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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For me, this book was more of an anthropological catalogue than a novel. I learned many things but felt little. Compared to Chimamanda Ngozi’s novels or Yaa Gyassi’s Homecoming, Things Fall Apart came across as pale and non-engaging.
Apart from Okonkwo’s short fuse and rabid chauvinism, his reaction to the western colonists is pretty valid… The last paragraph really cements how trivial his complex character seems through an imperialist lens. Achebe’s work stands the test of time
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
informative
reflective
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Violence
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A brilliant dissection of the slow disintegration of a society, not merely through the violence of colonization, but through a far more insidious weapon: tolerance.
Things Fall Apart tells a story of the beginning of the end for a small Igbo tribe, a decline that starts with a reluctant, fearful acceptance of a foreign god, and slowly turns into an internal betrayal of the core of their existence. Chinua Achebe paints the Igbo world as complex, spiritual, and deeply rooted in tradition, just as intricate as any other society.
Oknokwo, the novel's protagonist, is a harsh man of action and conviction. His refusal to bend, his insistence on upholding the strict hierarchy of the clan, even when it harms him, reveals just how firm he is in his beliefs. He is often perceived as violent, stubborn, and ultimately even tragic, but the novel invites us to consider deeper questions. Okonkwo's end is his final act of agency in a world that's quietly submitting.
The book is a great reflection of the moral cost of accommodation, and how often tolerating something seemingly harmless at first, can eventually become the very tool of our undoing.
Things Fall Apart tells a story of the beginning of the end for a small Igbo tribe, a decline that starts with a reluctant, fearful acceptance of a foreign god, and slowly turns into an internal betrayal of the core of their existence. Chinua Achebe paints the Igbo world as complex, spiritual, and deeply rooted in tradition, just as intricate as any other society.
Oknokwo, the novel's protagonist, is a harsh man of action and conviction. His refusal to bend, his insistence on upholding the strict hierarchy of the clan, even when it harms him, reveals just how firm he is in his beliefs. He is often perceived as violent, stubborn, and ultimately even tragic, but the novel invites us to consider deeper questions. Okonkwo's end is his final act of agency in a world that's quietly submitting.
The book is a great reflection of the moral cost of accommodation, and how often tolerating something seemingly harmless at first, can eventually become the very tool of our undoing.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
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
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced