Reviews

Oil on Water by Helon Habila

jduncan's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

emybemy's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

karlies's review against another edition

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medium-paced

2.0

annmeyer's review against another edition

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4.0

a gripping novel surrounding the violence of petrocultures, particularly in the nigerian delta. deals heavily with themes of environmental, individual, and communal trauma, memory, truth, and journalistic integrity and work. incredibly powerful, moving, and educational. you will not think of oil and the oil industry the same after this book.

kvokolek's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

3.25


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jmlayton's review against another edition

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3.0

Best part about the book was the chronology, not the characters.

ida_s's review against another edition

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3.0

This is a very good introduction to the situation in the Niger Delta. The plot is quite interesting, and I like the organization of the text and how it skips back and forth in time. I did find the characters a bit flat, especially the «evil» ones. I think it would have been a more interesting novel if it had more grey areas and complex characters.

haley_j_casey's review against another edition

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3.0

This is one of those times that I seriously wish Goodreads had adopted a half-star rating system. Because, while I may not have found the subject matter fascinating, the prose was beautiful and the story was engaging. While this book doesn't measure up to the ones I give four stars, it is better than many of the ones I've given three stars to.

3.5 stars, and well worth the read!

ariaenea's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

fa1reads's review against another edition

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informative 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? Yes

3.0