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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
medium-paced
It took me forever to read this book. Partly this is because I am out of the habit of reading. Partly this is because it is definitely not an easy read, page-turning-because-you-want-to-find-out-what-happens kind of book. And partly this is because the constant going-on of the chi (hero's spirit) to his superiors about his advocating efforts makes you realize things are not going to go well and dread the future pages.
I confess that I am not a careful reader at the best of times. I wish I could slow down, but I am in the habit of a lifetime of inhaling sentences rather than hearing them in my head. And I definitely didn't read very carefully the bits where the chi goes to spirit places and has lots of lovely descriptions of places and side stories/parables.
For me -- as a US American who hasn't traveled much after the age of 10 -- novels like this are a window into another culture. Americanah -- which I loved -- was like that for the Nigerian bits. It's been a while but what I remember was the hustling, or the need for that. Hustling has never been necessary for me (as a reasonably privileged American). This book was different, but also interesting -- the casual references to political activism, or to the power going off constantly, or to the use of English vs. Igbo -- many many small things.
The hero is a simple, unsophisticated guy. My impression at the end was that the author had managed that very very well. You feel his feelings -- mostly pain -- very effectively, but he is not really capable of expressing himself in words or ideas -- he works more through actions. It's interesting to hear his letter, which is so inadequate to what he has been through, toward the end. And little things like his not knowing what Facebook is. And there's an interesting and sometimes jarring juxtaposition of big pain and emotion and little details like tissues to wipe up after sex.
Anyway in the end well worth reading. In this case I would say the reader was not quite up to the book, and so could never do it justice in a review. But I'm trying to write things anyway, following the example of my dear brother.
I confess that I am not a careful reader at the best of times. I wish I could slow down, but I am in the habit of a lifetime of inhaling sentences rather than hearing them in my head. And I definitely didn't read very carefully the bits where the chi goes to spirit places and has lots of lovely descriptions of places and side stories/parables.
For me -- as a US American who hasn't traveled much after the age of 10 -- novels like this are a window into another culture. Americanah -- which I loved -- was like that for the Nigerian bits. It's been a while but what I remember was the hustling, or the need for that. Hustling has never been necessary for me (as a reasonably privileged American). This book was different, but also interesting -- the casual references to political activism, or to the power going off constantly, or to the use of English vs. Igbo -- many many small things.
The hero is a simple, unsophisticated guy. My impression at the end was that the author had managed that very very well. You feel his feelings -- mostly pain -- very effectively, but he is not really capable of expressing himself in words or ideas -- he works more through actions. It's interesting to hear his letter, which is so inadequate to what he has been through, toward the end. And little things like his not knowing what Facebook is. And there's an interesting and sometimes jarring juxtaposition of big pain and emotion and little details like tissues to wipe up after sex.
Anyway in the end well worth reading. In this case I would say the reader was not quite up to the book, and so could never do it justice in a review. But I'm trying to write things anyway, following the example of my dear brother.
The words of Chigozie Obioma in this book flowed so eloquently, however, this book just didn’t do it for me all in all. It’s quite a heavy book emotionally (and physically).
It is told from the perspective of the main character’s chi. For me at times this was really enjoyable and made me really think about human life; one of my favorite lines the Chi says is “A person lives because of the accumulation he comes to know. This is why, when he is alone, when all else has peeled away from him, a man delves into the world within himself.” But other times I felt the chi was rambling and I just wanted to know what was going to happen next in the story, without the chi’s intellectual commentary.
I really loved how intertwined the title was throughout the book. Usually there’s one moment in a book when you have that aha moment of that’s where the title came from, but this was sooo much more than that. I won’t spoil it but it relates to so many different aspects within the book...Chinonso’s farm animals, the division between poor/rich/social classes, unwarranted and unexpected loss of people close to you, etc.
