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37th out of 327 books
—
93 voters
Arrow of God (The African Trilogy #3)
Set in the Ibo heartland of eastern Nigeria, one of Africa's best-known writers describes the conflict between old and new in its most poignant aspect: the personal struggle between father and son.
Paperback, 230 pages
Published
January 1st 1989
by Anchor
(first published 1964)
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Apr 24, 2010
Madeline
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Madeline by:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Shelves:
2010,
library-books,
nigeria,
historical-fiction,
colonialism,
race,
family,
westernish-canon,
novels
I had a fiendishly difficult time with this book, which I found odd because Things Fall Apart was like reading water, and even A Man of the People was engaging and straightforward. But although I loved what Achebe did in Arrow of God, I had a really hard time actually reading the damn thing. I'm pretty sure that the fault was with me - I don't know enough about the Igbo, I find proverbs irritating, my brain is lately in other places - because I could sense some of the power of the novel, but was...more
I've heard that Arrow of God is Achebe's personal favorite out of all of his novels. It's written in a straightforward, parable-like style similar to Things Fall Apart, but delves further into the complex relationships between religion, authority, duty, and conflict.
Arrow of God is also set during a time that British colonizers were beginning to supplant local governments and cultures. Ezeulu, chief Ibo priest of six villages, sends his son to study with the local Christian missionaries - secure...more
Arrow of God is also set during a time that British colonizers were beginning to supplant local governments and cultures. Ezeulu, chief Ibo priest of six villages, sends his son to study with the local Christian missionaries - secure...more
I was first struck by how funny this novel was. I guffawed several times while reading it. It takes a remarkable writer to do this with humor, especially across cultures.
I thought this work illustrated well the role of religion in society. For the Igbo there was no separation of religion from society--they were one and the same. It's perhaps fitting that while the administration doesn't quite get this (Clarke doesn't even understand that a Chief Priest is not the same as a medicine man) , the mi...more
I thought this work illustrated well the role of religion in society. For the Igbo there was no separation of religion from society--they were one and the same. It's perhaps fitting that while the administration doesn't quite get this (Clarke doesn't even understand that a Chief Priest is not the same as a medicine man) , the mi...more
Before reading this, I thought I'd like this book more than I did. In this one, Achebe writes of the conflict/confrontation between native Nigerian religion and colonial powers (the British). This book is almost anthropological, which normally is something I enjoy, but it didn't do it for me this time. I think perhaps the characters didn't engage me as much, except for the main character. It was also difficult to keep them straight as there were so many in the village. I didn't ever feel that I...more
The final book in Achebe's African trilogy is the story of Ezeulu, the high priest of his clan, the members of whom live in five villages in Nigeria. Villages and clans have their own self-created gods, who rise and fall over time, depending on the successes or failures of the clan and villages.
Set in an unspecified time, probably early 20th century, Ezeulu is protector of the traditional ways and spirtual life of the villages, as the influence of the British rulers continue to encroach, transf...more
Set in an unspecified time, probably early 20th century, Ezeulu is protector of the traditional ways and spirtual life of the villages, as the influence of the British rulers continue to encroach, transf...more
No one could deny that this book is beautifully written, and the story is interesting...but apart from that it did little for me. Perhaps my hopes were too high, perhaps my expectations were different, perhaps I don't know enough about African (Nigerian) culture for it to sit comfortably in context...
I did, however, love the proverbs and colourful language:
"the moon he saw that day was as thin as an orphan fed grudgingly by a cruel foster-mother"
"better to say that...it was no more than the po...more
I did, however, love the proverbs and colourful language:
"the moon he saw that day was as thin as an orphan fed grudgingly by a cruel foster-mother"
"better to say that...it was no more than the po...more
i read this in '87, along w/a number of other stories from other countries. stories like petals of blood, too late the phalarope, the beautyful ones are not yet born, mine boy, in the castle of my skin, midnight's children, three or four others.
a year or two prior, i had read/studied karen horney's neurosis and human growth. horney, one of freud's rebellious daughters, (as i late learned when i read/studied another or her works in a different kind of course) seemed to have in mind these stories...more
a year or two prior, i had read/studied karen horney's neurosis and human growth. horney, one of freud's rebellious daughters, (as i late learned when i read/studied another or her works in a different kind of course) seemed to have in mind these stories...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I am a fan of Chinua Achebe and this trilogy on life in Africa, pre-during and post colonization has just given me a new persepective on writing and the writer's role. Arrow of God does take us back, into Africa where this priest Ezeulu is trying to merge both modernity and his tradition and so far I think he's got a temper and am still trying to figure out what will happen now that his son Oduche has committed the greatest abomination by trapping a python-which is considered sacred.
