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mickstrauther's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Hmmmmm… star ratings always feel like an incomplete, inaccurate way of judging a book. Mostly I just felt this book didn’t quite have the same momentum as Americanah, the first Adichie book I read; it felt like I knew the characters, and I really enjoyed their journey. In Half of a Yellow Sun, especially in the latter half, It lost a lot of its momentum for me, and with it, the connection I had to the characters. Certainly, writing a novel set during war time is difficult to capture, and I appreciate Adichie highlighting the day to day of wartime, how the characters still had to go about their lives amid starvation and daily terror. And yet… a piece of that rendering was missing for me. Even Ugwu’s conscription, which should have been tense, went by too quickly and felt too inconsequential? Maybe? so momentum isn’t even always about literal pacing so much as it is about emotional pacing, and maximizing the characters’ journeys when they are most impactful…. My connection to the characters was strong in the beginning—loved the romances, the connections—and yet that connection dilutes as the novel reaches the final part.
As always, though Adichie’s writing can be quite strong and compelling. As much as he angered me sometimes and made me roll my eyes, I actually found Richard’s perspective interesting because of how contentious his perception is. I also thought certain characterizations were strong—Odenigbo struck me as a strong, fully formed character, as did Kainene and Madu. Seeing the story from Madu’s perspective could have been interesting. The first time you realize what the half of a yellow sun is is heartbreaking :( unless you knew already lol.
Rather than star ratings, I like to think of books in terms of whether or not I’d recommend them. This one, I would say yes, as long as you aren’t looking for something fast paced. Read Americanah first if you haven’t read Adichie before. The first chunk of Half of a Yellow Sun is stronger than the last chunk, but the story is historically important, the writing is strong, and it all feels so human—like somehow sexy, sad, hopeful, demoralizing, frustrating, hopeless, and just a tad slow all at once lol.
As always, though Adichie’s writing can be quite strong and compelling. As much as he angered me sometimes and made me roll my eyes, I actually found Richard’s perspective interesting because of how contentious his perception is. I also thought certain characterizations were strong—Odenigbo struck me as a strong, fully formed character, as did Kainene and Madu. Seeing the story from Madu’s perspective could have been interesting. The first time you realize what the half of a yellow sun is is heartbreaking :( unless you knew already lol.
Rather than star ratings, I like to think of books in terms of whether or not I’d recommend them. This one, I would say yes, as long as you aren’t looking for something fast paced. Read Americanah first if you haven’t read Adichie before. The first chunk of Half of a Yellow Sun is stronger than the last chunk, but the story is historically important, the writing is strong, and it all feels so human—like somehow sexy, sad, hopeful, demoralizing, frustrating, hopeless, and just a tad slow all at once lol.
roseltov's review against another edition
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
An absolutely beautiful book about a complex time. All the characters were so well rounded, they all felt real. The writing we evocative and clear. I listened to the audiobook and it was incredibly well read by Zainab Jah.
kris1717's review against another edition
medium-paced
- 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? No
3.5
clarasen's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
sara_k13's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
michellegroenewald's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-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
4.5
sumsunalli's review against another edition
4.0
If you like historical fiction, this book is absolutely for you.
What a beautiful recount of the history of Biafra; a country that existed separate of Nigeria for a small glimpse of time. Adichi so effortlessly describes the people and the raids and the war of that time period in a way that almost makes you feel like you could have been there experiencing it, too.
I would give it 5 stars but my only hang up is that we get a little caught up in the romances and the side stories of some of the main characters. Didn’t love the romance. But I still think this is a solid, solid book.
What a beautiful recount of the history of Biafra; a country that existed separate of Nigeria for a small glimpse of time. Adichi so effortlessly describes the people and the raids and the war of that time period in a way that almost makes you feel like you could have been there experiencing it, too.
I would give it 5 stars but my only hang up is that we get a little caught up in the romances and the side stories of some of the main characters. Didn’t love the romance. But I still think this is a solid, solid book.
eazurch's review against another edition
had to give back to the library and also have mixed feelings about chimamanda ngozi adichie based on some things mentioned on the internet
amy_cutlip's review against another edition
5.0
Moving and raw, this novel’s beauty serves as condolence for its honest account of pain. Chimamanda remains a “voice of her generation,” with soothing prose and vibrantly portrayed characters. I highly recommend this book!