Speaking of loss, this book is truly about love and sacrifice. The rollercoaster that is life is overly exaggerated in my opinion but it is a fiction novel. I did enjoy a few unexpected turns that I did not at all see coming in the story, but I felt some things were too dramatic and unnecessary.
Since about one third of the story takes place in Cyprus, I was feeling nostalgic at times which I love when books bring about. I studied abroad in Cyprus and lived there for a few months! Although most of this takes place in the North and I was in the South, and only visited the north several times, Chigozie hit the nail on the head in his descriptions. (Except for that he said they were punctual people..maybe in the North it’s different, but Greek Cypriots always show up about 20-30 minutes late.) Regardless, I hope that other readers being exposed to Cypriot history and culture would want to learn more about such an interesting and divided country from Chigozie’s words.
A major pitfall for me is that part one of three in the book just seemed excessively long. The book is almost 450 pages as it is and although many book beginnings need to have a lot of detail to really understand a character and their history, I felt certain parts were unnecessary and I had to really push myself to keep reading.
My last pitfall was that Chinonso called Ndali Mommy. She also thought this was weird since she was his love and I know it meant she was very important to him, but it really bothered me for some reason!
In the end there were things I really did love about this book but it wasn’t a real page turner for me.
It is told from the perspective of the main character’s chi. For me at times this was really enjoyable and made me really think about human life; one of my favorite lines the Chi says is “A person lives because of the accumulation he comes to know. This is why, when he is alone, when all else has peeled away from him, a man delves into the world within himself.” But other times I felt the chi was rambling and I just wanted to know what was going to happen next in the story, without the chi’s intellectual commentary.
I really loved how intertwined the title was throughout the book. Usually there’s one moment in a book when you have that aha moment of that’s where the title came from, but this was sooo much more than that. I won’t spoil it but it relates to so many different aspects within the book...Chinonso’s farm animals, the division between poor/rich/social classes, unwarranted and unexpected loss of people close to you, etc.
Speaking of loss, this book is truly about love and sacrifice. The rollercoaster that is life is overly exaggerated in my opinion but it is a fiction novel. I did enjoy a few unexpected turns that I did not at all see coming in the story, but I felt some things were too dramatic and unnecessary.
Since about one third of the story takes place in Cyprus, I was feeling nostalgic at times which I love when books bring about. I studied abroad in Cyprus and lived there for a few months! Although most of this takes place in the North and I was in the South, and only visited the north several times, Chigozie hit the nail on the head in his descriptions. (Except for that he said they were punctual people..maybe in the North it’s different, but Greek Cypriots always show up about 20-30 minutes late.) Regardless, I hope that other readers being exposed to Cypriot history and culture would want to learn more about such an interesting and divided country from Chigozie’s words.
A major pitfall for me is that part one of three in the book just seemed excessively long. The book is almost 450 pages as it is and although many book beginnings need to have a lot of detail to really understand a character and their history, I felt certain parts were unnecessary and I had to really push myself to keep reading.
My last pitfall was that Chinonso called Ndali Mommy. She also thought this was weird since she was his love and I know it meant she was very important to him, but it really bothered me for some reason!
In the end there were things I really did love about this book but it wasn’t a real page turner for me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Chigozie Obioma took on a challenging task of telling a story from the point of view of a Chi, and he did deliver.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really tried to like this one. I did, but at 30% I put it down and I don't think I'll be picking it back up.
There are some truly lovely things about this book. The point of view of a character's chi is interesting, as is the beautiful interviewing of Igbo and other languages throughout.
But I couldn't get into it. I'm not sure if it was the acts of violence on the part of the main character that made me so distanced from a stake in the story, but something wasn't clicking with me.
I know many people will love this one, but there were too many triggering elements and the plot wasn't engaging enough to keep me reading.
There are some truly lovely things about this book. The point of view of a character's chi is interesting, as is the beautiful interviewing of Igbo and other languages throughout.
But I couldn't get into it. I'm not sure if it was the acts of violence on the part of the main character that made me so distanced from a stake in the story, but something wasn't clicking with me.
