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sarzhaliu's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Procrastinated reading this until now, I get the hype
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Suicide attempt
lily1304's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Disclaimer that the author is transphobic, and publicly defends JK Rowling's transphobia from "cancel culture". I don't know the exact details of the dispute between Adichie and Akwaeke Emezi (a nonbinary Nigerian author, Adichie's former student), but I side with Emezi. More context here: https://time.com/6076606/chimamanda-adichie-akwaeke-emezi-trans-rights-essay/
All that said, I'm a big believer in reading works by flawed authors, and allowing what I know about the author to inform how I read and think about their work.
Americanah definitely felt different on the second reading. I'm not sure how I felt about it in 2016, but this time the mood of the whole book was dissatisfaction and resignation. There is endless description of things Ifemelu and Obinze find ignorant or hypocritical about Nigeria, the United States, England, white people, Black Americans, other Nigerians, etc. All romantic relationships are one-sided or tense or fake unless one or both partners are married to someone else. Ifemelu is a weird main character because she constantly has this feeling of alienation, like every interaction she has with another person is stilted and overanalyzed. I liked the friendship between Ifemelu and her cousin Dike, but even that relationship is full of things unsaid.
That doesn't necessarily mean that Americanah is bad, I think a lot of that must be Adichie's intent. But I finished the book feeling like, what's the payoff? There are moments of levity, and there are aspects of Obinze and Ifemelu's relationship that I appreciate, but overall I found myself frustrated with them both. I'm glad I read it, but I doubt I'll read it again.
All that said, I'm a big believer in reading works by flawed authors, and allowing what I know about the author to inform how I read and think about their work.
Americanah definitely felt different on the second reading. I'm not sure how I felt about it in 2016, but this time the mood of the whole book was dissatisfaction and resignation. There is endless description of things Ifemelu and Obinze find ignorant or hypocritical about Nigeria, the United States, England, white people, Black Americans, other Nigerians, etc. All romantic relationships are one-sided or tense or fake unless one or both partners are married to someone else. Ifemelu is a weird main character because she constantly has this feeling of alienation, like every interaction she has with another person is stilted and overanalyzed. I liked the friendship between Ifemelu and her cousin Dike, but even that relationship is full of things unsaid.
That doesn't necessarily mean that Americanah is bad, I think a lot of that must be Adichie's intent. But I finished the book feeling like, what's the payoff? There are moments of levity, and there are aspects of Obinze and Ifemelu's relationship that I appreciate, but overall I found myself frustrated with them both. I'm glad I read it, but I doubt I'll read it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
CW for sexual trauma, details:npavitt's review against another edition
emotional
informative
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Slavery, and Abortion
debookgeek's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt
emlou8's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Suicide attempt
tree_hugging_ginge's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I feel that Imfelu's reflections on race in america was interesting but I just didn't like how superior she felt to everyone else and how she regarded her view as the only correct or only valid view. I definitely feel that Ifemlu was a self insert of Ngozi Adichie. Also I wish we spent more time with Obinze
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt
kelly_schertle's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Racism, and Death of parent
zzelda's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
the_literarylinguist's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Infidelity, and Rape
ariannam's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was a beautiful, well-written book. The characters are round, sometimes flawed, very human; you get the sense that Adichie is extremely skilled at choosing each word, and nothing is just there to fill the page.
The novel gave me an insight into many unfamiliar situations and places (in Nigeria, USA, and UK), which sometimes proved hard to digest (Ifemelu's first years in the US are… sometimes almost unbearably hard to swallow, because of how unjust the system is), but always very engaging. What was most engaging, in my opinion, and most well-written of all, was the human aspect, especially in relationships. The dynamics, even the ugly ones, or the unsaid and unspoken things between people, are beautifully explored in these pages.
I would like to talk about the ending (spoilers below) with somebody, because the conversations I've had with friends about it make me think I'm alone in actually enjoying the ending. Is that true? Did anyone here like the ending?
Spoiler opinion/question about the ending: I think it is a little romance-novel idealistic that Obinze leaves his wife to be with Ifemelu at the end of the book, but I strongly disagree with my friends that this "ruins the book" and "Ifemelu goes back on her development" to be with him. For one, I don't think being happily in love is bad for character, and I think for what Obinze and Ifemelu had, they had to be together. They have a unique connection that can't be severed, so they would've been able to move on without each other, yes, but a cloud of unhappiness and unfulfillment would've hung over them. I'm happy he made the brave choice and decided to be with her, even though I don't believe it would easily happen in real life.
The novel gave me an insight into many unfamiliar situations and places (in Nigeria, USA, and UK), which sometimes proved hard to digest (Ifemelu's first years in the US are… sometimes almost unbearably hard to swallow, because of how unjust the system is), but always very engaging. What was most engaging, in my opinion, and most well-written of all, was the human aspect, especially in relationships. The dynamics, even the ugly ones, or the unsaid and unspoken things between people, are beautifully explored in these pages.
I would like to talk about the ending (spoilers below) with somebody, because the conversations I've had with friends about it make me think I'm alone in actually enjoying the ending. Is that true? Did anyone here like the ending?
Spoiler opinion/question about the ending: I think it is a little romance-novel idealistic that Obinze leaves his wife to be with Ifemelu at the end of the book, but I strongly disagree with my friends that this "ruins the book" and "Ifemelu goes back on her development" to be with him. For one, I don't think being happily in love is bad for character, and I think for what Obinze and Ifemelu had, they had to be together. They have a unique connection that can't be severed, so they would've been able to move on without each other, yes, but a cloud of unhappiness and unfulfillment would've hung over them. I'm happy he made the brave choice and decided to be with her, even though I don't believe it would easily happen in real life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Body shaming