Reading Arro...more
Reading Arro...more
It is probably my fault but I found some aspects of Arrow of God incredibly difficult to follow. I kept getting names confused, forgetting characters and having to go back to check who was who. In all honesty I could have done with a family tree at the beginning of the book to help me follow the story.
Arrow of God follows the story of Ezeulu a priest of the Ulu who is trying to deal with the fact that his authority is under threat. This is essentially a storyline about colonialism and how it eff...more
Arrow of God follows the story of Ezeulu a priest of the Ulu who is trying to deal with the fact that his authority is under threat. This is essentially a storyline about colonialism and how it eff...more
This was a very interesting read although not that easy. I found the African names difficult to recognise easily and confused tribe and place names with people's names. Whilst intriguing and enjoyable in the main I also found it difficult to relate to either the British administrators who were trying to control the natives and found their attitudes reprehensible or the natives led by superstition and outdated customs. Is Achebe really telling us that the old ways were suffocating the tribes but...more
Achebe does it again--what a brilliant author! This was not an easy read (major characters were still entering the story by the halfway point), but it was worth the effort. He is so good at leading you down a narrative path where you think you know whom to cheer for, and then suddenly twisting events around and pointing out the unexpected consequences of people's basically good intentions--who is to blame? I read that this is Achebe's favorite of his own books, and I would say the main character...more
I liked this one less than Things Fall Apart and again, I dislike his writing style.
This book is hard to like at times. Achebe is very unflattering to women.
Arrow of God is the final part of Chinua Achebe's Africa trilogy, which began with Things Fall Apart and continued with No Longer at Ease. In this book, we return to the Igbo village setting of the first book, though this time our protagonist is a priest rather than a warrior.
Ezeulu, priest of Ulu the God of six villages, is a wise but proud man. He has a large and prosperous family, and has even sent one of his sons to the local Christian church to be his "eyes and ears" and keep him abreast of...more
Ezeulu, priest of Ulu the God of six villages, is a wise but proud man. He has a large and prosperous family, and has even sent one of his sons to the local Christian church to be his "eyes and ears" and keep him abreast of...more
Arrow of God (1964)
Chinua Achebe
Last summer I read Things Fall Apart which is the first of a trilogy by C. Achebe. Arrow of God is the third. I literally couldn’t put it down. Again, this is a novel about the struggle between old ways and new; tradition and change. It’s set in the 1920s. Here too a son is ‘sacrificed’ and sent to the White man’s school/church to learn his language and ways.
Arrow of God may essentially be the story of a chief priest, his wives and children and the patterns of ev...more
Chinua Achebe
Last summer I read Things Fall Apart which is the first of a trilogy by C. Achebe. Arrow of God is the third. I literally couldn’t put it down. Again, this is a novel about the struggle between old ways and new; tradition and change. It’s set in the 1920s. Here too a son is ‘sacrificed’ and sent to the White man’s school/church to learn his language and ways.
Arrow of God may essentially be the story of a chief priest, his wives and children and the patterns of ev...more
Weer een prachtige vertelling van Achebe: net als in Things fall apart neemt hij de tijd om zijn verhaal mooi uitgesponnen te vertellen, en dwingt ons zo in het Afrikaanse ritme te komen. In dit boek staat de ondergang van de priester-chef Ezeulu centraal. Het slot van het verhaal wordt nogal vlug afgewikkeld, met nog een korte epiloog die het verhaal iets ruimer opentrekt en het geheel situeert in de overname van de macht door de Britse kolonisator.
I'll be honest - I was kind of disappointed in this book. I absolutely loved Things Fall Apart and I had high hopes for this one. It opened up really well; there were a lot of interesting characters and the plot had a lot of promise. However, the author took it in directions that I didn't particularly like. And then I would read things that let me think he would do something that was interesting, but instead opted for a more boring outcome. Bottom line - I think everyone should read Chinua Acheb...more
Aug 16, 2009
Wendy Mar
added it
arrow of god is a novel based on the culture and the colonialism of nigeria.through this novel i have known how the white man set up on the igbo land.the chief priest ezeulu sent one of his sons to the white man'school intentionally.he wanted to be informed on the white man's purposes in order to be on the the good side and to save his village.but it seemed that his gods were not with him because at the end of the novel christianity took over the village.
