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emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Racism, Rape, Suicide attempt
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm so glad I have finally finished this thick-ass gigantic masterpiece of a book — once again it reminded me why Adichie was, is, and will be one of my favourite authors. So many important things so creatively and credibly — incredibly — told, and as someone who is neither Black or African or American I learned a lot from reading this. I'd like to give an example quote to convince y'all reading my review to find the courage to grab this book, but honestly I'd have to cite every other sentence (and that alone should convince you :)
Yes, it's thick, serious and emotional, BUT every single page is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY (and I'm craving to read so much more).
Yes, it's thick, serious and emotional, BUT every single page is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY (and I'm craving to read so much more).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexual content
challenging
emotional
funny
slow-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
There was a lot of little stories within this book and some where interesting but I honestly could have done without obinze’s story line I found them boring, maybe just because I liked ifemelu so much I wanted to get back to her. So because of this it felt long and dragged out at times. A sort of satisfying ending. Really interesting take of American blackness vs non American blackness I learned a lot!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Rape, Deportation
Minor: Excrement, Abortion, Death of parent
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Deportation
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Classism
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Deportation
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, War
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a novel about life in Nigeria, experiencing race and racism in the US and trying to find oneself. Ifemelu and Obinze grew up in Nigeria together but saw no opportunities for themselves in this country. Ifemelu managed to move to the US and had to leave her love Obinze behind. There she experienced race and racism for the first time and had trouble adapting to her new life. After years in America, she moved back to Nigeria and realized how different she had become.
I wanted to read this book for a very long time. And now I am not fully sure what to think about it. In general, I liked the book. It felt very authentic and gave me a new insight into Africans’ experiencing racism in the US and Europe. It really broadened my horizon. The plot was very diverse. We heard about race and racism, about everyday racism, normal life, struggles, love and relationships.
However, the story was very long. Some scenes were not interesting at all and seemed to make the story longer. I was very confused at the beginning of the book. The author was jumping around within the plot, talking about the present and then jumping back to the past, writing several chapters about Ifemelu's youth and then suddenly jumping back to the present again. This confused me a lot in the beginning. Therefore, it took me ages to get into the story and to start liking it. I found Ifemelu's actions often questionable. She was cheating on her boyfriends a lot. And if there is one trope I don't like in books, it is cheating!
In the end, I started to like the book more and more. We got different perspectives and read about lots of different experiences. The love between Ifemelu and Obinze was really nice. I expected something different from the book, but in the end was pleased. I can recommend it!
I wanted to read this book for a very long time. And now I am not fully sure what to think about it. In general, I liked the book. It felt very authentic and gave me a new insight into Africans’ experiencing racism in the US and Europe. It really broadened my horizon. The plot was very diverse. We heard about race and racism, about everyday racism, normal life, struggles, love and relationships.
However, the story was very long. Some scenes were not interesting at all and seemed to make the story longer. I was very confused at the beginning of the book. The author was jumping around within the plot, talking about the present and then jumping back to the past, writing several chapters about Ifemelu's youth and then suddenly jumping back to the present again. This confused me a lot in the beginning. Therefore, it took me ages to get into the story and to start liking it. I found Ifemelu's actions often questionable. She was cheating on her boyfriends a lot. And if there is one trope I don't like in books, it is cheating!
In the end, I started to like the book more and more. We got different perspectives and read about lots of different experiences. The love between Ifemelu and Obinze was really nice. I expected something different from the book, but in the end was pleased. I can recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide attempt, Deportation
Moderate: Chronic illness, Racial slurs, Grief, Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you enjoy contemporary literary fiction, this book is for you. Since I'm not a huge fan of literary fiction and began reading this without looking at the Storygraph classification, I believed that this book was heavier on the star-crossed romance than it was. In fact, it's more a novel about Ifemelu's experiences coming to and living in America. I liked Obinze for all except the final chapters, but he's really not a main character in the story. He's more of a side character at best.
Once I readjusted my preconceived notions about the story, I came to enjoy it. It tackles quite a few dark topics besides racism (read trigger warnings). Adichie's writing of the flash backs and flash forwards requires an active reader. Nevertheless, her writing style kept me going even when the story dragged for me in the second half. Also, as other reviewers have noted, the ending is comparatively abrupt to the rest of the story, and... morally questionable.
The book did encourage me to reflect on myself though, in a non-pretentious way.
Overall, it didn't encourage me to seek out more literary fiction, but I'm definitely willing to give Half of a Yellow Sun a go for Adichie's writing.
Once I readjusted my preconceived notions about the story, I came to enjoy it. It tackles quite a few dark topics besides racism (read trigger warnings). Adichie's writing of the flash backs and flash forwards requires an active reader. Nevertheless, her writing style kept me going even when the story dragged for me in the second half. Also, as other reviewers have noted, the ending is comparatively abrupt to the rest of the story, and... morally questionable.
The book did encourage me to reflect on myself though, in a non-pretentious way.
Overall, it didn't encourage me to seek out more literary fiction, but I'm definitely willing to give Half of a Yellow Sun a go for Adichie's writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Deportation
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide attempt
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hated the ending but loved most of the book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My girlfriend recommended this book, and I'm so glad she did! It definitely deserves its status as a new classic. Ifemelu especially has a wildly impressive and intricate interiority, which is fascinating from a character who’s also often scared of her own interiority. Lots of insight and slow, well-crafted plot. I'm only knocking the half a point because I wanted just a little more conclusion from the ending, with how much of these characters' lives we had seen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Racism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicide attempt
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
Americanah is a tale of two lands—Nigeria and America—and two people.
Ifemelu and Obinze are in love but are forced to move away from one another. Ifemelu moves to America with hopes that Obinze will follow by way of London. Soon fifteen years have passed without seeing one another. And so goes the tale of the journeys that will eventually lead them back to Nigeria and to each other.
I’m not sure how I felt about this one. The book description is of a love story, but it seemed the love story was more of a plot device. To me, the spotlight focused on the experiences surrounding immigration, race, and identity that Ifemelu and Obinze each faced during their respective immigration into the US and the UK. That element of the story was done well and it opened my eyes to experiences I would otherwise never experience firsthand.
That being said, I couldn’t connect to or even root for Ifemelu and Obinze’s relationship. It fell flat to me and I was left wanting more out of their individual journeys. Ultimately, not my favorite read.
Ifemelu and Obinze are in love but are forced to move away from one another. Ifemelu moves to America with hopes that Obinze will follow by way of London. Soon fifteen years have passed without seeing one another. And so goes the tale of the journeys that will eventually lead them back to Nigeria and to each other.
I’m not sure how I felt about this one. The book description is of a love story, but it seemed the love story was more of a plot device. To me, the spotlight focused on the experiences surrounding immigration, race, and identity that Ifemelu and Obinze each faced during their respective immigration into the US and the UK. That element of the story was done well and it opened my eyes to experiences I would otherwise never experience firsthand.
That being said, I couldn’t connect to or even root for Ifemelu and Obinze’s relationship. It fell flat to me and I was left wanting more out of their individual journeys. Ultimately, not my favorite read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Infidelity, Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content