Namrirru's review
The Joys of Motherhood (AWS African Writers Series)
by Buchi Emecheta
Namrirru's review
The Joys of Motherhood (AWS African Writers Series) by Buchi Emecheta
Namrirru's review
rating:
bookshelves:
africa,
womens
She lives a life of few ups, mostly downs. But the story doesn't dwell in darkness. It plows forward, like the mother in this story. It's a real page turner.
I found it interesting how the people whose point of view are most detailed are the people whom the mother identifies with the most. Besides the mother, this includes her father, children, and even her first co-wife. The other people in her life are like shadows with voices. Even the husband is less personalized and when he is, it's usually from a negative angle. Had it been soley from the viewpoint of the mother, the text would be confining. But this device allows the reader to draw even closer to the mother and her relationships.
Another pincher (spoiler alert!): the whole text, you (the reader) may not like the husband. He's lazy, drinks a lot, whatever. But it isn't till the end when you realize how much of a cad he really is! And that's only revealed through the deft interrogation by a lawyer. It's as if the text expr...more
I found it interesting how the people whose point of view are most detailed are the people whom the mother identifies with the most. Besides the mother, this includes her father, children, and even her first co-wife. The other people in her life are like shadows with voices. Even the husband is less personalized and when he is, it's usually from a negative angle. Had it been soley from the viewpoint of the mother, the text would be confining. But this device allows the reader to draw even closer to the mother and her relationships.
Another pincher (spoiler alert!): the whole text, you (the reader) may not like the husband. He's lazy, drinks a lot, whatever. But it isn't till the end when you realize how much of a cad he really is! And that's only revealed through the deft interrogation by a lawyer. It's as if the text expr...more
