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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
I absolutely loved this book, it's so...intelligent? That's a word that comes to mind.
I was hesitant, didn't really feel it, and then right at this moment the story took off, and I was glued to the pages. I had the same feeling with Dream Count, maybe that's something I can rely on during the next Adichie's book that falls into my hands.
I loved the maturity that beams from the pages, how it discusses race without really discussing it, how beautiful it is to read something unapologetic and real.
I was hesitant, didn't really feel it, and then right at this moment the story took off, and I was glued to the pages. I had the same feeling with Dream Count, maybe that's something I can rely on during the next Adichie's book that falls into my hands.
I loved the maturity that beams from the pages, how it discusses race without really discussing it, how beautiful it is to read something unapologetic and real.
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-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
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought this would be a five star for me right up until the end. I adore the separate narratives and the way Adichie writes about race and culture throughout the novel; it was when the protagonists came together that I found myself feeling disappointed. There really was nowhere satisfying for this romance to go, and the ending felt cheap as it seemed to reduce the lovely complexities of this text to little more than a love story.
First thing first, the Goodreads blurb doesn’t really work for this book. Americanah has a love story, but that’s not the heart of this book. The thing is that this story has its heart in many places. It’s a beautiful book. It deals with racism, immigration, emigration, the ‘American dream’ of the third world countries, relationships and so much more. And of course hair. I wasn’t aware that hair can be a source of discrimination and a mode of making a statement. That was my biggest takeaway from this book – that things that seem rather inconsequential to me can be of enormous import to a lot of people.
The story jumps around in the timeline. It opens with Ifemelu, a Nigerian blogger in the USA, planning to come back to her motherland. The story unfurls her life in Nigeria before immigration, where she saw poverty, political turmoil and met the love of her life and the one in the USA post-immigration where she first struggled to adapt to the culture and economics, got introduced to racism, and then had a successful career and relationships. First, she gets a cultural shock after moving to the USA, and then she struggles to fit in after going back to Nigeria. There is a lot going on here, but then again a lot does go on in a person’s life.
Some parts particularly stood out. I personally loved all the blog entries, quirky and hard-hitting. Kimberly is a case study for white people extremely conscious of not sounding racist. The relationship between Obinze’s mother and Ifemelu. Ifemelu’s first reaction to depression being a white person’s disease. Obinze’s all-consuming dream of moving to America. Ifemelu realizing how much her tastes have changed after moving back to Nigeria and not being proud of it. Dike growing up in America, an apparently happy boy and yet longing for a root.
It could have turned preachy, but never did. There is a satirical humor spread all over the story. It made me chuckle a lot for a book dealing with such serious topics. I think both the strength and the weakness of this book are how many things it deals with. There’s enough material to make at least three novels. It’s a great read, eye-opening and thought-provoking, but at times it can also be a little overwhelming.
The story jumps around in the timeline. It opens with Ifemelu, a Nigerian blogger in the USA, planning to come back to her motherland. The story unfurls her life in Nigeria before immigration, where she saw poverty, political turmoil and met the love of her life and the one in the USA post-immigration where she first struggled to adapt to the culture and economics, got introduced to racism, and then had a successful career and relationships. First, she gets a cultural shock after moving to the USA, and then she struggles to fit in after going back to Nigeria. There is a lot going on here, but then again a lot does go on in a person’s life.
Some parts particularly stood out. I personally loved all the blog entries, quirky and hard-hitting. Kimberly is a case study for white people extremely conscious of not sounding racist. The relationship between Obinze’s mother and Ifemelu. Ifemelu’s first reaction to depression being a white person’s disease. Obinze’s all-consuming dream of moving to America. Ifemelu realizing how much her tastes have changed after moving back to Nigeria and not being proud of it. Dike growing up in America, an apparently happy boy and yet longing for a root.
It could have turned preachy, but never did. There is a satirical humor spread all over the story. It made me chuckle a lot for a book dealing with such serious topics. I think both the strength and the weakness of this book are how many things it deals with. There’s enough material to make at least three novels. It’s a great read, eye-opening and thought-provoking, but at times it can also be a little overwhelming.
Kaip gražiai parašyta, vaje. Kaip vanduo nutekėjo. Kokie puikūs, annoying personažai, tokie nefaini ir faini, ir visokie. Apart Curt'o, kuris atrodė 2D, bet, kaip pati knyga pasikomentavo, kartais veikėjai atrodo netikri, nes tiesiog nepažįsti tokių žmonių. Tai tokių žmonių tikrai nepažįstu, faktas. Dar ką nors gero noriu parašyti, nes jaučiu daug jausmų investavus ir laiko į personažų gyvenimus. Labai patiko skirtingos dalys ir kaip jų neliko, kai personažai atsidūrė toj pačioje plokštumoje. Kur turinys ir forma papildo vienas kitą. Patiko, kaip skirtingos situacijos atsikartojo skirtingų veikėjų gyvenimose, leidžiant per dar vieną sluoksnį pasižiūrėti į rasės, kultūros temas. Buvo labai malonu skaityti.
P.S. keista, kad per 13 metų USA ji nesusirado gerų, artimų draugų.
Mamai nupirkau lietuvišką vertimą ir man labai labai smalsu, kaip visi lingvistiniai žaidimai ir akcentai buvo išversti, nes jų čia daug ir jie svarbūs.
P.S. keista, kad per 13 metų USA ji nesusirado gerų, artimų draugų.
Mamai nupirkau lietuvišką vertimą ir man labai labai smalsu, kaip visi lingvistiniai žaidimai ir akcentai buvo išversti, nes jų čia daug ir jie svarbūs.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-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:
Complicated
adventurous
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
funny
informative
reflective
tense
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:
Complicated
the similarities between nigerian pidgin and singlish are so funny to me! a nuanced exploration of what it means to belong, to leave a land you know so intimately (and hence hate in equal measure) and the journey home
i do detest cheating and i don’t care if yall are besties
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes