Reviews

No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe

jesusnoaccent's review against another edition

challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

ellie_remlap's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

alexsiddall's review against another edition

4.0

On 2nd reading, I upgraded my rating from 3 to 4 stars. It's- a deceptively simple book full of humanity and subtle humour. It looks sympathetically at human weaknesses, foibles, follies, and ego. Traditional Nigerian culture and modern western ways are viewed sardonically, but not mocked. A striking book and an easy read.

manolitagafotas's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

kellycavolo's review against another edition

reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

naro173's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing 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

3.5

alex_johnson_2021's review against another edition

3.0

I'm stuck between 3 and 4 stars, so maybe 3.5.

The book centers around Obi, who is the grandson of Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart. Obi recently got a scholarship to a program in England and after returning, the people in Nigeria are expecting him to compensate them for the money they provided. They thought he was going to be a lawyer, but he pursued English anyway.

In many forms, you start to see how stubborn he can become when it comes to hearing other people. For example, he's engaged to Clara who keeps telling him that she wants to end the engagement. We find out that she is an osu which is a group of forbidden people or outcasts, and marrying her would wreak havoc on Obi's bloodline. Still, he is determined to do so. I always felt that Obi was more in love with her than she was to him, because even when they met, she didn't take him seriously.

Joseph, Obi's best friend, tells the group that funded his scholarship about wanting to marry Clara, and he leaves the group for ostracizing him. I will admit that Obi had some good points, when it came to his conversation with his father. Like why did Clara have to be an outcast, due to the mistakes that happened multiple generations ago? Why should she be punished? I understood that but she also tells him that she doesn't want to cause a divide between him and his family.

At the end, it's like he becomes the person that he tried not to be. Thinking that he can overwrite the corrupt system and due to his financial distress, becomes part of the system he once tried to fight. I will say that the ending felt rushed because we spent so much time on whether Obi was going to marry Clara or not, and then she's pregnant with his child, which could have been cut in my opinion. I do think that the book made some good points but the pacing could have been better.

tombomp's review against another edition

4.0

Depressing story, opens with the ending and it's depressing and then the rest of the book only rarely lets up. About the difference between "old" and "new" society in Nigeria in the time around independence and the contradictions opened up between the newly educated and the older generation excluded from the "new society" (kind of) But even the main character doesn't know how to properly move through the new official world, despite his English education. Covers a lot of ground and is interesting but yeah it's sad

It ends kind of abruptly but I guess it makes sense that once he's

Spoiler

lost pretty much everything that gives him meaning there's no point in delaying the inevitable

Also this is the second in the trilogy, I didn't read the first yet but it's not a huge deal if you read them out of order I think but I want to mention that the Penguin modern classics version claims it's the final part of the trilogy. Shoddy

ula_mizhir's review against another edition

inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

inkdrinker13's review against another edition

informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5