Reviews with content warning for Violence - Half of a Yellow Sun

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Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

118 reviews

crazysecondname's review against another edition

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dark informative sad medium-paced

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

4.75

I finished it yesterday and then I needed to sleep before I could write anything about it
and I still don't know how many stars I want to give...
but generally uff
what a book
first off all: I learned thinsg about nigeria I didn't know before and I am very grateful for that
and I did like the characters until they did certain things which made me extremely angry

like we start with odenigbo cheating on olanna like fuck you and then she goes to cheat on him with richard so I hated 2 of the 3 POV characters :))) and also almost stopped reading the book and then luckily had to put it away either way and the next day I was more or less okay again like I still hated it and the worst üart was that olanna went back to odenigbo like girl have some self respect. okay yes it is the 60s but still
so then I only liked ugwu.
and then page 366 happened. by that I liked olanna and richard and odenigbo again more or less. but ugwu? yeah i still hate him for that
and then he died and I was like oh come on. I hopehe suffered
and then he wasn't dead after all and I was like oh come on. but at least he also regretted it?? but still i hated reading about that part and felt it was very unnecessary.
i don't care that it's a war and people did that in reality. I don't want characters in books to do it. especially not when I liked them for 360 pages.

which i why I can't give this book 5 stars, but not giving it 5 stars feels wrong too?????idk man

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florenceassetto's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

this book was absolutely incredible, honestly one of the most impactful reads i have ever done. i have never connected with characters like i did here and i laughed for them and CRIED for them and hoped for them and it was so powerful. a must read for everyone i would recommend 100 times over

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fionafsw's review against another edition

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challenging funny informative reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Fact and fiction blend, past and present blend, as I read about the Nigerian civil war next to BBC headlines and couldn't stop thinking about the indiscriminate misery and human suffering Israel has unleashed in its current war in Gaza. It is impossible in March 2024 to read about starvation and not be reminded that 1 in 6 children <2 years are acutely malnourished in Gaza, with dozens dying of dehydration and malnutrition. The sheer desperation of a population brought to its knees and then beaten while on the ground translates seamlessly from the late 1960s to this week.

There's not much more I can say about this powerful novel except that Adichie manages to weave humour throughout to help the reader get through the horrors of war and to present something so alien to readers like me who have had the dumb luck of knowing nothing but peacetime through an individual, human lens rather than statistics or political or military manoeuvres. And for readers like me who had no idea about Nigeria, her fantastic writing brought to life every smell, taste, and sensory input.

But where the book really excels, I think, is in describing tension between individuals in the most subtle way that still makes it obvious. Tension (sexual and otherwise) that you could cut with a knife, as if you were there, in the room, as the protagonist. As Richard might say, it's really quite fantastic.

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arayo's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

2.75

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dianaale's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

danidanseuse's review against another edition

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challenging emotional tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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andeulea's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Chimamanda Adichie is great at humanizing characters amidst war. While the Biafran War was a central theme, the focus on the characters' emotions and thoughts takes precedence.

War is undeniably devastating, people in first-world countries (like me) may struggle to comprehend the impact on every individual affected by such atrocities. Adichie skillfully avoids confining characters into these "victim" stereotypes, portraying each one as uniquely human, with inherent flaws and individuality, both within and beyond the context of war. It prompted my reflection on the consciousness of every individual, highlighting shared dreams and desires.

Adichie also weaves three distinct narratives, each representing a unique perspective of the war and family – Olanna, Ugwu, and Richard. These perspectives collectively contribute to a rich and comprehensive portrayal of the war and its impact on their lives, families, and community.

I'm grateful to be exposed to narratives that we don't hear about in our history classes. Would recommend this if you're interested in historical fiction and curious about the Nigerian Civil War.

Content Warnings