Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
“Obasidinelu, the great father in the naturalist wisdom say that a mouse cannot knowingly enter into a trap set for it. A dog cannot know for certain that there is a deep miry pool at the end of the oath and knowingly plunge into it to drown. No one sees fire and throws himself in it. But such a man may walk into a pit of fire if he did not see it there. Why? Because a human being is limited in sight; he cannot see beyond the boundaries of what his eyes can reach.”
•
This is the tragic love story of Chinoso and Ndali told from the perspective of Chinoso’s chi, his ever present spirit guardian. Chinoso comes into Ndali’s life when she needs him, and from here onwards the leading female character really has the tired archetype of a distressed maiden in need of rescue in this instance by a man who appearsh violent, vile and a victim of nothing more than his own inability to take responsibility for his actions. It’s tragic not because these are star crossed lovers doomed by circumstance and age old drama, it’s tragic because it’s difficult to understand how in this day and age this book would be shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
•
That may read as very harsh, there were certainly elements I found interesting: the elements of Igbo culture, the Nigerian setting and the concept of the story being told from the perspective of the main character’s chi, the latter however ultimately growing tiresome. Some mega narratives starting with Chinoso’s chi’s statement that it had to be particularly detailed struck dread into my reading. That being said, it was some of these narratives at the beginnings of each chapter that were the most thought provoking.
•
Ultimately this was a 512 page story that probably could have been told in 300 pages and honestly I’m not sure it’s a story I needed to read at all.
•
•
This is the tragic love story of Chinoso and Ndali told from the perspective of Chinoso’s chi, his ever present spirit guardian. Chinoso comes into Ndali’s life when she needs him, and from here onwards the leading female character really has the tired archetype of a distressed maiden in need of rescue in this instance by a man who appearsh violent, vile and a victim of nothing more than his own inability to take responsibility for his actions. It’s tragic not because these are star crossed lovers doomed by circumstance and age old drama, it’s tragic because it’s difficult to understand how in this day and age this book would be shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
•
That may read as very harsh, there were certainly elements I found interesting: the elements of Igbo culture, the Nigerian setting and the concept of the story being told from the perspective of the main character’s chi, the latter however ultimately growing tiresome. Some mega narratives starting with Chinoso’s chi’s statement that it had to be particularly detailed struck dread into my reading. That being said, it was some of these narratives at the beginnings of each chapter that were the most thought provoking.
•
Ultimately this was a 512 page story that probably could have been told in 300 pages and honestly I’m not sure it’s a story I needed to read at all.
•
As with his previous Booker shortlisted novel, [b:The Fishermen|22875103|The Fishermen|Chigozie Obioma|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451434679l/22875103._SY75_.jpg|42439392], I can't really say I 'enjoyed' this, since like its predecessor, it is almost unrelentingly depressing, and (with the possible exception of [b:Les Misérables|24280|Les Misérables|Victor Hugo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411852091l/24280._SY75_.jpg|3208463]), I just don't LIKE books in which the protagonist is continuously hounded by horrible injustices. And although again there are some striking passages and some interesting cosmology about the Igbo religion, there is also a preponderance of vivid descriptions of bodily fluids and excretions that I could have done without.
But my main problem with the book is that it is just very slow going for the most part, and a judicious editor could have excised a good 100-150 pages, and made it a much better reading experience - too often superfluous details impeded the forward momentum of the main story. And when the narrative doesn't get bogged down in the irritatingly untranslated passages of African dialect and the minutiae of the religion, the story itself is both somewhat predictable and not terribly interesting. The blurb stating it is a modern twist on Homer also is a bit of a misnomer, in that only the final quarter really has much to do with the Odysseus/Penelope story, leading me to expect something entirely different.
That all said, I think it was worth reading in the long run, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it make the Booker shortlist also. There are some notable passages and images, even if some metaphors are hammered home a bit much.
My sincere thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown and Company for the eBook ARC in exchange for this honest review.
