Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

23 reviews

mt1213's review against another edition

informative reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Colonisation

bites_of_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

4.5

Things Fall Apart is fiction but truly read like nonfiction at times, in a good way. I felt like all the characters were real and that made me feel even more for them as the story went on. Okonkwo is a complex character, a strong-willed man, proud of his heritage, and willing to do anything to protect all he cares about. The ending saddened me deeply, I have no words for that but I will say that it will stay with me for a long time.

I highly recommend, do take care and check content warnings though, not an easy read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

rica014's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, and War

syd_reads_occasionally's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

4.25

Really provocative portrayal of a tragic hero story. The world building is detailed and interesting.  The last chapter was a work of genius.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicide, Blood, and Colonisation

gabriella_'s review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad fast-paced

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

3.75

This book has a lot of casual sexism but aside from that, the writing style was gripping, the plot points interesting, the plot progression heartbreaking, and it was a real page-turner.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation

eleek0609's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War

jesus_wept's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense 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

0.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

hanfaulder's review against another edition

dark informative reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

I thought that Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe was a thoroughly interesting short read. I can understand fully why this novel is considered a classic, and rightfully so, for it was engaging and thought-provoking, even if I did not personally always connect with the stories emotional content. Achebe masterfully implements simple language to interrogate much grander, complex ideas: Things Fall Apart addresses themes of cultural clashes and culture mixing. Everything from parenthood, systems of belief, culture and community is touched on within this book. The language used by Achebe is also very evocative of the time and place that the novel is set within: authentic and simplistic in a way that I think brings humanity to the prose. In his descriptions and comparisons, the world becomes a body and a body becomes the world - the forrest is fraught with tall, dark spirits, the full moon is a protective eye, the hot air is taught like a bow-string, the White Men are like locusts.

The narrative follows Okonkwo, a prominent tribal man. He is characterised at the beginning of the story as being the greatest wrestler in all the surrounding villages, and as a warrior, evidenced by the five decapitated heads hanging in his compound. To Okonkwo, who was a weak child with a father who he considered the source of all weakness, his identity as someone "self-made" and strong is the backbone of the story. Even if these qualities ultimately lead to Okonkwo's downfall; they are important signifiers within our protagonists worldview for masculinity and control.  The book focuses pretty closely on Okonkwo's perspective - from rising to the hight of the clan's power, into his exile and his ultimate tragedy. Achebe is even-handed in his storytelling: we can see both how and why Okonkwo does what he does. This does not, however, make him a sympathetic character, or even a likeable one, and for me this meant that some of the emotional impact didn't hit quite as hard. The ending, however, did surprise me and leave me a little teary-eyed.

(Light spoilers ahead)

Things Fall Apart is ultimately a story about identity: both wrestling with one's own identity within tradition and community - Okonkwo sees his son Nwoye as weak and effeminate, resembling Okonkwo's own disappointing father, and his treatment of Nwoye ultimately leads to him abandoning his father's beliefs for the White Man's Religion, which Okonkwo considers 'the prospect of anhiliation' - as well as the effect that English Evangelical Missionaries and The Church had upon the peoples of Nigeria. The colonialism in the final half of the book mirrors the narrative of fathers and sons. First of Okonkwo and his relationship to his father and the kind of unhealthy masculinity which it creates within him, and then how Okonkwo is a lacking father in turn to his adopted son Ikemefuna and his eldest son Nwoye.

Furthermore, this comparison is even more apparent when considering the portrayal of women in the book: Ezinma's mother swearing to 'rush into the cave to defend [Ezinma] against all the gods in the world' and resolving to 'die with her', or when Okonkwo is exiled and flees to his motherland, his uncle says that 'when a father beats his child, it seeks sympathy in its mother's hut. A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good... but when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to protect you'. The women take on a role that is both looked-down upon by our protagonist, Okonkwo, for being less than, but which is also the only source of comfort, safety and love provided in the book. Ikemefuna thinks of his mother's songs when he is lead away from the village, scared, before he is killed by Okonkwo who 'was afraid of being thought weak'; and at the same time Nwoye cries in his mother's hut, unable to do anything. I could honestly pull-apart the layers of this deceptively short novel for hours.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Blood, Murder, and Colonisation

calamitywindpetal's review against another edition

emotional informative medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder

amayastar05's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and War