It was alright. The story-telling could have been better, for I felt that we were introduced to a lot of characters that had zero impact on the telling of the story, so that takes away a lot of the luster. Plus, the conclusion and the way the story wrapped up was just "eh, I read all of this for it to end like this?". I've heard all this regard for Chinua Achebe, but this was a bad introduction to his work.
May 05, 2010
Charles
marked it as to-read
been sitting on my shelf for yeeeeaaaaars
was a gift from my wife who is now my ex wife which means i will read it if i go to prison and i have nothing else to read
of course that's retarded & unfair to myself. i'll read it.
Achebe's critical essays are incredible + very stimulating/satisfying.
was a gift from my wife who is now my ex wife which means i will read it if i go to prison and i have nothing else to read
of course that's retarded & unfair to myself. i'll read it.
Achebe's critical essays are incredible + very stimulating/satisfying.
I was literally on the edge of my seat reading the last few chapters of 'Arrow of God'. Words cannot describe how exquisite Achebe is at story telling, the way he delivers dialogue and sets the scene. You think you are merely a spectator but without realising it you become so intertwined in life in Ezeulu's compound, at points it felt like my heart was pounding in my chest as events unfolded.
Soon as I closed the book I knew this was one of my favourite books ever. You simply have to read it for...more
Soon as I closed the book I knew this was one of my favourite books ever. You simply have to read it for...more
All I got is that this book is about colonialism. But I regret to say I couldn't appreciate the work in its fullness because of the confusing names and places. But it is interesting to read an African book, and learn their cultures and traditions, and I liked the way they spoke in metaphors and "parables" some what. Enlightening.
Arrow of God is the third of the Africa Trilogy. It is regarded by some as Achebe's best book. It tells of one man's fight against his clan.
The following links to my review... http://freduagyeman.blogspot.com/2009...
thanks
The following links to my review... http://freduagyeman.blogspot.com/2009...
thanks
Book 3 after Things Fall Apart and No Longer at Ease.
Achebe has always written powerful novels that described the intense central African culture without boring the reader by pages and pages of describing each ritual. These books focus more on how the arrival of the Europeans causes upheavals among the Igbo tribes and the like. As such, the endings are always tragic and at times the characters are unforgivably set in their stubborn ways, but the books are enjoyable and mystic.
At it's most base, this is the story of an Ibo tribal priest, Ezeulu and his downfall. However it also about so much more. It is a story of conflict; conflict between old and new traditions, conflict between colonization and African culture, conflict between Christianity and tribal religion.
It was very strongly written and an informative look at African tribal culture. I always enjoy Achebe's books and Arrow of God was no exception. However, perhaps due to cultural differences, I had a hard tim...more
It was very strongly written and an informative look at African tribal culture. I always enjoy Achebe's books and Arrow of God was no exception. However, perhaps due to cultural differences, I had a hard tim...more
In my opinion, much better than "Things Fall Apart." The switching between viewpoints of the African village and the English officers drove home the... drift between them. I also found the ending to be more satisfying, on an allegorical level.
Great book about the conflict between generations, old and new traditions, and the impact of colonialism on African tribal communities. The vivid characters and the captivating storyline makes the book a page-turner.
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Chinua Achebe was a novelist, poet, professor at Brown University and critic. He is best known for his first novel, Things Fall Apart (1958), which is the most widely read book in modern African literature.
Raised by Christian parents in the Igbo town of Ogidi in southeastern Nigeria, Achebe excelled at school and won a scholarship for undergraduate studies. He became fascinated with world religion...more
More about Chinua Achebe...
Raised by Christian parents in the Igbo town of Ogidi in southeastern Nigeria, Achebe excelled at school and won a scholarship for undergraduate studies. He became fascinated with world religion...more
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“What kind of power was it if everybody knew that it would never be used? Better to say that it was not there, that it was no more than the power in the anus of the proud dog who tried to put out a furnace with his puny fart.... He turned the yam with a stick.”
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13. Januar, 03:44 Uhr