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Jan 12, 2009
El
rated it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
20th-centurylit-late,
1001-books-list
This is the story of what happens when the white man comes along with Christianity under his belt to convert a Nigerian clan.
Okonkwo is a highly successful and powerful man in Umuofia, a village near the River Niger. His father was considered a lazy man with an extensive list of debts; Okonkwo worked hard to overcome his father's mistakes and strove to be different, ultimately rising to very high status in his village. During a funeral a traumatic accident occurs which causes Okonkwo to be exile ...more
Okonkwo is a highly successful and powerful man in Umuofia, a village near the River Niger. His father was considered a lazy man with an extensive list of debts; Okonkwo worked hard to overcome his father's mistakes and strove to be different, ultimately rising to very high status in his village. During a funeral a traumatic accident occurs which causes Okonkwo to be exile ...more
Apr 01, 2008
Nadine in NY Jones
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
classic,
era-early-1900s,
fiction,
historical-fiction,
1001-books,
re-read,
oh-unlikeable-you
There is no story that is not true. ... The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others.
This was a re-read for me, because my 9th grader will be reading it for her English class, and I wanted to refresh my memory, since the last time I read it was (approximately) 1990-1993.
This book didn't really benefit from a re-read. The first time I read it, I had never before read a Nigerian author, and I learned a lot. I was fascinated, even enchanted, by the diffe ...more
"The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity." - W.B.Yeats
The quote above comes from the poem, The Second Coming - from which Things Fall Apart derives its name.
That in itself is interesting. For Achebe, writing about the horrors of losing ones native culture, to choose a line from a Yeats poem. Things Fall Apart. They certainly do. Always. And always.
This was a paradoxically simple and complex book. It is accessible and readable, but there is much going on bel ...more
The quote above comes from the poem, The Second Coming - from which Things Fall Apart derives its name.
That in itself is interesting. For Achebe, writing about the horrors of losing ones native culture, to choose a line from a Yeats poem. Things Fall Apart. They certainly do. Always. And always.
This was a paradoxically simple and complex book. It is accessible and readable, but there is much going on bel ...more
An incredible and nuanced story of a Nigerian village pre- and post-European contact. I love the structure of the book: the rupture at its center that dramatically yet realistically divides the lives of both the protagonist, Okonkwo, and of the village as a whole into distinct episodes.
Okonkwo himself is an unlikeable character, but not an unsympathetic one. Achebe does an extraordinary job of depicting pre-colonial Nigeria as well as the tensions and clashes of interculturality, particularly wh ...more
Okonkwo himself is an unlikeable character, but not an unsympathetic one. Achebe does an extraordinary job of depicting pre-colonial Nigeria as well as the tensions and clashes of interculturality, particularly wh ...more
Glad I finally read this. Wish I'd had more of a sense going into it of what made it so influential/revolutionary; it would have let me know what to expect and how best to appreciate it. I liked the second half better than the first, and was surprised the colonialism didn't come in until so late. Also wish I'd read this in college, when it could have been followed by an illuminating class discussion.
This is the worst review ever. ...more
This is the worst review ever. ...more
I enjoyd reading this book and thought it was a fairly light read. I could understand where some people might disagree with the religious views which are presented in this book, which is fair enough. I can see where the characters would get frustrating, but I enjoyed it anyways. What I find more important is Achebe's messages about religious conflict.
...more
Oct 12, 2009
Ruth Soz
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
series-non-mystery,
novels
A real disappointment to me. I hadn't even heard of this author before I picked up this one, and come to find out this is considered a classic in some circles. I must be missing something.
...more
All I remember from this is that they ate a lot of yams.
Mar 26, 2008
Andy
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May 01, 2010
Seth
marked it as to-read
Aug 12, 2015
Gina
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Rose Anne
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