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uniskorn's review
2.0
Giving this book 2 stars kills me a little bit inside, but I have to agree with the many reviews here: the editing needed tightening. In the first 40 pages, I was so absorbed in this story that I couldn't put it down. I had to know what was going to happen. I cared about the characters, I was intrigued with the political backdrop. Everything meshed so well. Then, the complexity began evaporating.
There were several instances in this book that seemed as if the author was just throwing in a feminist rant. If you know me at all, you know I love feminist rants, particularly when they're so well embedded within the story like Emecheta's The Joys of Motherhood. Atta clearly tries to do what Emecheta did with her feminist rants, only it's not well embedded. It seems separate from the story. And it was distracting.
The story seemed disorganized after the second part. First we were here and then, we trial blazed into areas I wasn't sure connected with the overarching theme. We went to the prisons, the injustice, the instability, but we didn't get the inner workings of our main character. Instead, she seemed fine and motivated. Seems logical, but with all of her thoughts so far in the book, why didn't we get more inside her head for these things? One moment, Atta is talking about injustice and war and the next a feminist rant. The thing is, THEY BOTH GO TOGETHER but somehow they didn't mesh in the stream-of-consciousness. I don't know how this is possible, but it happened.
By the last 170 pages, I was reading to finish the book. I didn't care. I lost interest in the characters and the one character I was super interested in fell flat. I'm so sad that this book didn't turn out to be a better read for me.
There were several instances in this book that seemed as if the author was just throwing in a feminist rant. If you know me at all, you know I love feminist rants, particularly when they're so well embedded within the story like Emecheta's The Joys of Motherhood. Atta clearly tries to do what Emecheta did with her feminist rants, only it's not well embedded. It seems separate from the story. And it was distracting.
The story seemed disorganized after the second part. First we were here and then, we trial blazed into areas I wasn't sure connected with the overarching theme. We went to the prisons, the injustice, the instability, but we didn't get the inner workings of our main character. Instead, she seemed fine and motivated. Seems logical, but with all of her thoughts so far in the book, why didn't we get more inside her head for these things? One moment, Atta is talking about injustice and war and the next a feminist rant. The thing is, THEY BOTH GO TOGETHER but somehow they didn't mesh in the stream-of-consciousness. I don't know how this is possible, but it happened.
By the last 170 pages, I was reading to finish the book. I didn't care. I lost interest in the characters and the one character I was super interested in fell flat. I'm so sad that this book didn't turn out to be a better read for me.
polo's review
5.0
The blurb doesn't do this book an ounce of justice. Instead of comparing the lives of two women living in Nigeria after the civil war, this story is shaped more like the struggle of a woman who can't figure out how to take up space in her own life.
Enitan isn't likable; I agree with that. She is complicated, occasionally weak, but more often strong. She bends under pressure throughout the book and forces herself to stomach situations that damage her. The reason this book goes on my 'favourites' shelf is because of the way she begins to grow and the harmful situations of her life no longer damage her but sustain her and give her more determination.
This book isn't a quick-paced read. It ambles. It sits and mulls over some scenes and races past others without much sense. Still, the characters are bright and vivid and if you like character-driven stories with beautiful prose and a strong sense of place, pick this up.
Enitan isn't likable; I agree with that. She is complicated, occasionally weak, but more often strong. She bends under pressure throughout the book and forces herself to stomach situations that damage her. The reason this book goes on my 'favourites' shelf is because of the way she begins to grow and the harmful situations of her life no longer damage her but sustain her and give her more determination.
This book isn't a quick-paced read. It ambles. It sits and mulls over some scenes and races past others without much sense. Still, the characters are bright and vivid and if you like character-driven stories with beautiful prose and a strong sense of place, pick this up.
tonianni's review
4.0
I loved the writing style, clean. The story moved on smoothly and it was interesting
abbie_'s review
4.0
Thank you @myriad_editions for gifting me a copy of Everything Good Will Come by Sefi Atta - I thoroughly enjoyed it! It starts a year after the Biafran War in 1971, with Nigeria under military rule, when Enitan and Sheri first meet as children, and follows their lives as they grow up until 1995. I love this kind of story, and Atta blends the personal stories of the two women against the backdrop of Nigeria’s political and economical struggles very well.
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There are so many elements covered during the course of this book, as you’d expect from one dealing with decades of two lives. Particularly compelling components for me were Enitan’s strained relationship with her mother, the pressure she feels when she’s 35 and still childless, Sheri’s decision to work the system and find a sugar daddy (before it turns sour), and Enitan’s fight to prove herself as a capable lawyer in a country which used ‘feminist’ as an insult.
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I loved Atta’s use of dialogue too - I find a lot of authors struggle with speech, it often comes off stilted and awkward, whereas here you can sense the sparks between all the different characters with their angry, passionate, jealous and witty back-and-forths. She also slips some keen-eyed observations in there regarding how the rest of the world views Nigeria and how Nigerians feel about their country.
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I did think some parts were a little rough around the edges (there were some weird proofreading errors), and I think there could have been more dimension had the chapters been narrated alternately by Enitan and Sheri, rather than just Enitan, but overall it was a very rich read and made me look forward to reading more by Sefi Atta!
.
There are so many elements covered during the course of this book, as you’d expect from one dealing with decades of two lives. Particularly compelling components for me were Enitan’s strained relationship with her mother, the pressure she feels when she’s 35 and still childless, Sheri’s decision to work the system and find a sugar daddy (before it turns sour), and Enitan’s fight to prove herself as a capable lawyer in a country which used ‘feminist’ as an insult.
.
I loved Atta’s use of dialogue too - I find a lot of authors struggle with speech, it often comes off stilted and awkward, whereas here you can sense the sparks between all the different characters with their angry, passionate, jealous and witty back-and-forths. She also slips some keen-eyed observations in there regarding how the rest of the world views Nigeria and how Nigerians feel about their country.
.
I did think some parts were a little rough around the edges (there were some weird proofreading errors), and I think there could have been more dimension had the chapters been narrated alternately by Enitan and Sheri, rather than just Enitan, but overall it was a very rich read and made me look forward to reading more by Sefi Atta!
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