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pinebluffchick's review against another edition
5.0
The setting of the story is Nigeria. It doesn’t matter where you live, if your father physically abuses you (even in the name of Jesus), it’s still abuse. If you see yourself a certain way, that’s who you are. If given a way out, you go…if you can. I loved the symbolism of the purple hibiscus…with love and nourished, growth occurs. Kambili is a teenager living a life of luxury. Her life is monitored by her abusive father who believes he’s raising her in the ways of the Catholic Church. She and her brother are able to spend a week with their paternal aunt and cousins. Life is changed forever.
beritt's review against another edition
4.0
"The afternoon played across my mind as I got out of the car in front of the flat. I had smiled, run, laughed. My chest was filled with something like bath foam. Light. The lightness was so sweet I tasted it on my tongue, the sweetness of an overripe bright yellow cashew fruit."
This is a beautiful, fast-paced, evocative novel. Read it. It is wonderful.
This is a beautiful, fast-paced, evocative novel. Read it. It is wonderful.
sgonk's review against another edition
4.0
Great coming of age story with various cultural perspectives, set in Nigeria.
eily_may's review against another edition
5.0
I wish there was a word that conjured up the particular joy you feel when reading a well crafted story by a talented author. Someone who can put words together that transport you to a place and draw you into the lives of characters which are both foreign and familiar.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an incredibly skilled author and despite the at times bleak, painful and difficult story she tells, this was a book I enjoyed reading. It is almost refreshing - as if you have been drowning in bad writing and finally come up for air.
The story itself is multi-faceted:
- it is about religion and the way in which it can be used to provide a moral cover for acts which are evil or indeed how it can be twisted and turn individuals who are not inherently bad into monsters. But this book does not fall into the trap of absolutes - the book also examines the good in religion and not all religious characters commit bad acts. In fact, Father Amadi is the embodiment of that which is good and the form of religion practiced in Nsukka is more celebratory and joyful than that to which Papa adheres. The question of religion also raises issues regarding colonialism and the impact of missionaries on Africa (and indeed the irony of the missionary from faithful Africa to the secular West).
- it is about finding goodness and joy in life and the fact that a plenitude of material goods does not necessarily equate to happiness, as evidenced in the contrast between Nsukka and Enugu. In Nsukka Aunty Ifeoma nurtures an environment where her children are free to develop their own opinions and beliefs, it is a place where laughter is in abundance but it also suffers from shortages of water, electricity, fuel and food. Enugu is the opposite - there is plenty but Papa is a malevolent, controlling and tyrannical presence and silence is the overwhelming feature of this house.
- it is about the clash of modernity and tradition through the conflict between Papa and Papa-Nnukwu
All against the back drop of a nascent Nigeria and its difficult emergence from colonial governance.
There are times when this book is difficult to read, when frustration at Mama and Kambili and despair for them and Jaja due to Papa's actions threatens to overwhelm. And yet, it is not possible to put down. There is an impulse to travel this road with these vibrant and lifelike characters until journey's end and a hope that there will be some light in their lives there.
A wonderful book, well-crafted, with extraordinary characters. Aunty Ifeoma's house in Nsukka is somewhere I could feel at home.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an incredibly skilled author and despite the at times bleak, painful and difficult story she tells, this was a book I enjoyed reading. It is almost refreshing - as if you have been drowning in bad writing and finally come up for air.
The story itself is multi-faceted:
- it is about religion and the way in which it can be used to provide a moral cover for acts which are evil or indeed how it can be twisted and turn individuals who are not inherently bad into monsters. But this book does not fall into the trap of absolutes - the book also examines the good in religion and not all religious characters commit bad acts. In fact, Father Amadi is the embodiment of that which is good and the form of religion practiced in Nsukka is more celebratory and joyful than that to which Papa adheres. The question of religion also raises issues regarding colonialism and the impact of missionaries on Africa (and indeed the irony of the missionary from faithful Africa to the secular West).
- it is about finding goodness and joy in life and the fact that a plenitude of material goods does not necessarily equate to happiness, as evidenced in the contrast between Nsukka and Enugu. In Nsukka Aunty Ifeoma nurtures an environment where her children are free to develop their own opinions and beliefs, it is a place where laughter is in abundance but it also suffers from shortages of water, electricity, fuel and food. Enugu is the opposite - there is plenty but Papa is a malevolent, controlling and tyrannical presence and silence is the overwhelming feature of this house.
- it is about the clash of modernity and tradition through the conflict between Papa and Papa-Nnukwu
All against the back drop of a nascent Nigeria and its difficult emergence from colonial governance.
There are times when this book is difficult to read, when frustration at Mama and Kambili and despair for them and Jaja due to Papa's actions threatens to overwhelm. And yet, it is not possible to put down. There is an impulse to travel this road with these vibrant and lifelike characters until journey's end and a hope that there will be some light in their lives there.
A wonderful book, well-crafted, with extraordinary characters. Aunty Ifeoma's house in Nsukka is somewhere I could feel at home.
tehmegan's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book. Trigger alert for domestic violence.
I struggled with some of the Igbo text since I had no idea what the words meant. Some of the statements were translated, which was nice.
The story is about Kambili a girl who lives a sheltered life in Nigeria because her dad is well-to-do. Yet, he is abusive to the family, especially when they step out of the bounds of his religiously structured life. Kambili starts to come into her own after staying with her aunt, away from her parents.
The end seemed off to me, like it was another issue to be tackled, but it was just left as it was.. which I guess could have also been the purpose since most of the book is spent NOT talking about the problems the family had.
I struggled with some of the Igbo text since I had no idea what the words meant. Some of the statements were translated, which was nice.
The story is about Kambili a girl who lives a sheltered life in Nigeria because her dad is well-to-do. Yet, he is abusive to the family, especially when they step out of the bounds of his religiously structured life. Kambili starts to come into her own after staying with her aunt, away from her parents.
The end seemed off to me, like it was another issue to be tackled, but it was just left as it was.. which I guess could have also been the purpose since most of the book is spent NOT talking about the problems the family had.
danielkk's review against another edition
5.0
This is a story about the family of a very rich and powerful Nigerian man. His townsfolk regard him highly because most of them are poor and he is extremely generous. His nasty side is seen only through the way he interacts with his wife and two children. He rules them with an iron thumb and is violent when they act in ways that make him unhappy. The background of the novel illustrates Nigerian poverty and political upheaval, as well as the juxtaposition between traditional, cultural beliefs (folklore) and Christianity (Catholicism). I highly recommend this book; it's extremely well-written and it's made me want to read everything Adichie has ever written.
jbradley's review
PURPLE HIBISCUS is a coming-of-age tale set in Nigeria in which a girl’s harrowing experience of being in a family where physical and mental abuse is cloaked in religion and the authoritarian rule of her father is contrasted with a military coup.
I wrote more about Adichie's work and about going to hear her speak on my booksploitation blog.
I wrote more about Adichie's work and about going to hear her speak on my booksploitation blog.
breannajacobs's review against another edition
5.0
this was a very good book. it really shows you what it's like to live in a place with political unrest. most people that don't come from it don't realize how difficult and scary it is but this book shows what it's like not only to deal with problems in your country, but what it's like to deal with an abusive parent.