Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - The Girl with the Louding Voice

Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Classism, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Blood, Death of parent, Excrement, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Terminal illness, Vomit, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, and Torture

Adunni is forced to marry an old man (Morufu) at the age of 14. He regularly rapes her in an attempt to get her pregnant and has done this twice before with two other women. Adunni also undergoes a second near-assault with Big Daddy near the end of the novel.

The eating disorder is not an intentional one but rather the continuous mentioning that Adunni is starved by Big Madam. Big Daddy and Adunni's papa are alcoholics Adunni is bullied verbally, emotionally, and physically by Labake and Big Madam. She is bead reguarly and the beatings are described in detail. Big Madam is beaten physically by her husband regularly. There is classism directed at Adunni and the other workers from the rich women in the social club. They mock her English and accent. Adunni's mother dies of a terminal illness offscreen and grieves her throughout. Tia's mother also has a terminal illness that nearly kills her. Adunni's description of Big Madam could be considered fatphobic. There are mentions of excrement (and vomit) in Iya's home when

Iya shoves Adunni in the room to escape her father

and by the end of the novel when Tia asks if the beatings have stopped. There are mentions of pregnancy throughout the book. Adunni is expected to get pregnant with Morufu's baby. She takes a pill to negate pregnancy. Pregnancy is mentioned amongst her friends when she sees them and with her husband's other wives. Khadija is pregnant in the novel and

ends up dying due to complications with birth

. Tia is constantly teased about not having children

and decides she'd like to have children later in the novel after meeting Adunni

. SHe is tortured by some religious leaders under the guise of having a bath to help along the pregnancy. trafficking/slaver:

Adunni is trafficked by Mr. Kola, Iya's brother, when she is trying to run from Morufu. The majority of the novel takes place in this location she has been trafficked to where she works as a servant or 'chainless slave' as Adunni calls it.

janeleef's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

bandysbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

This story follows a young woman in Nigeria as she deals with the loss of her family, forced marriage, interruption of education, enslavement, and sexual assault. As she passes through each of these hurdles, education remains a central focus in her life.

Content Warnings

ekmook's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Content Warnings

writingcaia's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

“Not his-tory’, I say. ‘My own will be called her-story. Adunni’s story’.”

This is indeed Adduni’s tale, a girl who lost a mother and her mother’s hope for her to escape a bound life like hers through education, but with her mother dead and without money her father forces her out of school at 12 and when our story starts she’s 14 and her father desperate for money sells to be a third wife to an old “rich” village man.
She wants nothing more than to escape, to study, to have a louding voice but it will take a year of tragedy and misfortune, and also miracles and love to make her dream again.
This is Nigeria, a country were women are the most hardworking and the least considered, where a women’s place is to bear children and suffer, a place that has forbidden child marriages and ritual killings but where they still happen, a country where the rich are so rich they’re the people who spend most in champagne and have the second biggest cinematic industry (first is India), but where superstition still claims lives, and also gives hope and thus, and incredibly so among such poverty and strife, they’re also the most optimist people in the world.
Adduni is somewhere in between, forced to be a wife when’s she but a child, to be raped and mistreated so she can bear more children that’ll suffer her same fortune, but when she’s faced with possible murder for a crime she didn’t commit and has no hope of being absolved from she escapes to Lagos (capital of Nigeria) with the help of someone who still owes her giving mother life and hope.
There she becomes a domestic, a maid working infinite hours in a house of violence and luxury, but it’s there she’ll meet her hopes and destiny but not before being confronted with inequality, drama, and facing the suffering of her women kindred.
There’s so much more to say about this book and its heroine, a young girl full of hope for her and her people, dreams of eduction, of own voice to speak for the countless speechless.
This book made me laugh and cry, Adduni is such a wonderful smart and naive character, with a heart of the size of Nigeria. And through her goodness she’ll bring forth people that’ll aid her in fulfilling her destiny.
The narrative is brilliant and the writing wonderful and made so it is part of the plot and narration, it’s sensorial, as to make you feel you’re truly there, the colors, the smells, the noises, the aromas of a country we have a glimpse through the author’s eyes.
Truly a must read book.

Content Warnings

korinnagarcia's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is a heavy story to read, but the hope and perseverance Adunni has is beautiful and against all odds, she finds her way in the world. I learned a lot about Nigeria by reading this book, and I definitely needed my eyes opened and my world expanded. I loved her passion and dedication to wanting to obtain an education so eventually she could become a teacher and help out other girls in her village. Really makes you appreciate our wonderful free education which a lot of us take for granted. You truly get to know and love Adunni, I finished the book a couple days ago and I miss her.

Content Warnings

More...