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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
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:
No
I really enjoyed this book! There is a story for each type of relationship and dating dilemma/ scenario a woman may experience the joy and the pain.
Each story crafted expertly and using a variety of literally methods that you won't see the ending coming until it comes up and bites you and leaves you gobsmacked.
Beautifully written, diverse characters, storylines and situations that all resonate deeply and read as cautionary tales. I would recommend this book to everyone but especially to young girls and women fresh on the dating scene.
You really won't believe the audacity of the men portrayed and the strength of the women who will fight to rise above and overcome them.
A triumph!
Each story crafted expertly and using a variety of literally methods that you won't see the ending coming until it comes up and bites you and leaves you gobsmacked.
Beautifully written, diverse characters, storylines and situations that all resonate deeply and read as cautionary tales. I would recommend this book to everyone but especially to young girls and women fresh on the dating scene.
You really won't believe the audacity of the men portrayed and the strength of the women who will fight to rise above and overcome them.
A triumph!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault
An excellent short story collection. My favorites were:
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was so disappointed to find out these were short stories… each one was so salacious on their own that I couldn’t stand the fact that they each had such unresolved endings!!
I haven't enjoyed such short stories in a long while! 12 great stories, that yield reflection on things like:
Are men cursed with infidelity once the door is open?
Are you certain your husband/man is "yours"?
Does marriage destroy love?
Are all men the same, in there interaction with women?
Are men cursed with infidelity once the door is open?
Are you certain your husband/man is "yours"?
Does marriage destroy love?
Are all men the same, in there interaction with women?
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There are many stories here that are relatable funny and heartbreaking. This book reminds of of " the sex lives of African women" i am first generation Jamaican not nigerian in anyway but I feel connected to these fictional people because I feel like there are many nonfictional truths to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Classism
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Felt conflicted for a lot of this book, at times it is a compulsive page turner. If I had one word to sum it up, I would say “salacious”. Kuku knows how to keep your attention by writing absolutely outrageous human relationships, that also feel totally grounded in reality. This is certainly a feat, and she really gets at the scheming part of human nature. I read this for a book club and while we all found the men…detestable, I also put to the group that I thought the women seemed just as “mad” as the men of Lagos. Namely, in their willingness to accept some pretty garbage situations or to throw their fellow sex under the bus. I think these two tendencies and the book as a whole, is speaking to the fact that everyone is crazy when you create a society where there is not honesty and equity between genders. It certainly made for a good book club book, particularly Beard Gang and a few of the stories where every character is so morally ambiguous, you can really debate a lot about what the right course of action should have been.
However, I did find that a lot of these stories had a very similar tone and formula. They become hard to distinguish because a lot of the narrative tricks Kuku uses happen again and again. While all are interesting stories in their own way, eventually I want a different flavor of narrative style. Also, I don’t know if this is a criticism, but Kuku really can write a saucy sex scene. Though a lot of the time I wasn’t sure why they were needed. For as much as Kuku keeps out of these stories (and there are times characters are more archetypes than fully shaded) I was sometimes surprised by what she added.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes