dungeons. The lives of her characters illustrate her belief that "the dominoes loosed by slavery, colonialism and two centuries of institutionalized racism have been falling ever since. In "Homegoing", she wants readers to see these things came from those things which came from those things."
clairesle's review
5.0
I loved the way Gyasi formed each character. With care, she carved out each one. The story left me forlorn for a place I've never been and people I've never known. I am so excited for her newest novel!
bigolscrewup's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The family is like the forest: if you are outside it is dense; if you are inside you see that each tree has its own position
Forgiveness, they shouted, all the while committing their wrongs
5/5🌟
How can a debut novel be this good ? Honestly the thing that surprises me more is the fact that it's a short book ( only 300 or so pages ) even though the story spans over two centuries, exploring each sister's family through the years. When I first started the book, I was sceptical, because it has a lot of characters and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep all the characters and their origin in place, but the way it was written, like a collection of short stories all related to previous generation made reading this book enjoyable.
Among all the books I've read in this particular genre, I loved reading it the most and that's all down to author's storytelling and the research behind it. I was able to learn more about slave trade and how it started out in countries like Ghana and the relationship dynamics between the slavers, the middle man and the British.
Especially with Esi's family line, It was disheartening, reading about the cruel laws that permitted the enslavement and wrongful imprisonment of innocent people in those times and it is heartbreaking to acknowledge the fact that it still persists today.
Forgiveness, they shouted, all the while committing their wrongs
5/5🌟
How can a debut novel be this good ? Honestly the thing that surprises me more is the fact that it's a short book ( only 300 or so pages ) even though the story spans over two centuries, exploring each sister's family through the years. When I first started the book, I was sceptical, because it has a lot of characters and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep all the characters and their origin in place, but the way it was written, like a collection of short stories all related to previous generation made reading this book enjoyable.
Among all the books I've read in this particular genre, I loved reading it the most and that's all down to author's storytelling and the research behind it. I was able to learn more about slave trade and how it started out in countries like Ghana and the relationship dynamics between the slavers, the middle man and the British.
Especially with Esi's family line, It was disheartening, reading about the cruel laws that permitted the enslavement and wrongful imprisonment of innocent people in those times and it is heartbreaking to acknowledge the fact that it still persists today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Racism, War, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Mental illness
shelovedtoread's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0