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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
A remarkably readable book. Very well written with unique characters and a compelling story of a country I know nothing about. Highly recommend it as just an all around good read.
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Why did it take me so long to read this amazing book?!
I have had this book on my list for a very long time and I am so happy I decided to finally read it. Welcome to Lagos is a book about humanity and bonds we form when we have no choice.
The book opens with an officer leaving the army because he no longer believes in the cause and he is tired of being haunted by the people he's murdered. He ends up leaving and taking another with him/ While on the journey to Lagos he meets a naive militant, a vulnerable young woman and a runaway middle-class wife. What happens next, well, let's just say, it was wild, entertaining and heart warming.
I loved every minute of this book.
I have had this book on my list for a very long time and I am so happy I decided to finally read it. Welcome to Lagos is a book about humanity and bonds we form when we have no choice.
The book opens with an officer leaving the army because he no longer believes in the cause and he is tired of being haunted by the people he's murdered. He ends up leaving and taking another with him/ While on the journey to Lagos he meets a naive militant, a vulnerable young woman and a runaway middle-class wife. What happens next, well, let's just say, it was wild, entertaining and heart warming.
I loved every minute of this book.
I’m going to be honest. I really struggled with this book.
The book centres around five main characters: Chike, Yemi, Fineboy, Oma and Isoken.
Each character embarks on their own journey to Lagos with the intention of acquiring a better, more prosperous life. As the story unravels, the journey of each character becomes intertwined.
My issue with this book is that it starts off with promise around the five characters, which makes you think that the overarching plot will focus on them and develop later into the book.
However, the book felt very slow and hard to get into. Some parts of the book were gripping. But other parts were hard to maintain engagement.
Over time, you soon realise that the main focus of the book is to portray different facets of life in Lagos, Nigeria.
Difficult read but still an interesting insight into life in Lagos.
Chibundu Onuzo was only born in 1991 and "Welcome to Lagos" is already her second novel. Besides having a beautiful cover, this book bursts with wonderful characters and a great, fun story.
The novel starts in the Niger Delta, where officer Chike Ameobi (together with private Yemi) deserts the army. On the run, they bump into Fineboy, who belonged to the rebels, but whose big dream is to be a radio host, and Isokan, a young woman, who fled from an attack in which she was separated from her parents. On their trip to Lagos, the group meets Oma, a woman from a well-to-do background but who tries to escape her violent husband.
When the group arrives in Lagos their struggles only begin for the city is big and opportunities are rare. The five strangers have to rely on each other, band together and understand their different strengths and weaknesses. And then there is also Chief Sandayo, a government minister on the run with 10 Million, and Ahmed Bakare, the founder and editor of a newspaper, who tries to do actual critical reporting but loses subscriptions every day.
The story does not shy away from gritty topics like sexual assault, domestic violence, violence through armies, corruption, colonial history, poverty etc., but there is a specific light tone to it and the story has some fairytale-like quality to it. So many aspects are realistic, but then the sum of parts is not - in a good way. In a hopeful way. Onuzo's writing is fluent, she switches between the different perspectives, inserts newspaper articles and just captures your attention. Despite the many heavy topics, "Welcome to Lagos" is not a particularly heavy read, there is always the hope that things might work out for our protagonists - and maybe they will even manage to do some good on the way.
The novel starts in the Niger Delta, where officer Chike Ameobi (together with private Yemi) deserts the army. On the run, they bump into Fineboy, who belonged to the rebels, but whose big dream is to be a radio host, and Isokan, a young woman, who fled from an attack in which she was separated from her parents. On their trip to Lagos, the group meets Oma, a woman from a well-to-do background but who tries to escape her violent husband.
When the group arrives in Lagos their struggles only begin for the city is big and opportunities are rare. The five strangers have to rely on each other, band together and understand their different strengths and weaknesses. And then there is also Chief Sandayo, a government minister on the run with 10 Million, and Ahmed Bakare, the founder and editor of a newspaper, who tries to do actual critical reporting but loses subscriptions every day.
The story does not shy away from gritty topics like sexual assault, domestic violence, violence through armies, corruption, colonial history, poverty etc., but there is a specific light tone to it and the story has some fairytale-like quality to it. So many aspects are realistic, but then the sum of parts is not - in a good way. In a hopeful way. Onuzo's writing is fluent, she switches between the different perspectives, inserts newspaper articles and just captures your attention. Despite the many heavy topics, "Welcome to Lagos" is not a particularly heavy read, there is always the hope that things might work out for our protagonists - and maybe they will even manage to do some good on the way.
adventurous
funny
informative
slow-paced
This was very hard for me to get into
Welcome To Lagos is a novel that follows many different characters whose fates happened to become interconnected as they triapse the ragged beating heart that is the city of Lagos.
Firstly, I enjoyed this book due to its apt descriptions and depictions of what it means to live in Lagos and survive as a "Lagosian".
I also found parts of it to be quite funny (got some loud chuckles out of me), and it was an incredibly informative read.
That being said, I thoroughly disliked the author's writing style. It felt choppy and ambiguous and honestly just made the story quite boring for me.
There were too many characters- few of them adding little to nothing to the general plot of the story- and this ended up leaving me exhausted instead of intrigued.
I also felt nothing for the said characters, and didn't care much for them.
In summary, this was mildly enternaing and moderately informative, but just felt way too haphazard for me.
Welcome To Lagos is a novel that follows many different characters whose fates happened to become interconnected as they triapse the ragged beating heart that is the city of Lagos.
Firstly, I enjoyed this book due to its apt descriptions and depictions of what it means to live in Lagos and survive as a "Lagosian".
I also found parts of it to be quite funny (got some loud chuckles out of me), and it was an incredibly informative read.
That being said, I thoroughly disliked the author's writing style. It felt choppy and ambiguous and honestly just made the story quite boring for me.
There were too many characters- few of them adding little to nothing to the general plot of the story- and this ended up leaving me exhausted instead of intrigued.
I also felt nothing for the said characters, and didn't care much for them.
In summary, this was mildly enternaing and moderately informative, but just felt way too haphazard for me.
really interesting comment on politcs, moral and life in Lagos and in Nigeria, as well as the outside world. liked the unlikely and strange group of protagonists but I have to admit some of the prose felt a bit too detached and very slow at times.
So much happens in this book. I was trying to summarize it to a friend and each individual aspect could be a story all in itself - military and militia in Niger Delta, oil, gbv, education, corruption, role of the news media, relationship to abroad. Definitely interesting but each plot point was shallow.
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No