Reviews

What I got out of this book is precisely what I'd hoped I would: a glimpse into the lives of people who come from a place very different from my home. Adichie paints both her characters and her settings richly and with a sure hand. We meet Ifemelu and Obinze when they are teenagers in school and follow them throughout their growing up and into themselves, apart and onward. Their journey takes them and us from Nigeria to the US and the UK. The story masterfully switches between past and present, masterfully, because it's never confusing and never contrived, it flows beautifully.
This is a wonderful book, I highly recommend it.

valleycat's review against another edition

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4.0

Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. I liked the ending, it just seemed a bit too abrupt? The characters felt like real people, which was nice. It's so nice to read books where women characters have strong personalities. She was who she was and you could accept her for who she was or move along. She didn't have to change herself to fit into her societies mould of who they thought she should be, even though they tried to make her acquiesce to them. I also liked to see her perspective on race in America as an outsider. It was an interesting perspective, and an educational book. I can see how people could interpret some of the content in the book as the author being "preachy", but I didn't really interpret it that way. To me it was an important part of expressing the character's culture shock. That her starting her blog was her way of venting everything that had been cluttering her head space for the 15 years she was in a new country. Sometimes you just need to vent to people who can understand what you're going through, and if you can't find that in your own community you find a place where you can.

lucafreya's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

4.0

shadylane_00's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective slow-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

4.0

darbileigh's review against another edition

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4.0

This was an absolutely brilliant and a wonderful read. I felt that I could really relate with the main character; even though I am indeed a black American and not an African in America like she is, I so often do not relate to the "typical" black American experience since I have black parents that were not American born. That being said, this book made me laugh and chuckle with its relatable-ness in regards to natural hair, hair salons, being fat and black (versus white and fat; it's so different...) and the black outsider's experience towards black Americans and being black in America; but then click my tongue at some of the unfairness at our country's treatments of immigrants, black people, and the hoops that both groups have to jump through as well as their struggles with racism and being seen as "less." I could only give it four stars though because I absolutely hate it when books condone cheating in marriages and a husband leaving a wife because he "didn't actually love her when he married her." I don't believe that's actually ever true and it's usually just "I want out because this other person is newer and more shiny." But hey, I'm a hopeless romantic who is madly in love. I digress. Aside from the fact that I did not like the ending, this was a wonderful book and a great read!

stillneedsdreams's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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