Reviews

On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe

serian's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I can't say that I enjoyed reading this because the subject matter is very bleak, but I thought lots about it was very well done. I wanted to keep reading it and to understand the characters and their backgrounds. I'd definitely read other books by Unigwe. 
That said, I didn't think it quite lived up to its potential - certain bits felt a bit too clumsy or rushed through, and you didn't get the time with the characters that they deserved. The reveal didn't have the impact I think it could have. 

bluebirdsongs's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

2.0

octavarium's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

imaima's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

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

3.25

wangz's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

3.0

nobouffier's review against another edition

dark informative sad slow-paced

3.75

blessing_aj's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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

3.25

It’s pretty hard to fully articulate how I really feel I about this book though because it falls within the category of books that takes its time to fully reveal itself, but when I say this has got to be one of the saddest books I have ever  read, I mean that there’s literally no sweetness anywhere.

Because I’d already read Night Dancer, I know without a doubt that Chika Unigwe knows how to tell difficult stories with a lot of nuance, but because I have been avoiding reading reviews of this book on purpose, I had no idea this was big on suffering and grief. 

I thought the book had more potential than it lived up to. I also thought the book was much better put together in the first half than the second. Also the character development left much to be desired because I felt like we didn’t really know them despite having followed their journey all through the book.

That said, I really loved that she spotlights a lot of social issues concerning women’s bodies and poverty without interfering with the reader’s freedom to pass judgment how they deem fit.

andrew61's review against another edition

5.0

I am going to find it very hard to review this book as a man ,I found it a very distressing read in parts but also very moving. It is the story of 4 women who for various reasons end going from Lagos to Nigeria as prostitutes, unable to escape from their lives there because a debt they then owe to the gang leader and fear of violence. After the death of one of them (revealed in blurb at back) the three remaining women tell their individual stories interspersed with chapters telling the story of the victim. At the end the three are no longer the anonymous sex objects in an Antwerp brothel windows but human beings whose stories are heartbreaking, and the appalling acts inflicted on them individually are very hard to read but giving an important voice to their anonymity. A brilliant book but a tough read.

anetq's review against another edition

4.0

The story of 4 women and how they came to end up as sex workers in Antwerpen, for most of them because it sadly seemed like the least bad option. A way out of poverty and powerlessness. It is very well told and it is also a book about life, love and the choices we make, and those others make on behalf of women.
I don't know if the joy and dreamy optimism of these women are actually worse, when you read this, than the harsh realities of their pasts and their present? I'll start with 4 stars but may upgrade to 5...

sumayyah_t's review

4.0

"On Black Sisters Street" is the story of 4 African female sex workers living and working together in Antwerp. When one of the women is murdered, the others finally open up about themselves and their pasts as their attempt to solve the mystery of the slain woman's last day. Slightly hard to follow as it moves back and forth through time and jumps from woman to woman, "On Black Sisters Street" is a window into the lives that most of us will never experience or understand.