I know many people will love this one, but there were too many triggering elements and the plot wasn't engaging enough to keep me reading.
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Sometimes a man cannot fully understand what he has done until he has told another person about it. Then his own action becomes clearer even to himself”, one of the truest sentiments from Chigozie Obioma’s An Orchestra of Minorities. The entire picture presented by the novel doesn’t become clear until the chi tells it in the court of the spirits.
The novel focuses on poultry farmer Chinonso and the lengths he’s willing to go for his love. Very early on it becomes clear that he will stop at nothing until he and Ndali can get their happy ending. Such determination and passion seems like something truly out of a fairytale, then misfortune strikes, and strikes, and strikes again. This novel is one wild ride that I think a true reader will enjoy.
At no part of the book was I able to guess what would happen next. I had my suspicions, but the entire thing was largely unpredictable and still enjoyable. The concept of spirit narration was so fresh and well done. Chinonso’s chi constantly stepped in and reminded the counsel of spirits, while also reminding the reader, to go easy on this man because he has indeed suffered a lot. At times it felt as though the chi functioned as the voice of the author dropping in, keeping the reader focused and on track while providing beautiful details and quotables.
It also becomes clear that the author wants the reader to be encapsulated by all the going-ons around the protagonist when things are going well for him. You get descriptions of shops, and mountains, tourist spots, etc. When things are going poorly, as they often do, the narrative tightens up and focuses on Chinonso, his chi, and very little else. This writing really helped me focus on what the author wanted me to, making for a better reading experience as I felt I was genuinely being guided and taken along on a journey. A true breath of fresh air and a pleasure this was to read.
The novel focuses on poultry farmer Chinonso and the lengths he’s willing to go for his love. Very early on it becomes clear that he will stop at nothing until he and Ndali can get their happy ending. Such determination and passion seems like something truly out of a fairytale, then misfortune strikes, and strikes, and strikes again. This novel is one wild ride that I think a true reader will enjoy.
At no part of the book was I able to guess what would happen next. I had my suspicions, but the entire thing was largely unpredictable and still enjoyable. The concept of spirit narration was so fresh and well done. Chinonso’s chi constantly stepped in and reminded the counsel of spirits, while also reminding the reader, to go easy on this man because he has indeed suffered a lot. At times it felt as though the chi functioned as the voice of the author dropping in, keeping the reader focused and on track while providing beautiful details and quotables.
It also becomes clear that the author wants the reader to be encapsulated by all the going-ons around the protagonist when things are going well for him. You get descriptions of shops, and mountains, tourist spots, etc. When things are going poorly, as they often do, the narrative tightens up and focuses on Chinonso, his chi, and very little else. This writing really helped me focus on what the author wanted me to, making for a better reading experience as I felt I was genuinely being guided and taken along on a journey. A true breath of fresh air and a pleasure this was to read.
Really enjoyed this one. It is so, so hopeful, and then so, so tragic. Another good suggestion from momio
I started this so slowly, reading in fits and starts, but once I settled down with the story I really enjoyed it. Chinonso is a good man making some tough decisions; the story is told from the perspective of his chi. Creative and wonderful. I really like Obioma's books.
I was drawn in by the philosophy the cultural details, by the relatable struggle for connection and dignity, by the discussion of the nature of the world and of the way Igbo culture might fit into a modern context, by the allusions to the Homeric Odyssey and Greek tragedy; unfortunately the narrative underneath and the structure, though inventive, painted women's pain as meaningless, a woman proved to be nothing but an object on which love is enacted, whilst excuses were made for why violence against her should be forgiven. The pacing and structural issues - the first half of the book is slow, however and whilst from about the middle it picks up remains uneven to the end - pale in comparison with the way Obioma neglects certain characters and plot points; the female characters were thinly drawn and served only as obstacles or prizes for the male lead.
The copy was kindly provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley.
The copy was kindly provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley.