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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book started off pretty slow but got way more interesting about 100 pages in. If you're struggling at the beginning, I recommend sticking with it. I ended up really enjoying the dynamics between all of the characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder
Minor: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage
In Welcome to Lagos, Chike leads his newly formed family of strangers into the city of Lagos. Just when they are beginning to hit their stride they are swept into scandal and make choices that set off unforeseen reverberations. My favorite part of this book was watching this motley band form a family. Knowing the dire circumstances that bring them together I couldn’t stop myself from hoping that somehow they could find safety. I loved learning about each character’s motivations and how they affect the whole. A vivid book teaming with life and color, it will make you feel as if you have traveled without moving an inch.
I wasn't impressed by this book, I didn't love any of the characters or the writing, and the story felt patchy and impartial.
2.5
This book was not my jam.
I liked the characters and the way the author set up Nigeria, showing us many different viewpoints into a world we'll probably never fully know.
But it was slow, I didn't really care for the plot, and reading it was incredibly difficult. I switched to audiobook fairly early on and even then I was struggling to understand what the characters were saying. I know that makes it true to the characters but it just didn't work for me.
Cover 3; Characters 3; Plot 2; Pace 2; Writing 3; Enjoyment 2.
This book was not my jam.
I liked the characters and the way the author set up Nigeria, showing us many different viewpoints into a world we'll probably never fully know.
But it was slow, I didn't really care for the plot, and reading it was incredibly difficult. I switched to audiobook fairly early on and even then I was struggling to understand what the characters were saying. I know that makes it true to the characters but it just didn't work for me.
Cover 3; Characters 3; Plot 2; Pace 2; Writing 3; Enjoyment 2.
“The air above Yenagoa must be thick with prayer, petitions flying and colliding on their way to heaven.”
“He had found many women to sleep with in Lagos but none to split his life down the middle for.”
“Her husband, I.K., loved her, in the way you loved expensive shoes, to be polished and glossed but, at the end of the day, to be trodden on.”
“It was the aggression of the downtrodden, petty but briefly satisfying.”
“He had found many women to sleep with in Lagos but none to split his life down the middle for.”
“Her husband, I.K., loved her, in the way you loved expensive shoes, to be polished and glossed but, at the end of the day, to be trodden on.”
“It was the aggression of the downtrodden, petty but briefly satisfying.”
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
4.5 stars!
This is an excellent, witty, darkly humorous, but ultimately richly character-centric novel about my home city, Lagos, Nigeria. It’s a fast-paced, engaging read about the unwilling hero, Chike and his ever-increasing ragtag posse as they battle to fit into the roiling, moody, energetic, underbelly of Lagosian society. This book is funny and sad, sarcastic and honest and the author does a fantastic job of capturing the personalities through social commentary that never relies on tropes. A really excellent novel for anyone who is interested in a contemporary take on an African mega city that is fictional and entertaining, but also somewhat true.
This is an excellent, witty, darkly humorous, but ultimately richly character-centric novel about my home city, Lagos, Nigeria. It’s a fast-paced, engaging read about the unwilling hero, Chike and his ever-increasing ragtag posse as they battle to fit into the roiling, moody, energetic, underbelly of Lagosian society. This book is funny and sad, sarcastic and honest and the author does a fantastic job of capturing the personalities through social commentary that never relies on tropes. A really excellent novel for anyone who is interested in a contemporary take on an African mega city that is fictional and entertaining, but also somewhat true.
This book took a while to get going for me, but that scene with the BBC crew in the hotel was gold.
A slow first act and a satisfying third act. Vivid scene setting and world crafting.