Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by richardbakare
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
5.0
It feels somewhat odd reading and reviewing a book that was once required high school reading for my mother and father when they were kids in Nigeria. A book about Nigeria, an almost forgotten past, and how Colonial Rule snuck its way in. I asked my mom to re-read it at the same time so I could ask her perspective on things. I wish I had read this when my dad was alive.
Achebe writes with a mastery of language that is mesmerizing and lyrical. A melodic dance of words and phrases that paint the most illustrative pictures and tell a story like a song. The pace quickening to the finale, that in its last verse that leaves you spent. I see now why Achebe and this book have been so celebrated for decades.
I knew this was not a story with happy endings, but I am left all the more heart broken by the tragedy of Okonkwo and his village. And the final sentence is like a dagger stuck into one’s pride; even if it is a reaching pride for a distant homeland. Achebe has spun a story that mourns a loss for a traditional way but also highlights the faults. A reflective tale of warning, blind adherence to customs and how outside influences can lead to things falling apart. I look forward to completing the African Trilogy once and for all.
Achebe writes with a mastery of language that is mesmerizing and lyrical. A melodic dance of words and phrases that paint the most illustrative pictures and tell a story like a song. The pace quickening to the finale, that in its last verse that leaves you spent. I see now why Achebe and this book have been so celebrated for decades.
I knew this was not a story with happy endings, but I am left all the more heart broken by the tragedy of Okonkwo and his village. And the final sentence is like a dagger stuck into one’s pride; even if it is a reaching pride for a distant homeland. Achebe has spun a story that mourns a loss for a traditional way but also highlights the faults. A reflective tale of warning, blind adherence to customs and how outside influences can lead to things falling apart. I look forward to completing the African Trilogy once and for all.