Reviews

a beautiful read!
it was hard for me to get into this book at first, but after
ngozi's first chapter i was lured in good.
a soul of an enslaved woman almost set free at her death
roams the world in search of her children. a great concept
to tell a story of love through the people's life stories first.
and this book was much more than a story of love. it was a
story of generational pain and trauma. a story of sacrifice.
how money and power make this world deadly. it was also a
story of culture and the good among the bad.
rosanna amaka's words are authentic and they leave you
with so many emotions.
the ending for me was not unexpected but i kind of didn't
realise. where the two stories were going. it was quite quick,
the ending. but i do see that the ending of the book was a
beginning for the character's life together. so i do see the
point. i see the big fall into love that happens very
quickly in real life too.
the book of echoes makes me think of my own roots and
hope that there is an ancestral soul looking for me too and that, whoever it is, they find me
:)

madreejima's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-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? No

4.5

girlglitch's review against another edition

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4.0

The Book of Echoes is a powerful, thought-provoking novel about the echoes of the past, exploring how the history of the slave trade continues to ripple through contemporary black experience.

Narrated by the ghost of an African slave woman, and told through the dual perspectives of Nigerian Ngozi and Londoner Michael, The Book of Echoes is an ambitious piece of storytelling, and for the most part it’s a success. The interweaving narratives allow Amaka to explore the effects of diaspora through Ngozi and Michael’s contrasting, vividly imagined experiences, whilst drawing haunting parallels between the two. Journeying through heartbreak, lucky chances and brutal injustices, I found both storylines completely captivating.

I think that’s why I was so disappointed by the ending. After some wonderfully organic and honest storytelling, it’s painfully predictable. To tie up this epic narrative with such a clumsy cliché really detracted from the emotional impact.

That said, I suppose I only felt so betrayed because I had enjoyed the book so much up until that point. The Book of Echoes is a force to be reckoned with, and an impressive debut.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*

maikebns's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

kibble97's review

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

serwalom's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

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