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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
sad
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:
No
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Oh my God, what an incredible book.
I'm embarrassed to say that, at 30, I had never known amything about Biafra until this book. I was aware that many nations in Africa very abruptly gained independence in the early 1960s and that colonialism heavily shaped what happened in each individual country after, but knowing that is quite different from having the exact circumstances laid out in front of you.
One note I kept making — one thought that kept running through my head as I read — was how well-selected the narrative characters were. Even though the cast of characters we follow regularly is clearly five (Ugwu, Olanna, Richard, Odenigbo, Kainene), Ms. Adichie only uses the first three (a young Nigerian houseboy from a nearby village, a pro-Biafra Nigerian woman raised with a lot of colonialist trappings who feels a disconnect with her own people, and a pro-Biafra British ex-pat who loves Igbo people and culture but feels rejected at every turn for not experiencing daily life the same as his Igbo counterparts), and the perspectives are really perfect for painting an incredibly dynamic picture of the different forces at play and how they're experienced. Were some things predictable? Sure, but that's a sign of good writing.
Also, we LOVE literary twin dynamics, the relationship between Olanna and Kainene was EVERYTHING to me.
Anyway, off to find an audiobook of Things Fall Apart now.
I'm embarrassed to say that, at 30, I had never known amything about Biafra until this book. I was aware that many nations in Africa very abruptly gained independence in the early 1960s and that colonialism heavily shaped what happened in each individual country after, but knowing that is quite different from having the exact circumstances laid out in front of you.
One note I kept making — one thought that kept running through my head as I read — was how well-selected the narrative characters were. Even though the cast of characters we follow regularly is clearly five (Ugwu, Olanna, Richard, Odenigbo, Kainene), Ms. Adichie only uses the first three (a young Nigerian houseboy from a nearby village, a pro-Biafra Nigerian woman raised with a lot of colonialist trappings who feels a disconnect with her own people, and a pro-Biafra British ex-pat who loves Igbo people and culture but feels rejected at every turn for not experiencing daily life the same as his Igbo counterparts), and the perspectives are really perfect for painting an incredibly dynamic picture of the different forces at play and how they're experienced. Were some things predictable? Sure, but that's a sign of good writing.
Also, we LOVE literary twin dynamics, the relationship between Olanna and Kainene was EVERYTHING to me.
Anyway, off to find an audiobook of Things Fall Apart now.
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
For a history graduate my knowledge of history is pretty shit
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced