Things Fall Apart
Ratings341
Average rating3.6
This is the case of three stars is too low four stars is too high. I like this book though I didn't think it was fun to read. It was a book that everybody had to read in my high school but in the year before I started. I can understand why it was designed and I'm glad it was but I feel the telling of the story has matured over the years thanks to other authors. That said it was an important book in the culture and should continue to be read because it introduced Western world to The narrative of the negative effects of colonialism
Life changes and sometimes the changes are drastic. This is obviously a classic and a must read to understand Africa and how people's lives were affected by the entry of the english in their land.
Summary: Okonkwo is a respected member of an African tribe who has taken over the care of a boy that was given to his people in a settlement with another tribe. The book tells of Okonkwo’s life and culture and his relationship to the members of his family. At first, life seems to be going well for Okonkwo, but a series of unexpected occurrences soon upset the life of prosperity that he has lived for so long.
I felt like I had to re-read this book after half-heartedly reading it in high school.
Pros:
Better than I remember.
A lot to be learned from the book.
Well written and great poetry/songs within it.
A book about Nigeria by a Nigerian author.
Cons:
Constantly upset while reading because of the main character.
Pretty dry in Part 1 (picks up in Part 2 and 3).
The novel will constantly drag on for a bit then have an important plot point casually stated in a sentence.
I found this fascinating to read. I have read very little African fiction, most of that being Afro-Futurism. Most recently on that list is [b:Binti: The Complete Trilogy 40382407 Binti The Complete Trilogy Nnedi Okorafor https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1535553295l/40382407.SY75.jpg 62682909], which (perhaps strangely) I found helpful as a sort of primer.It's not a happy book, but the story is interesting as many “slice-of-life” tales interwoven as Okonkwo experiences his life over a generation with his people. I found a lot to relate to in his overwhelming drive not to be like his father - perhaps this story is the other side of that knife. One wonders what Unoka's father was like, and what Nwoye's life continued to be. It's a compelling look at how the motivation of “I will not be like my father” can be shared by a father, son, and grandson, and all have different causes and manifestations.I loved Chinua's writing style, the language at once sparse and rich. There is a lot to be uncomfortable, mournful, and even angry within the writing. Okonkwo is terrible to his wives and children - but this is a view as to how Okonkwo's generation existed and how Okonkwo existed within himself. The overriding drive to demonstrate no fear - itself creates the biggest fear of his life and ultimately destroys it (as well as the lives of several others). It is so tangible and sad.
I first read this book in high school, and I decided to reread it as an adult. I enjoyed the book and found it interesting, but I don't have anything original or interesting to add the discourse about this book.
Though some of things that happen in this book are quite terrible it is an amazing read. and even though it is fictional the story tells from a perspective that I haven't read before and it was enjoyable. The use of Ibo words throughout the story really helped to bring the world alive. And the description of tribal life, culture and belief was probably my favourite part. I also think that this story shares a piece of the history of colonization that is hunting and makes you reflective. Definitely will be reading more of his work.
Read this because of the world literature course I'm taking.
To be honest, comparatively, if we are talking about works like this, Things Fall Apart is much better than Wide Sargasso Sea, as its take on history and those African customs are much more detailed and understandable.
The main character is so dislikeable, yet, in some way, the book is captivating on behalf on his take to oppose the coercion into transforming the faith of the indigenous people into one of theirs. The violence of the non-civilized versus the so-called civilized actually bears no difference at all.
This book is interesting from an anthropological standpoint. I enjoyed learning about the customs and culture of the Igbo. However, as a novel this just wasn't for me. Each chapter is basically a small snippet of their lives before moving on in time in the next chapter to get another little window. Essentially it felt to me like a collection of short stories because of how it's structured and because it has no over-arching plot. There was just no tension, no buildup, just events that occur out of the blue and/or feel contrived.
The character side of things didn't have much on offer either as I personally found Okonkwo to be rather reprehensible. It is very difficult to empathize with a character who in most circumstances seems to be void of any empathy himself. It also was difficult to appreciate the culture at times because it was through his eyes.
I can actually see why it's often assigned to read in Highschool or University because there is an interesting conversation there to be had, but I can't say I personally enjoyed it as a story.
3.25
I enjoyed reading this, although I couldn't quite connect with it. Really liked the way it's written.
At the beginning of the book, Okonkwo is the greatest warrior in his village and then one bad thing after another happens. There is so much to unpack in this book: his problems with his father, his son leaving him, the way he was willing to fight and kill to protect his village but no one else was and then killing himself at the end... Things really did fall apart for him...
This follows Okonkwe, son of a drunkard wastrel, who aspires to be a great man of his clan and have many titles. He is a warrior, strong and steadfast, following the way of his elders. Not necessarily a nice man but he looks out for his wives, children and fellow villagers.
Achebe uses the story of the ill-fated Okonkwe as a frame for the greater theme of colonisation by the white man. To see how the white invaders took over the hearts and minds of the clansmen and women and turned them against themselves. As Okonkwe tries to uphold the ways and beliefs of the elders the new religion colonises the very minds of some of the villagers with disastrous consequences for the clan and Okonkwe himself. After the shock reveal of the last chapter the arrogance and dismissal in the passing thought of the commissioner took my breath away.
