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alexandramerkert's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
kellykern's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.25
rororeadz2601's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.0
niamhreadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I was torn on whether or not to give this 4 or 5 stars - I settled with 4, perhaps it deserves 5! This is a truly devastating story which follows one girl who was part of the Chibok schoolgirls, kidnapped from their school by Boko Haram. The writing styles is engaging and captivating as it quickly moves through her life before, during and after the kidnapping. Trigger warnings needed for this one - it's brutal - but a must-read.
mollyellengriffithss's review against another edition
1.0
At first in intrigued but slowly I lost interest and didn’t want to force myself to finish it. This narrative didn’t sit right coming from a white Irish perspective and not that of a black Nigerian voice, especially considering it’s basis in the real life kidnapping of school girls by Boko Haram.
brettcarl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
I'm all for authors/writers writing stories which they may not personally be able to relate to. That is under the notion that they will do plenty of research as personally, I don't think it's right or fair to force writers to write only what they know. It's incredibly important and beneficial for not just writers, but people in general, to write, learn, explore, be inspired by topics, subjects, people, cultures, histories, etc, that they cannot personally relate to. For example, Cisgender-Heterosexuals exploring LGBTQ+ culture & history, which will hopefully make them more empathetic and sympathetic towards LGBTQ+ individuals and the wider community, but also make them realise their own privilege as they realise how LGBTQ+ individuals/communities have been oppressed, persecuted and discriminated.
So, with that being said, when I first heard of Girl by Edna O'Brien, I was intrigued to read it as I was aware of the Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping by the Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram in 2014, and was eager to read this novel as I expected it to be a fascinating, yet harrowing story about the event.
Yet, before I'd even bought the novel, I'd heard grumblings about the fact a white, Irish woman had wrote this story of a kidnapped Black Nigerian girl who experiences the most inhumane and horrific acts that can be inflicted upon a human being. And as I've stated at the beginning, I do not mind and even implore writers & people to go out of their comfort zones and educate themselves and interact with other cultures, histories, people, communicates, experiences, etc, as this can only be beneficial for them. Yet, as I've implied before, it is important to do so with dignity, integrity and credibility, making sure you're respectful to the cultures and histories of other individuals and communities.
After reading Girl by Edna O'Brien, I can safely say that O'Brien does not do so. In fact, her novel is a soulless, inauthentic, even exploitative piece of fiction. And while this was not the worst reading experience I've had - the novel was easy-to-read, but this isn't really a compliment - it's not exactly far off. Yes, I finished it and it wasn't a slog to read, but to be completely honest - unlike O'Brien - I felt nothing reading this novel.
Critically, O'Brien prose is poor. She is unable to nail down her protagonist's - Maryam - voice, she also fails at creating an engaging plot which has a bland structure, furthermore the world-building feels off and comes across as clichéd and stereotypical, and finally, the novel lacks depth and emotion with no themes/topics being explored or even given any substantial weight & depth. O'Brien prose does significantly signify what bad prose looks like. Specifically, despite the fact she's explicit about the details of the atrocities these girls suffered, she does so in a way that is emblematic of poor, ignorance writing as O'Brien assumes we'll feel something just because of how horrific the atrocities are, but we feel nothing instead as it's evident no work has been done to actually engage with their story - specifically, with the inspiration for it - and thus, it comes across as being not just incredibly ignorant, but despicably exploitative and disrespectful too.
This novel is a prime example of an author not bothering to research their story and thus, not bothering to engage and interact with their story, characters, themes and so on with any really passion, humanity or respect. In fact, the references to Ireland are prime example of how O'Brien makes this story more about herself and not actually about the real-life girls/victims/survivors of these awful crimes. O'Brien should've wrote this story to get it out of her system and then shown it to no one. The fact it got published is damning of not just the publisher, but of the industry as a whole too as it shows the low, poor and possibly unfair and unbalanced standard the industry has for certain writers and stories.
So, with that being said, when I first heard of Girl by Edna O'Brien, I was intrigued to read it as I was aware of the Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping by the Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram in 2014, and was eager to read this novel as I expected it to be a fascinating, yet harrowing story about the event.
Yet, before I'd even bought the novel, I'd heard grumblings about the fact a white, Irish woman had wrote this story of a kidnapped Black Nigerian girl who experiences the most inhumane and horrific acts that can be inflicted upon a human being. And as I've stated at the beginning, I do not mind and even implore writers & people to go out of their comfort zones and educate themselves and interact with other cultures, histories, people, communicates, experiences, etc, as this can only be beneficial for them. Yet, as I've implied before, it is important to do so with dignity, integrity and credibility, making sure you're respectful to the cultures and histories of other individuals and communities.
After reading Girl by Edna O'Brien, I can safely say that O'Brien does not do so. In fact, her novel is a soulless, inauthentic, even exploitative piece of fiction. And while this was not the worst reading experience I've had - the novel was easy-to-read, but this isn't really a compliment - it's not exactly far off. Yes, I finished it and it wasn't a slog to read, but to be completely honest - unlike O'Brien - I felt nothing reading this novel.
Critically, O'Brien prose is poor. She is unable to nail down her protagonist's - Maryam - voice, she also fails at creating an engaging plot which has a bland structure, furthermore the world-building feels off and comes across as clichéd and stereotypical, and finally, the novel lacks depth and emotion with no themes/topics being explored or even given any substantial weight & depth. O'Brien prose does significantly signify what bad prose looks like. Specifically, despite the fact she's explicit about the details of the atrocities these girls suffered, she does so in a way that is emblematic of poor, ignorance writing as O'Brien assumes we'll feel something just because of how horrific the atrocities are, but we feel nothing instead as it's evident no work has been done to actually engage with their story - specifically, with the inspiration for it - and thus, it comes across as being not just incredibly ignorant, but despicably exploitative and disrespectful too.
This novel is a prime example of an author not bothering to research their story and thus, not bothering to engage and interact with their story, characters, themes and so on with any really passion, humanity or respect. In fact, the references to Ireland are prime example of how O'Brien makes this story more about herself and not actually about the real-life girls/victims/survivors of these awful crimes. O'Brien should've wrote this story to get it out of her system and then shown it to no one. The fact it got published is damning of not just the publisher, but of the industry as a whole too as it shows the low, poor and possibly unfair and unbalanced standard the industry has for certain writers and stories.