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aleksander_at_sea's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Suicide, and Racism
Moderate: Murder and Violence
hanreadshardbacks's review
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Death, Infertility, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture
rica014's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, War, Blood, Physical abuse, Violence, Suicide, and Colonisation
jeremie's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Colonisation, and Misogyny
Moderate: Murder and Child abuse
jaquie's review
4.0
It can feel slow at first because you're trying to learn some of the words of the Igbo people, but this makes you pause and really think about what perspective, you as the reader, are reading from. It feels more intimate and introduces necessary complexity than a simple story of a group of people that have been colonized, easily erased, and forgotten. Although "barbaric" or "savage" (the words often used by many imperialists to describe indigenous people) their traditions, culture, and society may seem from a western perspective, we can't discount the fact that we are mostly reading and imposing judgement on these characters from this western perspective. Achebe does a great job not to glorify these details and just like within any society, customs and traditions can be questioned and criticized.
I enjoyed the use of language to bring light to vivid details about religion, culture, and society, rather than explicitly explaining why things are the way things are. For example, using the natural world as a frame of reference for passing time, weather, sounds, etc. In one particular example of use of language is how we learn through the perspective of the story that Okonkwo's clan is male dominated and a motif is Okonkwo and his clan's dichotomy of masculinity and femininity. Okwonko's first wife is always addressed as "Nwoye's mother," in other words, the son's mother, and never addressed directly by name. Perhaps a stretch of my observation, but this may be why Ezinma is always addressed by name because Okwonko wishes she was a son, while he views his sons, like Nwoye, as effeminate.
Ending spoiler:
Ironically, in Okonkwo's return from exile, he thought he would continue to be respected. In reality, he lost his reputation, and maybe his will, to try and convince his fellow clansmen to resist the uprooting of his society with his preference to violence. Okonkwo fails to see other effective means of resistance other than violence because he rejects them as it is less masculine. In the end, in one last attempt to assert his manhood, he impulsively resorts to the violence he so desired. Probably realizing how futile his attempt was, this domino ultimately caused his own downfall to commit to taking his own life. To reinforce the devastation that Okonkwo has felt, his friend Obierika explains that suicide is a grave sin and his clansmen may not touch Okonkwo's body. Strangers of the clan must help because Okonkwo's body is now considered evil.
Honestly, I was surprised by the ending in which Okonkwo takes his own life. However in hindsight, it seemed like a self-fulfilling prophecy. He gave himself the worst end of his constant anxiety about the future (eg. focus on a successful generational lineage and impact on society). Cleverly written, we continue reading on the last pages and we switch to the perspective of the District Commissioner (ie. a western perspective) in which we enter his thoughts of wanting to write about Okonkwo in his book of civilizing Africa. Ironically, the District Commissioner thinks he understands African customs, traditions, and society enough to write a book about it. We learn from his thoughts that Okonkwo's recent behaviours and actions are interesting enough to the District Commissioner, that Okonkwo would be mentioned as a chapter, later thinking a paragraph is sufficient, further reinforcing the shallowness of the colonizer's perspective. Ironically, this book is a rich and vivid story of Okonkwo's life and it ends when Okonkwo dies.
I enjoyed the use of language to bring light to vivid details about religion, culture, and society, rather than explicitly explaining why things are the way things are. For example, using the natural world as a frame of reference for passing time, weather, sounds, etc. In one particular example of use of language is how we learn through the perspective of the story that Okonkwo's clan is male dominated and a motif is Okonkwo and his clan's dichotomy of masculinity and femininity. Okwonko's first wife is always addressed as "Nwoye's mother," in other words, the son's mother, and never addressed directly by name. Perhaps a stretch of my observation, but this may be why Ezinma is always addressed by name because Okwonko wishes she was a son, while he views his sons, like Nwoye, as effeminate.
Ending spoiler:
Ironically, in Okonkwo's return from exile, he thought he would continue to be respected. In reality, he lost his reputation, and maybe his will, to try and convince his fellow clansmen to resist the uprooting of his society with his preference to violence. Okonkwo fails to see other effective means of resistance other than violence because he rejects them as it is less masculine. In the end, in one last attempt to assert his manhood, he impulsively resorts to the violence he so desired. Probably realizing how futile his attempt was, this domino ultimately caused his own downfall to commit to taking his own life. To reinforce the devastation that Okonkwo has felt, his friend Obierika explains that suicide is a grave sin and his clansmen may not touch Okonkwo's body. Strangers of the clan must help because Okonkwo's body is now considered evil.
Honestly, I was surprised by the ending in which Okonkwo takes his own life. However in hindsight, it seemed like a self-fulfilling prophecy. He gave himself the worst end of his constant anxiety about the future (eg. focus on a successful generational lineage and impact on society). Cleverly written, we continue reading on the last pages and we switch to the perspective of the District Commissioner (ie. a western perspective) in which we enter his thoughts of wanting to write about Okonkwo in his book of civilizing Africa. Ironically, the District Commissioner thinks he understands African customs, traditions, and society enough to write a book about it. We learn from his thoughts that Okonkwo's recent behaviours and actions are interesting enough to the District Commissioner, that Okonkwo would be mentioned as a chapter, later thinking a paragraph is sufficient, further reinforcing the shallowness of the colonizer's perspective. Ironically, this book is a rich and vivid story of Okonkwo's life and it ends when Okonkwo dies.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
edilund's review against another edition
reflective
tense
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Domestic abuse, and Colonisation
syd_reads_occasionally's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
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
4.25
Really provocative portrayal of a tragic hero story. The world building is detailed and interesting. The last chapter was a work of genius.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Physical abuse, Death, Slavery, Colonisation, and Blood
dreamwifu's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.0
this was a school read, but it was truly so interesting until it came up to the second half of the book that made my brain hurt a little. i was so interested and immersed in the culture, but the colonalism aspect truly ruined such a beautiful story which i guess was the point of adding it. the end was actually a great way to end this, so i still think of the book highly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicide, and Colonisation
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Child abuse
Minor: Gun violence
chloenrogers's review
dark
informative
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Child death, Child abuse, and Death
Moderate: Pedophilia, Miscarriage, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide
wellreadandhalfdead's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Colonisation
Moderate: Suicide