Reviews

The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney by Okechukwu Nzelu

nicsto's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

abigailwantstoread_01's review

emotional lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mary_soon_lee's review against another edition

4.0

This is a very engaging, often funny novel that switches between two time periods (early 1990s and late 2000s) and several point-of-view characters. It's a measure of how engaging it is that I kept reading even though it opens with a group of evangelical Christians, far from my favorite group to encounter. They are evangelical Christians from Cambridge, most of them recent graduates from the university. Having attended Cambridge and having encountered evangelical Christians there, it was interesting to see this from the other side of the belief fence.

Spoiler

Much of the story concerns a mother-daughter relationship, seen from both perspectives. The daughter, Nnenna, is a teenager close to my own daughter's age, and, like her, thinking about heading off to university. I was very caught up by this thread, fiercely wanting matters to go well for them. Nnenna is of mixed race, her mother white, her absent father Nigerian. I am of mixed Irish and Chinese ancestry, and I think of myself as half-Chinese. Still, I sometimes feel not-really-Chinese or not-Chinese-enough-to-count, so one section -- page 216 in my edition -- especially struck me.

Nnenna is worrying that "I feel like people are just waiting to tell me I'm some sort of bad black person, or that I'm not really black" and another character replies "... there's nothing you can do that will make you any more or less black than you already are. You don't have to earn it."

One of the other main characters is a gay man and I found some of the scenes where he is treated poorly quite upsetting.

This is a highly readable story about characters I quickly cared about. Four out of five coming-of-age stars.

About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).

bibliolinde's review against another edition

3.0

So glad I picked up this novel! Essentially a coming of age novel, The Private Joys of Nnena Maloney is an emotional but funny read about family, friendship, and identity. I really enjoyed Nzelu’s portrayal of each individual’s experience and the flashbacks to the parents’ generation, flipping between 1992-3 and 2009-10. If you like witty dialogue, mother/daughter dynamics (think Ladybird vibes) and narratives around racial heritage & identity, this book is for you.

There was also some very interesting dialogue around religion and race, and a nuanced insight throughout into what it’s like to be black or mixed race in England in the 90s and 00s.
[TWs: racism, mentions of homophobia and domestic abuse]

aagyaprdhn's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

3.5

valje's review

hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

jdizzlestewart's review against another edition

3.0

The writing in this is great. Was a little confusing darting between characters but overall simple to read and enjoyable. Looking forward to his next book.

lucyhollerer's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

misha_devi's review against another edition

3.0

This was a quick and engrossing read. I can see what the author was trying to do but for me it fell flat as I found the dialogue unrealistic - I think it could have been powerful if the character’s chose to say things without saying them explicitly. There was a lot of ‘telling’ and it took me out of the world a bit. Still glad I read it and it was interesting seeing all the Manchester references, though for me it is a city that is beginning to feel hollow.

literarylocd's review against another edition

it pains me REAL bad to dnf this book but it has to be done.

It’s not engaging me. The writing is clunky and definitely not up to scratch with some of the authors other works. Despite the story being about Nnena, I found it incredibly hard to care about her. 

The way in which it is written almost sidelines her as a character in order to add intrigue about her parents. And yet, I don’t care.