I'm glad I read this for my own pleasure and not as a student, I can imagine that taking it apart in class would have dampened the enjoyment. Instead I was able to escape to the dusty red dirt, the torrential rains and the mysterious gods and goddesses of the Umuofia. I hope Ezinma did well.
this was a buddy read chosen by my partner, who remembered it being a favorite from college. i had quite a hard time feeling attached to any of the characters, especially our main character, okonkwo. the ending left me especially confused.
Super interesting, I wish I had read this with someone or maybe in a class. I'm sure most of it went over my head. I greatly appreciated the critique of missionary colonization
My favourite little bit is when Okonkwo's daughter is taken by the priestess for some ritual, and Okonkwo desperately wants to go after her and make sure she's okay, but forces himself to wait a “manly” amount of time before going. Nice dig at male insecurity.
Very good, much better than I remembered it. Makes a powerful statement on the effect colonization has had on Africa, and mourns a way of life that has all but gone extinct.
Achebe trae una historia del encuentro de dos mundos a través del encuentro entre Occidente, blanco y cristiano y las comunidades africanas. La pérdida de un hijo, pero también de la lengua y la historia misma, lleva a desmoronar el legado tribal de una familia.
This is an example of a good story told poorly; what could have been a fascinating examination of the cultural dissonance between the Igbo tribe and English Imperialism is stunted by curt, short prose that stymies emotional investment. It is so interesting to see both sides have a point, have flaws, and Okonkwo - the protagonist of the novel - be a woman beater, child murderer, and still be a sympathetic character. There is no doubt that the ideas presented are enticing to discuss, but the discussion aspect is perhaps more interesting than reading it itself. There are no qualms with the story but rather how it is presented, with the content being glossed over or told so quickly that it doesn't allow for the reader to truly take in the depth of what the story is trying to convey.
More interesting to discuss than to read.
My husband and I decided to start a Christmas tradition of buying used books for each other's stockings. I've never read this before, and I was pretty blown away, especially considering it was published in 1959. It is startlingly relevant still and belongs on all the lists of important fiction. I was blown away by the richness of the world-building and the different perspectives it made me take. Glad to finally fill in this hole in my literature canon.
In sparse words Things Fall Apart tells the story of strong warrior Okonkwo and the cultural and societal customs in his village at the end of the 1800s in Nigeria. Okonkwo believes in his gods and the norms he's grown up to adhere. He strives for power and wealth and the old ways. He believes in evil spirits that return as children only to die again and again. He believes in the inferiority of women, beats his wives and uses “woman” as an insult. He believes in the laws that send him and his family into exile, despite the accidental nature of the act that triggered them. While other members of their village seem to develop doubts about the unnecessary cruelty of their gods and traditions (the “throwing out of twins”), Okonkwo stays strong, sheds a few tears when he has to kill a boy, but never wavers.
When the white men appear with their religion, claiming superiority over local gods, the village little by little falls apart.
The ending really took me by surprise and made me reevaluate the tale. It contrasts one man's inability to change with the sudden and harsh changes forced upon the natives by European colonialism. Adaptation vs tradition, monotheism vs polytheism, the masculine vs the feminine. I might even want to read the next one.
This story is beautiful and sad. It describes so many details about some of the tribal traditions in such great details that I could vividly imagine the characters. The story is also said because there is no winner and definitely at any moment, the strongest abuses the weaker. Sometimes the weaker is a woman, a child and some other times the weaker is who was before the strongest and mighty. Can we finally be better at some point? Can we both respect human rights and traditions at the same time?
I've discovered while reading Nigerian authors that the vibe is really different from the books I'd read prior that are written from more Eurocentric schools of literature. The style is more matter of fact and deadpan, and the reader most look to nature and symbolism to extract the full intended meaning.
Okonkwo beats his wives, he can't express love, he can't give the child he loves most – his daughter – her due, and he betrays someone who trusts him. All he knows or understands is his place in his village and his need to be traditionally masculine.
I didn't like him much, but in the end I felt compassion for him. Everything changed that he relied upon to be constant, all the respect he valued was lost to him, the people he felt he could count on – in his mind – let him down. And after having a place, a life, an understanding of the world, and story enough to fill a novel, someone who can't begin to know him proclaims him worthy of perhaps an interesting paragraph. In his native land, a stranger dismisses the value of his life, and instead replaces him as the center of attention.
This has the narrative style of word-of-mouth story telling, which is totally fine in other formats. In book format, I find it jarring and annoying.
For instance, a single chapter might be seen as a single story. The next chapter will pick up another story at a slightly different point in time and will backtrack or fastforward to connect details to previous chapters. Sometimes, the recapping of particular chapters if verbatim. Sometimes you're just left thinking, “Oh, I guess this is a whole new story,” only to find out 10 pages later that the new “main character” is connected to the previous chapters' main character.
I will say that this book is pretty interesting in the sense of looking at colonialism from the side of the indigenous people. It reinforces the simple fact that indigenous people had absolutely no idea what they were agreeing to when agreements were made with European colonists. That is infuriating, of course.
So, anyway, this book is fine. I have zero temptation to read any others in the series.
This is for the “colonialism” requirement of the 2018 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge.
I mostly liked this book, but will admit some of the “ways” of the village residents were tough to read. I am more just spiritual than religious, so to read about these people and the various gods (and demi-gods) they worshiped was interesting. I'm certain I will not out of my way to read the rest of the books in this trilogy, but if one crosses my path, I may decide to read it. Not really a book I would recommend, but if someone asks about it, I will tell them to read and make their own decision.