But my main problem with the book is that it is just very slow going for the most part, and a judicious editor could have excised a good 100-150 pages, and made it a much better reading experience - too often superfluous details impeded the forward momentum of the main story. And when the narrative doesn't get bogged down in the irritatingly untranslated passages of African dialect and the minutiae of the religion, the story itself is both somewhat predictable and not terribly interesting. The blurb stating it is a modern twist on Homer also is a bit of a misnomer, in that only the final quarter really has much to do with the Odysseus/Penelope story, leading me to expect something entirely different.
That all said, I think it was worth reading in the long run, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it make the Booker shortlist also. There are some notable passages and images, even if some metaphors are hammered home a bit much.
My sincere thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown and Company for the eBook ARC in exchange for this honest review.
Chigozie Obioma's second novel, An Orchestra of Minorities, starts off really well. That's not to say it's an easy or fun read; even in the opening chapters, where the story is at its best, there's a complexity to the narrative and the plot that can be tiring for a reader to scale. Despite the dense nature of the text, An Orchestra of Minorities runs at full power for more than a couple hundred pages. Personally, I felt the story ran out of steam at some point after this... before we go there, let's talk about the narrative.
The voice of this novel may cause some division opinions. I didn't particularly care for it, though I appreciated Obioma's effort to break with some traditions of the western novel. The story would've moved at a brisker pace without Chinonso's chi, but it also would've been a different story. I think the biggest problem I had with the narrator was the inconsistency in knowing so much yet knowing nothing. This ancient entity seems to struggle with technologies a hundred years old, yet understands a relatively new bureaucratic entity without explanation. It's difficult to get a non-human narrator right, and I think Obioma did a stellar job compared to many who use such a unique narrator, but it can be terribly distracting at any point when the effort shows flaws.
Back to the novel at large. The later events of the novel, where the build-up and climax are intended, fell flat for me. The story goes in a direction I was not expecting, but also didn't really care for. It features an arc that was all too familiar. As the stakes of the story rose, my interest waned. I found that I grew increasingly eager for the story to reach its conclusion. It certainly did not help that a character who's easy to sympathize with in early chapters grows increasingly vile in his treatment of others.
Between the narrative and the latter half of the novel, I can understand why some were less than impressed with this huge undertaking. Certainly, I was hoping for a different novel overall. But I really did enjoy the story and the characters in the first half, so I still must give this novel some love. Obioma is a gifted writer who clearly understands how to spin an intelligent and captivating tale. I may have not cared for the final destination, but I enjoyed parts of the journey, and I'll be interested to see where the author takes us next time.
The voice of this novel may cause some division opinions. I didn't particularly care for it, though I appreciated Obioma's effort to break with some traditions of the western novel. The story would've moved at a brisker pace without Chinonso's chi, but it also would've been a different story. I think the biggest problem I had with the narrator was the inconsistency in knowing so much yet knowing nothing. This ancient entity seems to struggle with technologies a hundred years old, yet understands a relatively new bureaucratic entity without explanation. It's difficult to get a non-human narrator right, and I think Obioma did a stellar job compared to many who use such a unique narrator, but it can be terribly distracting at any point when the effort shows flaws.
Back to the novel at large. The later events of the novel, where the build-up and climax are intended, fell flat for me. The story goes in a direction I was not expecting, but also didn't really care for. It features an arc that was all too familiar. As the stakes of the story rose, my interest waned. I found that I grew increasingly eager for the story to reach its conclusion. It certainly did not help that a character who's easy to sympathize with in early chapters grows increasingly vile in his treatment of others.
Between the narrative and the latter half of the novel, I can understand why some were less than impressed with this huge undertaking. Certainly, I was hoping for a different novel overall. But I really did enjoy the story and the characters in the first half, so I still must give this novel some love. Obioma is a gifted writer who clearly understands how to spin an intelligent and captivating tale. I may have not cared for the final destination, but I enjoyed parts of the journey, and I'll be interested to see where the author takes us next time.
An Orchestra of Minorities, Man Booker Shortlisted Chigozie Obioma's second novel, is a powerful cry for justice from main character Chinonso. From the first page right through to the last I was utterly riveted and read the entire book in a single intense sitting. Beautifully written and wholly absorbing, it is a successful contemporary twist on Homer's Odyssey and shows how masterful Obioma is when he can take familiar tropes and put a completely different spin on them; his own unique spin.
