Reviews

This is a sad and beautiful story of a proud man in a small Nigerian village. The prose is lyrical and poetic. This was worth my time to read. Not sure if I'll continue the trilogy because this felt like a complete story, but I am glad that I read it.

oofym's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

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

3.5

I'd like to rank this book higher as the themes and premise are definitely my cup of tea, but unfortunately I really disliked the writing style and how simply things are portrayed/written. The first half of this book is a slog imo, and the last 100 pages are definitely an improvement but overall anytime something remotely interesting happens, it's written like it's a children book. Perhaps that's the point, to lay things out as blandly as possible, but it doesn't make for an interesting reading experience . The themes of masculinity and culture/rituals were also very one note and didn't say anything interesting. The colonialism/religion aspect was definitely the most interesting segment but it only takes up about 30 or so pages of a 200 page book. Wish this was better, really wanted to enjoy it.

eilisrowan's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

bartkeijsers's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.75

stayathomereader's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

lancefestivalen's review against another edition

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4.0

Vad heter det? "Högmod går före fall"?

Okonkwo ser sig själv som störst, bäst och vackrast. Och eftersom han inte förmår inse att så inte är fallet, drabbas han extra hårt av livets små spratt. Lägg till detta den vite mannens ankomst och mötet med en helt ny världsbild så har ni en komisk tragedi, eller eventuellt en tragisk komedi.

Jag brukar ha svårt för klassiker - särskilt när de presenteras som klassiker - men i fallet med berättelsen om Okonkwo, vars svagheter är universella och därmed tillgängliga för en internationell publik, får jag böja mig för litteraturvetarnas vetande och hålla med dem. Det här är bra grejer. Hoppas mina barn tvingas läsa den här i skolan!

katko123's review against another edition

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2.0

One man, few wives, and lots of children. This is what a traditional family according to this book looks like in Africa, or in the Igbo community anyway. The patriarchy in there is truly disgusting - when a man beats his wife he gets a reprimand from a tribes chief not because he has beaten her, but because he had done so during a holy time (one particular week in a year is considered sacred and no violence is tolerated in that time). Killing, beating, and dying children are normal things, just routine courses of life.
I can´t stand this book for its content and for its language.

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