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misspalah's review against another edition
4.0
“The impatient idealist says: 'Give me a place to stand and I shall move the earth.' But such a place does not exist. We all have to stand on the earth itself and go with her at her pace.”
― Chinua Achebe, No Longer at Ease
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After i finished reading this book, only then i discover that this is consider as a second book of African Trilogy. The first book is “Things Fall Apart” and the third book is “Arrow of God”. The story for the first 2 books was linked generationally and sharing the same themes for all 3 of them. I wish i would google first before buying it so that i can start with first book. Well, nothing can be done to change that so here is my review for the second book.
We followed the journey of Obi Okonkwo, a civil servant in the Nigerian Colonial Government. Him working at a government service is no brainer given that most of the scholars are required to pay back their student loan through their employment. Back in London, He was an ‘english major’ student (or he would prefer people to say is ‘literature’) just made his return to Nigeria in the 1950s. We can see that Obi despised everything that he saw as a standard practice in the administration especially the rampant bribery. Obi also trapped within his own tradition and his parent’s expectations when he met Clara, a Nigerian who trained to be a Nurse in. Obi wanted to marry her. He can sense her hesitation and only then discover that she is an ‘OSU’. While Obi doesn’t really care about it but Obi’s parents and his kinsmen from Umofomia made it clear to him that it cannot happen at all.OSU, in a simplest explanation simply meant outcast caste. Honestly, Obi
is not necessarily a likeable character but you can still sympathise with him. We can see how all the pressures get to him - because he was an overseas graduate - he needs to pay back his study loan and because he works in a government sector - he is expected to assist his family finance. On top of that, he was not good in managing his money and it does show in the book. Ego also got him when Clara wanted to help him but he refused saying he could managed. This is the part we saw how it contribute to the downfall of Obi - As the beginning of the story demonstrated how he was being tried in court for taking a bribe and succumb to the corrupt system despite his initial resistance and his outrage against it. Overall, this is the second book i have read by Chinua Achebe and i am in awe. He wrote about the impact of colonialism, the cultural complication such as tribal identity , the clash of religion and value in such a simple story. You can see what he’s trying to say but he did not conclude it for you, you decide it for yourself whether you agree to it or not. Overall, this is easy to read but the fact you can understand why Obi does what he does make it uneasy. I will try to find the other 2 books so that i could complete this trilogy.
― Chinua Achebe, No Longer at Ease
.
.
After i finished reading this book, only then i discover that this is consider as a second book of African Trilogy. The first book is “Things Fall Apart” and the third book is “Arrow of God”. The story for the first 2 books was linked generationally and sharing the same themes for all 3 of them. I wish i would google first before buying it so that i can start with first book. Well, nothing can be done to change that so here is my review for the second book.
We followed the journey of Obi Okonkwo, a civil servant in the Nigerian Colonial Government. Him working at a government service is no brainer given that most of the scholars are required to pay back their student loan through their employment. Back in London, He was an ‘english major’ student (or he would prefer people to say is ‘literature’) just made his return to Nigeria in the 1950s. We can see that Obi despised everything that he saw as a standard practice in the administration especially the rampant bribery. Obi also trapped within his own tradition and his parent’s expectations when he met Clara, a Nigerian who trained to be a Nurse in. Obi wanted to marry her. He can sense her hesitation and only then discover that she is an ‘OSU’. While Obi doesn’t really care about it but Obi’s parents and his kinsmen from Umofomia made it clear to him that it cannot happen at all.OSU, in a simplest explanation simply meant outcast caste. Honestly, Obi
is not necessarily a likeable character but you can still sympathise with him. We can see how all the pressures get to him - because he was an overseas graduate - he needs to pay back his study loan and because he works in a government sector - he is expected to assist his family finance. On top of that, he was not good in managing his money and it does show in the book. Ego also got him when Clara wanted to help him but he refused saying he could managed. This is the part we saw how it contribute to the downfall of Obi - As the beginning of the story demonstrated how he was being tried in court for taking a bribe and succumb to the corrupt system despite his initial resistance and his outrage against it. Overall, this is the second book i have read by Chinua Achebe and i am in awe. He wrote about the impact of colonialism, the cultural complication such as tribal identity , the clash of religion and value in such a simple story. You can see what he’s trying to say but he did not conclude it for you, you decide it for yourself whether you agree to it or not. Overall, this is easy to read but the fact you can understand why Obi does what he does make it uneasy. I will try to find the other 2 books so that i could complete this trilogy.
phoebehmcmahon's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
flaudfrawed's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
jayrinehart's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
yasirah's review against another edition
4.0
This book was only limited by the lack of depth shown in the main female character. Aside from that Achebe continued to show the ways that traditions evolve under influences of imperial rule, religion and capitalism.
chiddybrendan's review against another edition
3.0
The plot of the novel is fairly straightforward. Obi Okonkwo, a UK educated son of a village Anglican catechist returns home and takes a good civil service job. He meets a lady on his way back and decides to marry her. Meanwhile at his new job he struggles financially due to several commitments including his living costs, loan repayments, school fees for his sibling, etc. His parents’ disapproval of marriage to his proposed spouse because she is an osu (despite their Christianity) combines to drive him to a mental crisis. In this he finally falls into the bribe temptation and is caught.
But the experience of this novel for me is found mostly in the supreme storytelling genius of Prof Chinua Achebe. His use of figures of speech are soothing, but then his generosity with, and deployment of Igbo proverbs is for me reminiscent of the good old days… those days of my siblings and I listening to daddy tell us stories of tortoise and the leopard.. you know those days of Tales by Moonlight.. How I miss them…
On a different and final note I wonder how accurate Prof Achebe’s portrayal of the Nigerian and his society of the time is. If bribery and corruption was already almost a norm in the 1950s (a generation with many of the nation’s independence heroes) then it’s no surprise where we are now, the growth seeming more linear than say exponential or radical. Even Obi’s boss Mr Green thought educated Nigerians of the time were corrupt, self-centered, lacked foresight, and didn’t have the country at heart. If this is the case then have we been doomed from the start?
But the experience of this novel for me is found mostly in the supreme storytelling genius of Prof Chinua Achebe. His use of figures of speech are soothing, but then his generosity with, and deployment of Igbo proverbs is for me reminiscent of the good old days… those days of my siblings and I listening to daddy tell us stories of tortoise and the leopard.. you know those days of Tales by Moonlight.. How I miss them…
On a different and final note I wonder how accurate Prof Achebe’s portrayal of the Nigerian and his society of the time is. If bribery and corruption was already almost a norm in the 1950s (a generation with many of the nation’s independence heroes) then it’s no surprise where we are now, the growth seeming more linear than say exponential or radical. Even Obi’s boss Mr Green thought educated Nigerians of the time were corrupt, self-centered, lacked foresight, and didn’t have the country at heart. If this is the case then have we been doomed from the start?
rachser's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
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.