Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

76 reviews

eleek0609's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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ashleymg99's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was a book that I somehow missed reading this in my high school English curriculum. I decided to finally pick it up for the StoryGraph read the world challenge, and because one of my friends said this was their favorite book. 

I can’t recommend the Crash Course video on this book enough- after reading it, it enhanced my understanding of text and provided a lot of additional context, that I will summarize below: 

Chinua Achebe was uniquely positioned to tell this story because of his background. With a  father who was an evangelical Christian and extended family that was part of traditional Igbo culture - he offers a criticism of European colonialism that neither demonizes nor exhalts either culture. It’s a wonderful first-hand account of the customs of the Igbo people, and an amazing edition to my read the world challenge! 

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jazzypop's review against another edition

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

4.75


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themissyreads's review against another edition

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challenging informative tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Look up trigger warnings.
I had to sit with this one a while because i knew i loved the first half (5/5) but wasn’t sure how i felt about the second. A big narrative shift happens. Most of the plot of the first half happens in the course of a couple of weeks or months at most. The second half covers ~10 years and the time skips and exposition is such that we lose contact with characters and their relationships which does mirror the effect of colonialism on the community. I get *why* in that sense, but parts of the second half felt rushed and maybe underdeveloped where the first half was SO illustrative and intimate. So I didnt enjoy the second half as much. I took my time, annotated, took notes on the first half but made almost no marks in the second, if that tells you anything. I’d still reccomend, its a quick read just definitely mot your Why Colonialism is Bad 101 bc thats not what the book is going for. 

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tiredjulia's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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nkmustdie's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5


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halogenl95's review against another edition

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challenging sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book tells the story of Okonkwo’s life and the trauma he endured throughtout his life. It’s hard to describe what kind of story it is since it does not follow any formula. But one thing is for sure, it is a sad story. I kept hoping things will get better but it never really does, much like life. The progression of the story is also not towards a resolution. It simply details how things keep falling apart. 

Personally, I don’t think I would recommend it to friends because it’s not reflective enough to be worth the sadness nor enjoyable enough to read on the beach, which are the only 2 types of books that I read.

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calamitywindpetal's review against another edition

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

3.5


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amayastar05's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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isitcertain's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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