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novabird's review against another edition
4.0
It is hard to believe that Adichie was not an eyewitness to the events described in, “Half of a Yellow Sun.” Her observations of characters who move through various personality shifts as the impact of war effects them differently are powerful and nuanced. Her descriptions of effects of the deprivation of life sustenance are so acute that it invokes shame and a sense of responsibility more vividly than any photo or commercial for Third World aid.
Adichie has a voice that can be heard above the din of first-world noise. Her acumen in communications, and politics blend so that the narrative of domestic/civilian life is heard like a clarion call harkening us to really hear the victims of war. At the same time she adeptly looks at the causes of civil war and identifies its origins. Adichie accomplishes a great feat in depicting the Nigerian People through the lens of lived experience. She authentically renders a very realistic portrayal of civil war in Africa and places her descriptions of violence in context within the environment. Adichie also provides the necessary balance of hope through her character, Olanna who teaches children the meaning of their flag, “the half of a yellow sun stood for a glorious future.”
A powerful work that raises people above politics/war and reads as an indictment against any form of enforced colonization, whether older in usage like that of dividing people, or newer in usage like seducing countries into accepting huge loans that are not realistically repayable which cause them to become indebted to the loaner.
Adichie has a voice that can be heard above the din of first-world noise. Her acumen in communications, and politics blend so that the narrative of domestic/civilian life is heard like a clarion call harkening us to really hear the victims of war. At the same time she adeptly looks at the causes of civil war and identifies its origins. Adichie accomplishes a great feat in depicting the Nigerian People through the lens of lived experience. She authentically renders a very realistic portrayal of civil war in Africa and places her descriptions of violence in context within the environment. Adichie also provides the necessary balance of hope through her character, Olanna who teaches children the meaning of their flag, “the half of a yellow sun stood for a glorious future.”
A powerful work that raises people above politics/war and reads as an indictment against any form of enforced colonization, whether older in usage like that of dividing people, or newer in usage like seducing countries into accepting huge loans that are not realistically repayable which cause them to become indebted to the loaner.
jburnford's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
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
4.75
Great book
fflur_jones's review against another edition
5.0
An absolutely stunning novel. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's prose is magical and manages to perfectly capture both the heavy historical context of the Biafran war (which I learnt a lot about) within which the story takes place, as well as the emotional and deeply personal contexts of each character. No review will ever do the book justice - I can only recommend that you read the novel and see for yourself.
fantasynovel's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
"Yellow Sun" is a beautifully moving book about war. I'm having trouble putting down all my thoughts, so I'll do what I usually do and revert to a list. Trigger warnings for rape and violence.
1. First, but certainly not most, Richard. Richard is a white writer who comes to Nigeria hoping to escape his gloomy life in England. Desperate to belong, Richard insists on calling himself "Biafran" and distances himself from the other white expatriates. When he is called racist for his surprise that Nigerians of old had been able to make spectacular woven baskets, Richard's knee-jerk reaction (I'm not racist! I would think that about any ancient peoples who made baskets like these!) is familiar. And despite his constant insistence that he is Biafran, that he is not racist, when arguing with Colonel Madu after his wife's disappearance, he wants to demand Madu come back and say if he ever "lay his filthy black hand on her". This sudden surge of outright racism won't be surprising to anyone reading Richard's story closely. Although, he does progress as a character by realizing that the story of Biafra isn't his to tell. In fact, Richard's working title, "The World was Silent When we Died" is used by Ugwu, someone born and raised in the part of Nigera that would become Biafra.
2. Ugwu is a complex, multi-faceted character, just like all the characters in this book. He begins the story as Odeigbo's houseboy, but becomes much more than that to Odenigbo and his family. When he is conscripted into the Biafran army, Odenigbo's family is devastated. And Ugwu becomes someone dangerous and scary in the army. The dangers of war are everywhere, and Ugwu commits terrible acts, like raping a waitress in a bar. The book never asks that we forgive Ugwu, but I would have liked another character telling Ugwu that what he had done was unforgivable. No one ever makes Ugwu confess his sin. Ugwu never has to own up. I wish the girl had spoken. I can't remember if she had any lines, but if they did, they were negligible. But we do get that she hated Ugwu, something that is never taken away. And good--she should hate Ugwu. There's fantastic foreshadowing with Ugwu, also. At the beginning of the book, he wants to "tear gas" his crush so he can have sex with her. At the end of the book, he rapes a woman to prove himself to his fellow soldiers, something he doesn't want to do. he definitely wasn't forced to do it. He didn't have to do it. He did it anyway. This bullet point is kind of a mess. Is Ugwu redeemable? I don't know. Honestly, the rape overshadows his entire character for me. It's hard for me to get over in order to see his character. His story was important, his authorship of the Biafran history excerpted at the end of Richard's chapters, sends an important message: Biafran's history is for Biafran's to write. So, in the end: Ugwu is an important character who unfortunately rapes a girl, something I can't get over, not that I have to get over it because the point of the rape is that war sucks and it's horrible for everybody, but, still, the girl suffered more than Ugwu, and also it's really late at night.
