Reviews tagging 'War'

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

45 reviews

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.5

I was blown away by this book - in good ways and in devastating ways. I had to put this down for days at a time to recover from what I was reading. It was beautiful writing, but often too sad for me to read too much of it in one sitting. The story is told from Ijeoma's POV, and her voice is so strong throughout the book that it was almost like I could hear her voice in my head as clearly as if I were listening to someone tell me a story right in front of me. The themes found throughout were powerful, and the use of nigerian folktales within the narrative was such a wonderful touch.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Child death, Child abuse, Gore, Suicide, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, War, Murder, Grief, Rape, Body horror, Hate crime, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Child death, Classism, and Infidelity

Minor: Ableism, Fatphobia, Excrement, and Vomit

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.0

despite the good writing and dramatic premise, under the udala trees unfortunately proves to be an underwhelming read for me. 

i def appreciate okparanta's goal in writing this novel. the horrible plight - both historical and present day - of lgbtq+ folks in nigeria depicted is emotional and harrowing, and i like how the unlikable characters are surprisingly multidimensional. however, i somehow cant quite connect to the characters, esp ijeoma, who always feels a distance removed despite being the narrative voice, thereby affecting my enjoyment of the book overall.

it also feels like many things happen while also not, particularly the novel's last 2/3, after the marriage. focus also seems to be misplaced on certain inconsequential things while important points can feel glossed over. 

all in all, though i appreciate the sentiment behind writing this book, ultimately i dont find it to be an enjoyable one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: War, Emotional abuse, and Sexism

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence

laurareads87's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? No

5.0

Under the Udala Trees is an extraordinary novel spanning decades -- from the Nigerian-Biafran war of the late 1960s to the 1990s -- following Ijeoma, who grows from a young girl to an adult over the course of the book.  From a young age and through her school years, Ijeoma finds herself attracted to her female friend in a country where same-sex relationships are not accepted.  The novel explores the ways that Ijeoma is pushed into conforming to heteronormative expectations -- including marrying a man -- not only by her mother, who tries to pray her sexuality away, but by her own self-doubts, fears, and internal struggles.  At the same time, the book explores ethnic and class dynamics, women's roles, generational tensions, and the struggles of articulating one's identity so thoughtfully, and incorporates intertextual references and multiple languages so well.  Beautifully written, Under the Udala Trees will stay with me a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Death, Grief, Rape, Death of parent, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Homophobia, Xenophobia, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Ableism and Miscarriage

Minor: Islamophobia

bookswithgeorgia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexism, Rape, Medical trauma, Grief, Homophobia, War, Death, Violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Lesbophobia, Hate crime, Death of parent, and Misogyny

caitlinattemptstoread's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

2.0

It wasn’t a bad book, but I have a low tolerance for tragedy these days. This was sad, horrifying, violent, and depressing. (It’s about a civil war and a lesbian Nigerian girl growing up in Africa’s second most religious country.) I appreciate that there was a hopeful ending, but it was not a happy one. 

The book reflects reality and maybe I’m rating it so low because I can’t stomach our reality anymore. We spend so much time looking at the past and allowing it to dictate our present. I’d rather continue to envision a better future than continue to draw on the grief and pain of the past.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Violence, War, Homophobia, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Islamophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, and Rape

cheesepuppy's review against another edition

challenging emotional slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Hate crime, Blood, and Homophobia

Moderate: Death of parent and Grief

Minor: War

rheah's review

5.0

A beautiful but difficult read. The kind of books that leave you with a hole in your heart and tears in your eyes at the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Misogyny, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, War, Grief, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, and Rape

edgyveggie's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

The story of a queer woman from her childhood to motherhood, set in Nigeria during and after the Nigerian Civil War of the late 1960s. I read this for a queer African literature class, and we discussed how it is and is not a coming out novel. Overall, this novel is beautifully written with well developed characters and a moving plot. It also includes in depth commentary on homophobia within Christianity, which is woven into the narrative in an ingenious way by Okparanta. This novel makes you think, cry, laugh, and will warm your heart. Overall, it captures a non-western queer story in a beautiful way, suited for people in the community and those who want to better understand what it means to be queer. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Homophobia

Moderate: Violence

narbine's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Torture, War, Toxic relationship, and Homophobia

Moderate: Death, Lesbophobia, Violence, Death of parent, Outing, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief

Minor: Miscarriage and Pregnancy

crowaii's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

Moderate: War, Xenophobia, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Religious bigotry