Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Things Fall Apart

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Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

102 reviews

asterixmj's review against another edition

dark inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I honestly think this is a very, very good book, and it got me thinking about my own culture before colonisation a lot. Its a curious thing, how Achebe depicts Christianity when not tied directly with colonialism, and I think you can tell that he grew up Christian. He doesn't describe the clan as a purely good clan, romanticising what once was before the arrival of the English, but instead he simply describes the Igbo culture from a neutral, outsider's perspectives. I would've loved to see more from Nwoye's perspective of things; it's really interesting to me how his struggles with his father reflected his struggles with the clan at large and let to him running away from them. Okonkwo is the personification of Umofia, I feel. When Okonkwo is great and strong (but stubborn, violent, and intimidating) so is Umofia, and when Okonkwo is weak, emancipated, and his previous strength turns into bash actions that lead nowhere, Umofia is about the same. His death makes a lot of sense to me; he's unable to cope with the death of his clan, with the death of "manliness" as he so calls it, I don't think its so much a stubbornness towards change, though that is definitely a factor, but more so an overwhelming grief of what he believes the White Man destroyed for him, although he, and by extent Umofia, by himself had shaky foundations that allowed the White Man to easily dismantle the community. A very good look to understand pre colonial Nigeria and the complexities that went into their colonisation

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iqlofty's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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missmarycrawford's review against another edition

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dark informative inspiring relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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readingoverbreathing's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

As is sometimes the case with classics I read on my own, I wish I had had the opportunity to read this in a classroom setting, as I think I would have gotten a lot more out of it. I am of course quite familiar with the history in play here, but far less so with the culture and traditions, and how they connect the events of the story, especially in the break between the first and second parts.

I found that pivotal event, where Okonkwo kills one of his clansman (not a spoiler, as it's mentioned in the back cover copy on my edition) rather anticlimactic and confusing, and it was really after that point that I felt I lost most of my connection with the story.

I can totally see why this is a classic and why it was so influential in terms of African and world literature, but for me personally it did not have the profound impact or connection that I was really hoping for.

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chanatova's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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ashar_allaire's review against another edition

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challenging informative sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is stunning writing. The more I think about this book the more my rating goes up. We follow a deeply unsympathetic man to his eventual undoing, which should feel deserved but that clean cut ending, that want to think each person is solely responsible for their own destruction, that this would not have happened if not for his own actions and unwavering ego, is ripped away by the pure evil that brought about that undoing. This happened to everyone regardless of how they lived their lives, it could not have been prevented so it can't feel deserved. You are left in deep mourning for all the characters surrounding him, instead of feeling justice for them. You feel the tragedy of all those he hurt happen along with him. There's triumph in most stories when the person who caused those around him pain is "defeated," but these characters are not safer or happier now in any way. They get the same, if not a worse fate. Nothing about this is fair. You feel the loss of control. You feel the fear of destruction. The loss of family. I do feel the author set up themes that were left largely unexplored, especially when it comes to sexism, which got briefly touched upon and then abandoned. I find myself wanting more, which is what keeps this from being a 5 star, but damn, incredible book.

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