3. Olanna. This is the third Adichie book I've read, and all three of her main characters are as different from each other as apples from oranges from peaches. There are some authors who only have one good set of characters in them and then religiously follow reuse and recycle. Adichie is not one of the them. Olanna, a wealthy upper-crest woman, is an academic and the first character in the book to witness the horrors of war. Her uncle, aunt, and cousin are all killed, which she discovers after driving to their house. On the train-ride to Nsukka, she sees a mother open a bowl to reveal her daughter's decapitated head. Olanna's initial reaction--to wonder how long it took for the mother to braid her daughter's head--is a familiar defense used against images too horrible to fully comprehend. In fact, after getting back to Odenigbo's house, Olanna falls apart. She can't get out of bed for what I think is a few months. She can't go to the bathroom on her own. She has to learn how to live in a country at war. She gets married, only to have her wedding interrupted by an air-raid. Her adopted daughter's hair falls out. All around are other children dying from Kwashiorkor. Young boys and old men are conscripted to fight. The book isn't saying that the war for Biafran independence isn't a worthy war--but as Adichie quotes her grandfather in her author's notes, "War is very ugly".
"Yellow Sun" is a beautifully moving book about war. I'm having trouble putting down all my thoughts, so I'll do what I usually do and revert to a list. Trigger warnings for rape and violence.
1. First, but certainly not most, Richard. Richard is a white writer who comes to Nigeria hoping to escape his gloomy life in England. Desperate to belong, Richard insists on calling himself "Biafran" and distances himself from the other white expatriates. When he is called racist for his surprise that Nigerians of old had been able to make spectacular woven baskets, Richard's knee-jerk reaction (I'm not racist! I would think that about any ancient peoples who made baskets like these!) is familiar. And despite his constant insistence that he is Biafran, that he is not racist, when arguing with Colonel Madu after his wife's disappearance, he wants to demand Madu come back and say if he ever "lay his filthy black hand on her". This sudden surge of outright racism won't be surprising to anyone reading Richard's story closely. Although, he does progress as a character by realizing that the story of Biafra isn't his to tell. In fact, Richard's working title, "The World was Silent When we Died" is used by Ugwu, someone born and raised in the part of Nigera that would become Biafra.
2. Ugwu is a complex, multi-faceted character, just like all the characters in this book. He begins the story as Odeigbo's houseboy, but becomes much more than that to Odenigbo and his family. When he is conscripted into the Biafran army, Odenigbo's family is devastated. And Ugwu becomes someone dangerous and scary in the army. The dangers of war are everywhere, and Ugwu commits terrible acts, like raping a waitress in a bar. The book never asks that we forgive Ugwu, but I would have liked another character telling Ugwu that what he had done was unforgivable. No one ever makes Ugwu confess his sin. Ugwu never has to own up. I wish the girl had spoken. I can't remember if she had any lines, but if they did, they were negligible. But we do get that she hated Ugwu, something that is never taken away. And good--she should hate Ugwu. There's fantastic foreshadowing with Ugwu, also. At the beginning of the book, he wants to "tear gas" his crush so he can have sex with her. At the end of the book, he rapes a woman to prove himself to his fellow soldiers, something he doesn't want to do. he definitely wasn't forced to do it. He didn't have to do it. He did it anyway. This bullet point is kind of a mess. Is Ugwu redeemable? I don't know. Honestly, the rape overshadows his entire character for me. It's hard for me to get over in order to see his character. His story was important, his authorship of the Biafran history excerpted at the end of Richard's chapters, sends an important message: Biafran's history is for Biafran's to write. So, in the end: Ugwu is an important character who unfortunately rapes a girl, something I can't get over, not that I have to get over it because the point of the rape is that war sucks and it's horrible for everybody, but, still, the girl suffered more than Ugwu, and also it's really late at night.
3. Olanna. This is the third Adichie book I've read, and all three of her main characters are as different from each other as apples from oranges from peaches. There are some authors who only have one good set of characters in them and then religiously follow reuse and recycle. Adichie is not one of the them. Olanna, a wealthy upper-crest woman, is an academic and the first character in the book to witness the horrors of war. Her uncle, aunt, and cousin are all killed, which she discovers after driving to their house. On the train-ride to Nsukka, she sees a mother open a bowl to reveal her daughter's decapitated head. Olanna's initial reaction--to wonder how long it took for the mother to braid her daughter's head--is a familiar defense used against images too horrible to fully comprehend. In fact, after getting back to Odenigbo's house, Olanna falls apart. She can't get out of bed for what I think is a few months. She can't go to the bathroom on her own. She has to learn how to live in a country at war. She gets married, only to have her wedding interrupted by an air-raid. Her adopted daughter's hair falls out. All around are other children dying from Kwashiorkor. Young boys and old men are conscripted to fight. The book isn't saying that the war for Biafran independence isn't a worthy war--but as Adichie quotes her grandfather in her author's notes, "War is very ugly".
amk_7's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? No
4.75
jadeisgreen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
afua131's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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
4.25
clarinette's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25