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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed the exploration of Igbo cosmology and beliefs, and I found Chinonso and Ndali's story heartbreaking - although Nonso is responsible for his own undoing (which is foreshadowed throughout), and Ndali ends up a much more sympathetic character.
While I see some complaining about the book being too long - and sometimes the exposition, especially at the start, got to me - I actually think it could have been quite interesting to also explore the story from Ndali's side. If you want to talk about an orchestra of minorities, Ndali's voice is the one that I really want to hear...
While I see some complaining about the book being too long - and sometimes the exposition, especially at the start, got to me - I actually think it could have been quite interesting to also explore the story from Ndali's side. If you want to talk about an orchestra of minorities, Ndali's voice is the one that I really want to hear...
A painful, lyrical, slow motion tragedy. The rich emotional depth of Obioma‘s writing is made all the more poignant by the reader‘s powerlessness to stop the disaster you know is coming, like being in a dream where you are driving a car with no steering wheel. It‘s probably not for everyone, a very “literary” work, but I found it hard to put down. Thanks to Libro.fm for the complimentary audiobook listening copy.
Obioma is truly one of the great storytellers of his generation. My gut reaction is that I liked The Fishermen just *slightly* more than this, but this is a deep, spellbinding read. My feelings, ultimately, will hinge on how I process the ending going forward. The last 50 pages or so had me more anxious and afraid than any story I've read in recent memory, but I'm not sure if he totally sticks the landing. Either way, a must-read and a reminder of the writer's ability to stick to your soul.
This is a dense read that may intimidate a lot of readers, and it took a while to get a feel for it, but I ultimately found a clever, fascinating story. More to come.
I feel conflicted about this story. I appreciate its grand scope and design, and the Igbo cosmology, but there were glaring issues in pacing. I was reminded of the writing style of Dickens, in which every detail is painfully laid out significant or not, and I couldn't help wonder if this story would have been better in an episodic format. The writing is sophisticated, complex, and dense. A slow read to be sure, but not undeserving of your time. Due to this style, Chinonso's character was well-developed, and we, the readers, know him completely, in his lowest of lows and highest of highs. The character development of the First Incantation paid off in the Second and Third, as we glumly followed poor decision after poor decision, and ultimately, saw our protagonist become consumed by illogical rage. When the prose focused on Chinonso's life I was captivated, but often Obioma disrupted the story by yanking us out of the earthly realm into the chi's narrative, which droned on and on with an unfortunate verbose proclivity. A particularly infuriating instance came at the end of the Second Incantantation. I had planned to set the book down for the evening at this juncture but at the height of the action, I was entranced and turned into part three eagerly. Yet, the story came to a grinding halt as Chinonso's chi began lecturing anew. In fact, I found it so infuriating that I did set the novel down for the evening and did not pick it up again for several weeks. When I finally did, I found the remainder of the story uneven and repetitive. That is not to say that Obioma's depiction of Chinonso's spiral is not realistic, but the writing of it lagged. By the last four pages, I was begging for any redemption. Ultimately, the ending left me disappointed and a bit regretful. I am still struggling to decide if the payout here was worth the buy-in.
Although it was not an enjoyable read, Obioma's An Orchestra of Minorities is incredibly in-tune with human emotion and suffering, especially for the most vulnerable members of a society - the lonely. Ironically, I was most excited about this book because it was narrated by a chi...and yet, that very character is the book's undoing.
Although it was not an enjoyable read, Obioma's An Orchestra of Minorities is incredibly in-tune with human emotion and suffering, especially for the most vulnerable members of a society - the lonely. Ironically, I was most excited about this book because it was narrated by a chi...and yet, that very character is the book's undoing.
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated