Americanah

This is one of my favorite books of all time. The writing is so beautiful. There were several sentences that I had to reread in order to savor the mouth-feel of the words. The feminism and racism realizations the main character makes as she goes from Nigerian to African American culture is poignant and masterfully written. I love Ifemelu and the way her thoughts progress. She is one of the few main characters ever written where the point is that they are different and have unique thoughts, that isn't annoying. She's not “quirky and special and good for the sake of being good,” she's introspective and opinionated and isn't perfect. I love this book. I'll probably read it several more times throughout my life.

This was so hard for me to get into for the first 100ish pages, but then it was utterly excellent.

How immigration affects us and seeing the world through an observers' lens. Such a smart and funny read

I went back and forth on enjoying the writing style, which was very internal to Ifemelu, but the story itself was deeply compelling and the main character's observations on American life from the perspective of a Nigerian was incisive and frank in a refreshing way.

Very long. But it should be; it has to be. Adichie touches on so many societal subjects that are so so so important today, and have always been. The difference of being African American and being African, racial division and perception that is made and done in society, the hardships of migrating to a different country, the supposed “American dream” that is in truth an absolute nightmare that knows nothing dreamy, but even topics such as globalization and the “ease” of contact and exchange of information are flawlessly covered. Astonishing; and all written around a sweet, youthful love story. EVERYONE should read this

Wish I had known the author was a TERF before I listened to the entire audiobook.

Overall the book was fine, if needlessly drawn out. I think I would have enjoyed more as a collection of essays as the most interesting parts were Ifemelu's blog posts. Beyond that Ifemelu and Obinze came across as wholly unlikeable people.

Despite my lukewarm enjoyment of this book I simply can't recommend it due to the Adichie's opinion on trans people.

This is a hard one for me. I loved Ifemelu's story and her character, but found her blog posts preachy and annoying. I couldn't get into Obinze's story, it didn't do anything for me. The love story and cultural commentary within the characters' stories were interesting, but the blog posts kind of felt forced.

I expected to love this book, everything I read by this author before I loved, that didn't happen. The writing is pleasant enough and the story has its moments but the last 3rd of the book just seemed to drag on and on for me.

I could manage to do any type of joke about being or not being represented in art, but I won't. This book is no joke for someone who had/(s) constant intern fights about being black in a strange society. It was, by far, the first book I read and saw some of my problems written and developed, without masks or an attempt to hide what happens in our daily lives. Chimamanda did what I willing to do with words... She changed me and I appreciate that!

Americanah struck me as a novel I would have enjoyed more when I was younger. I admired a lot about it — the author's unapologetic refusal to treat her Nigerian settings as anything but the default, her insights about the lives of immigrants, the arch portrayal of a certain stratum of well meaning Americans — but the narrative voice felt old fashioned and Victorian, more exterior to the characters than I've come to prefer from fiction. This book came out in 2013, and it was fascinating to see how its treatment of race already reads like an artifact from some distant age.

As thoughtful, nuanced, incisive commentary and reflection, it is difficult to find fault with this work. As a work of narrative fiction, however, it does have its limitations. It's hard to escape the feeling that the narrative arc is only a vessel for the observational aspects. I can't help but think that what the author really wanted to do was to write an incisive essay about these issues, or perhaps a series of short stories that examined the intersection of race and national identity through a more personal lens, but knowing that essays and short stories don't get broad attention and readership, she had to find a way to craft a novel instead. This results in an awkward narrative structure, where too much time is put into expositional dialogue that feels like it has been written to explain rather than to reveal. The result is that the work feels bloated and the pace plodding at times. The snippets of blog posts seem to be the most authentic, well written and visceral parts of the book, but it just feels like what she really wanted to do was write a book of the blog content, and felt forced to turn it into literary fiction.

I do recommend this book. I did enjoy reading it, and appreciated it's thoughtfulness, but couldn't love it as a complete novel.

Ifem can definitely be a frustrating character to follow around because she so often thinks she can distill people down to a simple characterization. Nonetheless the book as a whole is filled with insight about race but also friendship and relationships in general. It explores nuance in a lot of different scenarios, giving the topics that it takes on the time that they deserve.

I am so conflicted about this book. I wanted to love it. It was absorbing and compelling but I wanted it to be over with about 100 pages left to go.

This is a very ambitious book, with such a broad range of subjects woven together - race/racism in the U.S., corruption and wealth in Nigeria, the immigrant experience, black hair, politics, academia, coming to terms with returning home after a long absence and not being sure where to fit in ... it's a long, meandering reading experience, but a truly immersive one. I enjoyed it a lot, though I wish it had felt a little more cohesive. Maybe the non-linear timeline threw me off more than I thought, as I was never quite sure when things were happening, unless it was specifically talking about Barack Obama. I also have some questions about Ifemelu's blog logistics. But, those are small complaints. Definitely worth a read.

One of the best fiction books I've read in years, one third love story, one third social commentary and one third cultural education for me. It's so beautifully written, I will be reading more of Chimamanda's work.

to start, I absolutely LOVED this story. While originally advertised as a romance, I felt like the book read less like a love story and more a classic journey of self discovery. Ifemelu is clearly such a nuanced and intelligent character, yet she faces hurdle after hurdle in America. From racist classmates to rich, white boyfriends, Ifemelu is confronted with race and the idea of “blackness” for the first time. While some haters felt that the book was “too preachy” about race and “wasn't what [the haters] signed up for”, all I can say is— WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?! This isn't JUST a love story. This is a story about immigration! This is a story about blackness! This is a story about Nigeria! This is a story about HAIR! If you wanted to read a book that makes you comfortable and ignores some of the most pressing issues of today, go read something else!

I picked up Americanah as part of my bookclub as one of the members had used it in their dissertation and was excited to share it with us. I'd heard a lot about this book through booktube, but I never thought I'd pick it up myself. I don't read a lot of literary fiction and I already own quite a few that I haven't got to yet. I listened to the audiobook, which I would highly recommend. I really liked the narrator's voice and it made the listening experience so lovely.

PLOT ???????????????
As with most literary fiction, we are going for a deep dive into Ifemelu's life and relationships. But I found the plot of Americanah to be much easier to read because there was an inciting incident that we remained firmly in the midst of throughout the book. Ifemelu decides after thirteen years in America that she misses her home, and moves back to Nigeria.

CHARACTERS ???????????????
I wasn't that interested in Ifemelu's relationship with Obinze, which was the main reason I couldn't connect to the story. I found so much of Ifemelu's life interesting that Obinze didn't really rank high enough on that list for me to care about. Ifemelu's blog posts added a more informal style of writing which was interspersed, and I really liked those breaks.

OVERALL ???????????????
All in all, this is a well crafted book that probably just isn't to my taste. I can't really say anything bad about it, I just didn't love it.

It has been a long time since I fell in love with a novel so hopelessly. Perhaps the last time was when I was 16 and had just started reading Shantaram. This time was different though, a more self-aware, less helpless and more willing kind of falling in love. Before I try to talk about the book, I need to mention that I listened to this book on my Audible trial. There is no doubt that listening to Adjoa Andoh's beautiful, beautiful narration of the book had a lot to do with just how much I adored this book though reading it would have been just as effective. Once I started listening to it I couldn't stop. When I got around to the last hour of the book I kept rewinding and re-listening to the same chapters, berating myself for having rushed through the book (I hadn't). It took me 2 days to finish the last hour (I had averaged 4 hours/day until then).

On a side note, the audio book definitely has everything to do with me wanting to buy the Audible subscription.

I picked Americanah up due to my friend Raylene's very compelling review of the book that you can read here - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2586414536

I, too, couldn't help but draw parallels between Lahiri's work and Americanah. Though somehow, despite Lahiri's work being very likeable, it was never relatable due to the obvious gap in the experiences of the characters and those of my own. The gap exists with Americanah too; the story of two teenage Nigerians in love with each other, who immigrate (or try to) to the west amidst the economic upheaval in their home country. Adichie demonstrates how one doesn't need to share the experiences of her characters to be able to relate with them.

Americanah is first and foremost an honest novel. Much like the protagonist Ifemelu, unable to hold back, unafraid to offend. It may also be an unconventional love story (and I'm not talking about my one sided love for Obinze). All of this revolving around the central themes of race and gender.

Adichie's enchanting descriptive narrative immersed me in the lives of Ifemelu and Obinze. And I will never be the same.

So. Good.

I've been reading this book off and on for nearly six months. No matter what, though, I never lost the thread of the narrative. I was never confused about the current situation I had left a few weeks prior, nor why the characters were acting the way they were. It's so well written, it was impossible to forget what was happening in the story.

It's beautiful and I loved it.

It's hard to find the words to describe this book. It is engrossing, thought-provoking, informing, beautiful. I loved seeing the U.S. through the eyes of a recent arrival and exploring my own ideas about race and identity as Ifemelu explored them as well. I highly recommend.

A good book, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work. For me, this was an ambitious novel and tried to take on too many things. It was really long, and my favorite parts and characters were glossed over despite the length (like Dike and Obinze.) I also struggled with not really knowing Ifemelu. For as long as the book is, I don't feel close to her, but maybe that's because she's most often observing and commenting.

It could have been half as long with half the themes and it would be stellar.

Muito amor por este livro! Acompanhar a vida de Idemelu e Obinze desde a adolescência até à vida adulta foi delicioso! Já tenho saudades destes personagens... ❤️

Aunque el final me ha fallado un poco, el resto del libro me ha encantado.
Se trata de esa clase de libros que te abren las puertas a mundos que ni te planteabas antes de leertelos.
Chimamanda volverá pronto por estos lares.

I love watching interviews with the author, and loved her essay on feminism. This is my first novel by her, and I enjoyed it without being over the moon. I know a lot of people felt the comments on race in America were too heavy handed, but I enjoyed those portions. I don't think white Americans, even liberals, do well with criticism. :)

My issue, I suppose, was that I never invested in Ifemelu reunion with Obinze. I wanted Ifemelu to be happy, or happier, but was almost neutral on how Obinze fit into that happiness.

I struggled with many of the names. but that's not the author's fault, other than perhaps in the sense there were a lot of characters, few that were on the stage for long. Because the names were unfamiliar, the x-ray feature on Kindle helped a lot.

Americanah is book that was mentioned several times when I asked for contemporary fiction recommendations. This is a journey, away from and back to the heroine's country of Nigeria and her childhood love, along the way sharing with us her brutal, enlightening, comical, destructive, empowering experiences. An annoyingly didactic tinge crept in at times, but Adichie's beautiful writing and powerful sense of place pulled me along.