This is, at its heart, a love story, but it also addresses important issues such as racism and class divides. The Igbo cosmology and Greek tragedy infused throughout the story was fascinating, and Chinonso's struggle between fate and self-determination is both heroic and intensely emotional; I was entranced. This is a magnificent piece of writing that anyone and everyone can relate to as it explores universal struggles we all go through. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
This is, at its heart, a love story, but it also addresses important issues such as racism and class divides. The Igbo cosmology and Greek tragedy infused throughout the story was fascinating, and Chinonso's struggle between fate and self-determination is both heroic and intensely emotional; I was entranced. This is a magnificent piece of writing that anyone and everyone can relate to as it explores universal struggles we all go through. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
This story is about Chinonso, a humble poultry farmer, and his downfall. He stops a woman who is about to jump off of a bridge named Ndali. Chinonso and Ndali fall in love, but her parents object to their relationship due Chinonso's social standing and lack of education. At the beginning of the story we know that Chinonso has committed a horrible crime. The narrator of the story is Chinonso's chi, or guardian spirit. The chi is attempting to explain to the gods why Chinonso committed such a heinous act and trying to reason whether it is the man who is at fault or the spirit that guides him.
I loved the prose! The use of Nigerian cosmology was very interesting and adds a unique touch the plot. Obioma's writing is stunning; however, the pacing of this book was a little off for me. It was very slow, which usually isn’t a problem for me, but there were a couple of scenes that didn’t add anything to the plot and seemed random and unnecessary. When you add unnecessary content to a book that is already slow-paced it just makes the plot drag on. By the time I got to the climax of the plot I was already disinterested in the conclusion. I thought that the setting was great and that the overall plot was interesting, but the execution was a bit lacking.
My main issue with this book is that the synopsis describes it as “contemporary twist on the Odyssey,” yet I did not find that this book had any similarities or comparable plot points to the Odyssey. This book may very well have been inspired by the Odyssey in some way and perhaps it went over my head. I do not tend to read much literary fiction, so this may not have been my ideal book to begin with. It is possible that if I had been a bit more educated about Nigerian history and a bit more well-read that this book would have been a five star read for me, but as it stands I did not think that this book was extraordinary.
Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book!
I loved the prose! The use of Nigerian cosmology was very interesting and adds a unique touch the plot. Obioma's writing is stunning; however, the pacing of this book was a little off for me. It was very slow, which usually isn’t a problem for me, but there were a couple of scenes that didn’t add anything to the plot and seemed random and unnecessary. When you add unnecessary content to a book that is already slow-paced it just makes the plot drag on. By the time I got to the climax of the plot I was already disinterested in the conclusion. I thought that the setting was great and that the overall plot was interesting, but the execution was a bit lacking.
My main issue with this book is that the synopsis describes it as “contemporary twist on the Odyssey,” yet I did not find that this book had any similarities or comparable plot points to the Odyssey. This book may very well have been inspired by the Odyssey in some way and perhaps it went over my head. I do not tend to read much literary fiction, so this may not have been my ideal book to begin with. It is possible that if I had been a bit more educated about Nigerian history and a bit more well-read that this book would have been a five star read for me, but as it stands I did not think that this book was extraordinary.
Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book!
This a beautiful reading experience, steeped in culture and mythology, but when I remove the gloss, I was left unsure about some of the central elements.
‘An Orchestra of Minorities’ follows a number of years in the life of Chinoso, a young Nigerian farmer drifting without purpose until he meets Ndali, his love for whom triggers a sequence of events that moves the plot from Africa, to Cyprus, and back again, as the hapless protagonist navigates a world outside of his comfort zone. What makes this story different, however, is our narrator - Chinoso’s ‘chi’ (a type of guardian spirit), who recounts his tale in retrospect to a powerful god-type figure; we are told from the start, in fact, that Chinoso has committed a crime for which he is morally and spiritually answerable, and for which his chi is pleading his defence.
At the beginning of each chapter, and regularly throughout, the chi reminds us of the story’s audience and the stakes, utilising multiple honorifics drawn from Nigerian cosmology. These are some of the most beautiful parts of the book, rich in tradition and exposing me to small glimpses of a mythological system that I knew little about. The use of chi as narrator was a fantastic choice full stop, as was the inclusion of various dialects, Pidgin and Igbo language, which reinforce the gradual, jumbled and complex reveal of the full story to the reader.
