Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Jumătate de soare galben by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

48 reviews

hannah_lou's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape, Vomit, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcoholism

nadia's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really liked this book! As someone who avoids reading the blurbs, I had no idea where it was going to take me, but I was drawn in from the opening pages, immediately transported to a 1960s Nigeria.

I struggled a little with the time jumps and what had already happened or not, and I also struggled to keep the politics straight, but I think the latter is on me a little! I've read two books back-to-back, unintentionally (but fortunately!) featuring the Biafran War and I already feel like I've learned a fair amount about it. I also felt like my intrigue dipped a little at some point in the middle, but it picked back up again.

The writing and character depictions were great!

I'm reading Adichie's novels in chronological order, so this is the second, and my current fave, over Purple Hibiscus! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Rape, Violence, and War

foxo_cube's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

I loved this book!

I will start of by saying I know very little about the Nigerian civil war - this was my first time reading about it at all, but I am grateful that the author included a list of books she used as reference material because I am interested in reading non-fiction on the topic now.

The characters within this were, I think, brilliantly crafted. They were introduced, typically, with a basic set of traits, but develop into people who feel real: people with idiosyncracies, and prejudices they trip themselves up on, and fallibility. There are no wholly good or bad people, and the feelings characters have towards each other are often complex.

The interaction between small-scale, interpersonal drama and traumas and the big-scale social tensions is very well-balanced, I felt, and the responses to the horrors of the war (and pre-war massacres) shown by the characters feel thought-out.

The ending felt almost anti-climactic, I will say, but then I suppose that's pretty realistic too, isn't it? 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, and War

Moderate: Body horror, Genocide, Infidelity, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

kellyofcali's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I was lent this book, and I'm so happy because I loved it! While fiction, it was set amidst the Nigerian Civil War, which I did not know much about, an encouraged me to explore that history. On top of that, the wonderful, strong characters and their interpersonal story was gripping, sad, and real. Highly recommend!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, and War

Moderate: Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

aseel_reads's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

this book is haunting. i am so glad it exists, the story needs to be told but i definitely don't feel comfortable rating it. the only thing i can say is that the writing was phenenomal, just completely captivating, it didn't feel like you were reading at all. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Genocide, Infidelity, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

renechristine's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

I would not recommend this book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Excrement, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Animal death and Abortion

perfectphlaws's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

It was a well written book, but reminded me why I don't usually stray too far from romance. So much rape. War is ugly indeed, maybe I'll just read about it in the news rather than rehashing past horrors. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

isa_almeida's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Genocide and Infidelity

shiran_fa's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Infidelity, and Alcohol

teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition

emotional informative sad 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

3.0

Adichie is such a masterful writer. The depth and detail in her writing and characters is so good. I really enjoyed the first half of this book and then it kind of dropped off for me. I think it was when it took a dive into the deeper bits, I started to feel the weight of it. It did teach me about the history of Nigeria, which I enjoyed. Overall, another great book, but for me, it did not compare to Purple Hibiscus or Americannah.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Violence, and War

Moderate: Genocide and Sexual content

Minor: Infidelity and Excrement