Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Things Fall Apart

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.

Content Warnings

elisabeth888's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark informative reflective medium-paced

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

Content Warnings

antidietleah's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark slow-paced

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

1.5

Content Warnings

hopepike's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.0

Content Warnings

zoegg's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark informative tense slow-paced

2.75

i really enjoyed delving into the world of igbo traditions and culture! although i felt like the story took a bit to get to the main source of conflict, i feel like the contextualization in the first half was necessary to truly and thoroughly understand just how disruptive the colonial presence was to what had existed prior. that being said, my main hang up with this book was okonkwo. his abusive, aggressive, and short-tempered nature towards his wives and children made me feel very disconnected from him as a character, and at times, made it difficult to continue the story. however, even with my dislike for him, it was easy to sympathize with his anger towards the christians and their usurping of his beloved village’s culture. it made me often think of modern day missiontrips — are they connected to the colonial roots of religion as depicted in this book??

Content Warnings