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havennnofjoyy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Alcohol, and War
kathis_wonderland's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
I wanted to read this book for a very long time. And now I am not fully sure what to think about it. In general, I liked the book. It felt very authentic and gave me a new insight into Africans’ experiencing racism in the US and Europe. It really broadened my horizon. The plot was very diverse. We heard about race and racism, about everyday racism, normal life, struggles, love and relationships.
However, the story was very long. Some scenes were not interesting at all and seemed to make the story longer. I was very confused at the beginning of the book. The author was jumping around within the plot, talking about the present and then jumping back to the past, writing several chapters about Ifemelu's youth and then suddenly jumping back to the present again. This confused me a lot in the beginning. Therefore, it took me ages to get into the story and to start liking it. I found Ifemelu's actions often questionable. She was cheating on her boyfriends a lot. And if there is one trope I don't like in books, it is cheating!
In the end, I started to like the book more and more. We got different perspectives and read about lots of different experiences. The love between Ifemelu and Obinze was really nice. I expected something different from the book, but in the end was pleased. I can recommend it!
Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Deportation
Moderate: Chronic illness, Racial slurs, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Colonisation
seanml's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
1. Obviously there is somewhat of an overarching plotline, but much of the book is our protagonist(s) getting through life. Usually I don’t like books that just “follow” someone for lack of a better word, but Adichie instills such reality into every character that no person is boring because I as a reader can believe there really is more to them. I also love that there were no unrealistic “I can explain” moments, even when Adichie had ample opportunity to do so.
2. Thank you, Chimamanda for recognizing how ludicrous academic discourse can sound.
3. And lastly, I was tensed up all the way until the FINAL line. Those last chapters played with my heart TOO much!
Either way, most definitely a 8/10 at LEAST.
Graphic: Drug abuse and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Bullying, Death, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
lily1304's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
All that said, I'm a big believer in reading works by flawed authors, and allowing what I know about the author to inform how I read and think about their work.
Americanah definitely felt different on the second reading. I'm not sure how I felt about it in 2016, but this time the mood of the whole book was dissatisfaction and resignation. There is endless description of things Ifemelu and Obinze find ignorant or hypocritical about Nigeria, the United States, England, white people, Black Americans, other Nigerians, etc. All romantic relationships are one-sided or tense or fake unless one or both partners are married to someone else. Ifemelu is a weird main character because she constantly has this feeling of alienation, like every interaction she has with another person is stilted and overanalyzed. I liked the friendship between Ifemelu and her cousin Dike, but even that relationship is full of things unsaid.
That doesn't necessarily mean that Americanah is bad, I think a lot of that must be Adichie's intent. But I finished the book feeling like, what's the payoff? There are moments of levity, and there are aspects of Obinze and Ifemelu's relationship that I appreciate, but overall I found myself frustrated with them both. I'm glad I read it, but I doubt I'll read it again.
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
CW for sexual trauma, details: