Scan barcode
aishakare's review
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
theseventhl's review
3.0
Feels odd to give a Chinua Achebe book only three stars, but it wasn't like the rest of his works and that threw me off majorly. The tone of the book is rather juvenile, even for a children's story, and the ending ties up all loose ends rather too neatly for my likings. I do like the looks into Chike's daily life and the culture he grew up in; Chike ended up being a very likeable protagonist. Would probably not read again, though.
juniper77's review against another edition
4.0
I love lorries. I need to read more Nigerian books. Loved the characterization, loved the delightful phrases (one day is one day, big boys don't cry, mind yourself, people without home-training). Very nostalgic.
dead_vole_jumpscare's review
for very young audiences, kinda just describes events and stuff, lots of morals, etc - hard to rate cuz its totally not meant for readers my age?
bryanna_313's review
adventurous
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? N/A
3.0
blearywitch's review
5.0
Birthday book #1/13 in 2019; "Boyhood" theme.
It's amusing how I read it with a Nigerian accent in my head, like from the Emmanuela videos.
I was impressed to learn that little Chike likes flowing phrases like Midwestern Nigeria, A Midsummers Night Dream, The Isle of Man. The boys like to repeat English phrases they learnt at school like "time and tide waits for no man", "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy".
It was interesting to know Chike's uncle is unmarried so his boy servant does all the "difficult" work in the house which listed splitting firewood, going to the market, washing and ironing clothes, washing plates, and sweeping rooms!
It reiterates that a wise mother would make sure her son knows how to do housework. Boys who don't will turn into lawless little imps!
Suddenly I learnt how those Nigerian scams began! It started with writing to penpals in England and asking them for precious items and promising leopard skin in return. Hilarious. Chike didn't participate, thankfully.
Headmaster told the boys "A person who begs has no self-respect, he has no shame and no dignity. He is an inferior person." All boys should remember this.
All in all this is a very light read, extremely enjoyable, amusing with every turn of the page. Chike is a good boy, who remembers his mother's advise but wants to achieve his dream of crossing the river. He successfully kept himself out of serious trouble but not completely out of regular mischief or honest mistakes. It is a heartwarming tale of the adventures of a village boy getting accustomed to the city and growing up around other boys in school. Loved it!
It's amusing how I read it with a Nigerian accent in my head, like from the Emmanuela videos.
I was impressed to learn that little Chike likes flowing phrases like Midwestern Nigeria, A Midsummers Night Dream, The Isle of Man. The boys like to repeat English phrases they learnt at school like "time and tide waits for no man", "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy".
It was interesting to know Chike's uncle is unmarried so his boy servant does all the "difficult" work in the house which listed splitting firewood, going to the market, washing and ironing clothes, washing plates, and sweeping rooms!
It reiterates that a wise mother would make sure her son knows how to do housework. Boys who don't will turn into lawless little imps!
Suddenly I learnt how those Nigerian scams began! It started with writing to penpals in England and asking them for precious items and promising leopard skin in return. Hilarious. Chike didn't participate, thankfully.
Headmaster told the boys "A person who begs has no self-respect, he has no shame and no dignity. He is an inferior person." All boys should remember this.
All in all this is a very light read, extremely enjoyable, amusing with every turn of the page. Chike is a good boy, who remembers his mother's advise but wants to achieve his dream of crossing the river. He successfully kept himself out of serious trouble but not completely out of regular mischief or honest mistakes. It is a heartwarming tale of the adventures of a village boy getting accustomed to the city and growing up around other boys in school. Loved it!
anfendy's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
sarahcm's review
2.0
This book was written in an interesting style of writing but the plot was too boring for me.