I was less sold on Chinoso himself - his passivity and unwillingness to take any responsibility for his choices and actions grated, and were not even in keeping with how he is often presented as an intelligent, thoughtful man. Similarly, some of the plot devices made little sense - the circumstance in which Chinoso initially meets Ndali is extreme and really required further exploration, but is never mentioned again. Ndali herself, alongside all the other female characters we meet, reads as simply another plot device, lacking in any agency or development, which was also disappointing.
I finished the book having relished in the atmosphere, but feeling the substance somewhat lacking.
‘An Orchestra of Minorities’ follows a number of years in the life of Chinoso, a young Nigerian farmer drifting without purpose until he meets Ndali, his love for whom triggers a sequence of events that moves the plot from Africa, to Cyprus, and back again, as the hapless protagonist navigates a world outside of his comfort zone. What makes this story different, however, is our narrator - Chinoso’s ‘chi’ (a type of guardian spirit), who recounts his tale in retrospect to a powerful god-type figure; we are told from the start, in fact, that Chinoso has committed a crime for which he is morally and spiritually answerable, and for which his chi is pleading his defence.
At the beginning of each chapter, and regularly throughout, the chi reminds us of the story’s audience and the stakes, utilising multiple honorifics drawn from Nigerian cosmology. These are some of the most beautiful parts of the book, rich in tradition and exposing me to small glimpses of a mythological system that I knew little about. The use of chi as narrator was a fantastic choice full stop, as was the inclusion of various dialects, Pidgin and Igbo language, which reinforce the gradual, jumbled and complex reveal of the full story to the reader.
I was less sold on Chinoso himself - his passivity and unwillingness to take any responsibility for his choices and actions grated, and were not even in keeping with how he is often presented as an intelligent, thoughtful man. Similarly, some of the plot devices made little sense - the circumstance in which Chinoso initially meets Ndali is extreme and really required further exploration, but is never mentioned again. Ndali herself, alongside all the other female characters we meet, reads as simply another plot device, lacking in any agency or development, which was also disappointing.
I finished the book having relished in the atmosphere, but feeling the substance somewhat lacking.
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a great author
An orchestra of minorities is that which comprises the voices of the flightless; wings- clipped and rendered inutile with the shame of poverty, of great loss, of inconceivable trauma. They, who exist on a perpetually lateral plane of suffering and affliction. And bound to such a fate, what can the litany do but become a metamorph of rage and madness? In Chigozie Obioma’s second, brilliant novel, his themes are explored through a distinctly male lens; it is a sprawling, oracular tale, modelled on the classical myth and its common loci: Love, Violence, Obsession, and Revenge, four sides of an ancient, proverbial prism. Obioma gives quite a long, intense narrative performance that is relentlessly claustrophobic and increasingly so as the novel reaches its violent, manic conclusion. My biggest criticism is that the one of the novel’s strengths is also its weakness: the mythic maleness caricaturizes and nearly silences the female point of view, greatly limiting the scope of what is otherwise a luminous tale.
This is the only novel on the Booker Prize shortlist which doesn’t concern itself with a political agenda, mirroring and offering a commentary on current events. It is a fable, an odyssey of a man who ‘becomes a djinn, a man-spirit, a vagabond, a de-scaled wanderer, a thing creeping in the bush, a self-exiled outcast, shorn from the world.’ And who among us can predict what he will be tomorrow?...Bravo.
This is the only novel on the Booker Prize shortlist which doesn’t concern itself with a political agenda, mirroring and offering a commentary on current events. It is a fable, an odyssey of a man who ‘becomes a djinn, a man-spirit, a vagabond, a de-scaled wanderer, a thing creeping in the bush, a self-exiled outcast, shorn from the world.’ And who among us can predict what he will be tomorrow?...Bravo.
This was a very frustrating read for me. I think I could have really liked it, and at times I did, it’s just that I felt like my shoes kept getting stuck in the mud. It is slow, but not the kind that is quietly building tension or atmosphere, it’s the kind where you feel stuck in details and are just dying for the story to get moving again.