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arayo's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Infertility, Racism, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Islamophobia, and Pregnancy
betag1013'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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
yvejr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Rape, and War
mrslindseypruitt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Genocide, Infidelity, Rape, Excrement, and Police brutality
foxo_cube'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
4.75
I will start of by saying I know very little about the Nigerian civil war - this was my first time reading about it at all, but I am grateful that the author included a list of books she used as reference material because I am interested in reading non-fiction on the topic now.
The characters within this were, I think, brilliantly crafted. They were introduced, typically, with a basic set of traits, but develop into people who feel real: people with idiosyncracies, and prejudices they trip themselves up on, and fallibility. There are no wholly good or bad people, and the feelings characters have towards each other are often complex.
The interaction between small-scale, interpersonal drama and traumas and the big-scale social tensions is very well-balanced, I felt, and the responses to the horrors of the war (and pre-war massacres) shown by the characters feel thought-out.
The ending felt almost anti-climactic, I will say, but then I suppose that's pretty realistic too, isn't it?
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Genocide, Infidelity, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
perfectphlaws's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It was a well written book, but reminded me why I don't usually stray too far from romance. So much rape. War is ugly indeed, maybe I'll just read about it in the news rather than rehashing past horrors.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
dilara2912w'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
2.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, Sexual harassment, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
elinthenilsson's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Excrement, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and War
erenreads12'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
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Pedophilia, and Blood
kylieqrada'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
4.5
4.5 ⭐s. I can definitely see why this is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's award-winning-est (is that a word?) work. Not only did I enjoy this immensely just from a writing perspective - the characters, plot, world-building, symbolism, narrative devices, all flawless - I also learned so much about an aspect of history that I was relatively clueless about up until this reading. This book is unflinching, and subsequently has trigger warnings for just about every trigger on the books, but it is a very impactful, emotional, and educational read.
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, and Murder