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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
I don’t know know if I would recommend listening to this book as an audiobook, simply because it took me a very very long (I’m talking possibly 6 months....maybe more
This is a remarkable book for so many reasons.
First, the way it is told: as the testimony of an African chi spirit to the greater spirits. It's a clever narrative technique, which allows the reader to follow Chonso, but also step away when the chi needs to fill in some of the gaps of events that Chinonso couldn't experience.
Second, I really enjoyed the connections that Obioma makes with The Odyssey. They heighten the significance of the book, and the Ur-story sheds like on the great conflict in the book, whether Ndali will remain faithful to Chinonso, despite years of forced separation.
There are ways I expected An Orchestra of Minorities to parallel The Odyssey that I was disappointed to miss. There is a trip from Nigeria to Cyprus and back, but there is very little of the island-hopping or monster-facing of the Epic. There are plenty of monsters that Chinonso must deal with in Cyprus, that's for sure.
But I loved the plot. Chinonso lives the life of a simple poultry farmer whose quick-thinking and bravery lead him to love above his station. I could really see Chinonso's world, and I felt welcome in it. Even the relationship with Ndali, as unequal as it is in terms of social status, was believable to me, even beautiful.
An excellent, worthwhile read through and through. Chigozie Obioma is a formidable writer. With this, his 2nd Booker-nominated novel, he has ascended into the realm of must-read English-language writers, IMO.
First, the way it is told: as the testimony of an African chi spirit to the greater spirits. It's a clever narrative technique, which allows the reader to follow Chonso, but also step away when the chi needs to fill in some of the gaps of events that Chinonso couldn't experience.
Second, I really enjoyed the connections that Obioma makes with The Odyssey. They heighten the significance of the book, and the Ur-story sheds like on the great conflict in the book, whether Ndali will remain faithful to Chinonso, despite years of forced separation.
There are ways I expected An Orchestra of Minorities to parallel The Odyssey that I was disappointed to miss. There is a trip from Nigeria to Cyprus and back, but there is very little of the island-hopping or monster-facing of the Epic. There are plenty of monsters that Chinonso must deal with in Cyprus, that's for sure.
But I loved the plot. Chinonso lives the life of a simple poultry farmer whose quick-thinking and bravery lead him to love above his station. I could really see Chinonso's world, and I felt welcome in it. Even the relationship with Ndali, as unequal as it is in terms of social status, was believable to me, even beautiful.
An excellent, worthwhile read through and through. Chigozie Obioma is a formidable writer. With this, his 2nd Booker-nominated novel, he has ascended into the realm of must-read English-language writers, IMO.
An Orchestra of Minorities is Chigozie Obioma's sophomore novel and his second to secure a spot on the Booker longlist. The narrator of this book is the chi of the poultry farmer Chinonso. From the beginning we know that his meeting Ndali and falling in love with her will lead to some kind of tragedy. In his narration the chi is making a case for Nonso.
The idea of having a chi narrate - and plead - is great and there are passages within the novel where it works really well. But unfortunately I found the narration uneven: for one, the chi explains more than once what a chi is - but it speaks to a deity who really should not need this kind of explanation, and secondly what the chi is able or unable to recount is often pretty convenient for the narrative but inconsistent.
Though this is not my biggest gripe with the book (actually these are minor points). @kenyanbibliophile at Instagram wrote in her review: "At 512 pages I am still not sure whether Obioma meant to highlight toxic masculinity in an African setting or justify it." I don't know either but I can tell you what my reading experience looked like. I read more of 500 pages of someone justifying the deeds of a violent men and the narrator wanted me to feel for him. This coupled with the fact that Ndali was a character who pretty much reads like the perfect male fantasy (a bit unstable thus in need of rescue, unconditonal in her love, clever and beautiful and all there for great sex). And she is still the most fleshed out female character in this book...
Before I had started An Orchestra of Minorities I had said I am wary because Obioma strucks me as kind of a masculine writer but I couldn't explain it better. Now I can.
The idea of having a chi narrate - and plead - is great and there are passages within the novel where it works really well. But unfortunately I found the narration uneven: for one, the chi explains more than once what a chi is - but it speaks to a deity who really should not need this kind of explanation, and secondly what the chi is able or unable to recount is often pretty convenient for the narrative but inconsistent.
Though this is not my biggest gripe with the book (actually these are minor points). @kenyanbibliophile at Instagram wrote in her review: "At 512 pages I am still not sure whether Obioma meant to highlight toxic masculinity in an African setting or justify it." I don't know either but I can tell you what my reading experience looked like. I read more of 500 pages of someone justifying the deeds of a violent men and the narrator wanted me to feel for him. This coupled with the fact that Ndali was a character who pretty much reads like the perfect male fantasy (a bit unstable thus in need of rescue, unconditonal in her love, clever and beautiful and all there for great sex). And she is still the most fleshed out female character in this book...
Before I had started An Orchestra of Minorities I had said I am wary because Obioma strucks me as kind of a masculine writer but I couldn't explain it better. Now I can.
3.5 stars- I listened to the audio version and that may have been a mistake. The book was too long and the narrator rambled on and on. The actual plot was quite good and at times I found the narrative beautiful. The storytelling is creative and unique which I always appreciate, but it could have used some editing.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
I'm giving this book 4 stars even though I'm DNF-ing it. This book has an incredible amount of empathy power and yet the whole premise is asking forgiveness for having done something terrible and reading through to try and find out what went wrong while knowing it is going to be bad and caring about the characters is too much for me. The writing is impressive, the chi as narrator is a really interesting perspective, the context is there ... I understand why it gets so much praise and I just can't do it.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Waaaay too sad and waaay too long. But the unusual narration earns it 3 stars.