Things Fall Apart

Great story that I wish I had read earlier. The direct confrontation with Europeans happens near the end, and I wish it had been a bigger part of the book, but maybe that's what the sequels are for.

I know a lot of people really hate this right now, but I really didn't hate the book. I didn't love it, but I also didn't hate it.

For me, it feels like less of a work of fiction than a cultural study. Of all topics of historical fiction, this is likely the most fascinating one to me, so that certainly helped in my enjoyment of the novel. In addition, I didn't find the novel difficult to understand in the slightest. I thought Achebe's writing style was quite similar to the writing style of more recent novels.

While the book did not have one set plot, which would certainly bother some people, it definitely had sub-plots. There was clearly a sub-plot for each part of the novel, and there was a loose, overarching plot that was simply Okonkwo's life. This really didn't bother me, but perhaps that was partially due to the way I looked at the novel. I didn't read it like a story. I read it like it was a work of a fictional, cultural study through the eyes of Okonkwo.

I liked Okonkwo, actually. I found him to be a very flawed and realistic character. No, I did not agree with everything he did. But that's part of what makes him great. He's realistic and has depth,
which is absolutely important for having a connection with a character (looking at you Hassan).

One gripe I had was the oversimplification of some major plot points. There were three major parts of the novel that changed the course of the novel. And yet... they practically had a paragraph's worth of explanation. And talk about that plot twist at the ending (don't you DARE read the spoiler unless you've finished the book). I mean, I was so confused! There was no explanation for the suicide whatsoever. He killed the messenger and BANG suicide. I wanted to know why he did it. I reread the part several times, hoping to find some sort of an explanation, but I could find nothing. It was terribly disappointing. This was irritating namely because there were lengthy sections of the book dedicated to things I really didn't need to know. I would have rather had more explanations for these events than to have learned about the correct time to plant your gosh darn yams.

Overall, I thought the novel was average as a whole. I liked it, but I didn't think it really lived up to the hype. I'd been expecting something more from an author that my teacher had described as the first great African writer.

Bare with this book until the the very end because that is where it unravels. The Main Character Okonkwo tries to come in terms with the legacy of his father and with the arrival of the Colonial rule. Interesting Novel about clashing institutions and belief systems shown trough both, the colonial and native lense.

Fantastic fiction exploring African history before and after colonial times.

If you like florid language (as I do), this book is not what you're looking for. It is written in a sparse style, almost historical. The story is also relatively simplistic (of course, since it is a short work).

That being said, if you are at all interested in a look at colonial history from the viewpoint of the colonized, this book will interest you. It also raises some interesting questions in its latter third about conflicts between religions and what it means to lose one's history and cultural heritage.

At first I wasn't interested in continuing Things Fall Apart after I started it a couple of years ago. But because we're studying Nigeria in AP comparative government, I decided to re-start this proclaimed masterpiece. I definitely appreciate the book the 2nd time reading it because I understood Okonkwo's journey and his moral values of being an Ibo warrior. Chinua Achebe took the culture of Nigeria and created a story that tests an individuals devotion to their country, and what happens when outsiders come and disturb that cycle of traditions...or if an individual stops themselves from continuing on. Its a quick read but it makes you think about Okonkwo's position in life, whether he is right or wrong with the decisions he makes, and whether or not his final action was justifiable. I would definitely read it again and I recommend it to everyone.

Bleak, depressing, and ultimately tragic, this book can be quite the difficult read. The concept of the Tragic Hero is brought out perfectly. Very sad, though.

It reminded me of Roots in the way that description of tribal life takes more space than plot (although this book is much more exaggerated in this count). Was this a literary device to give the reader the feeling that ancient tribal ways were destroyed quickly and fairly easily by Europeans? Or did the author simply run out of steam? In either case I enjoyed the book but would have enjoyed a more balanced and active version.

Things Fall Apart is the story of Okonkwo, a powerful man in his village in Africa. He has worked hard to overcome the family image his father ruined with his poor behavior, and he has had many successes in his life, but when he accidentally kills the son of another tribesman, he is punished by being sent away from his village for seven years. Then Christian missionaries arrive, and his entire village suffers an upheaval in cultural belief.

This book is an intriguing story of the way cultures can clash, the way conflicts between cultures can be resolved, and the way cultures change with the arrival of different cultures.

I must have read this years ago in school, and I remember completely not understanding it. It was all yams and palm wine and slow village life, and I was kinda like, “yo where's the plot dude is there gonna be a fight or what” <–teen me

I have since matured but, alas, probably not by much. A classic in post-colonial fiction, this book follows a village in the Igbo region (southeastern Nigeria) during - I think? - the late 19th century. It follows, basically, the “last golden years” before the tide of colonization really started taking hold. It's a deep dive into a specific culture and society; one we feel, as modern day readers, is on the edge of a severe existential threat. The tension is palpable (OMG WHERE ARE THE BRITISH WHERE FIND THEM AND CAST THEM OUT), though I also spent a lot of time wondering what those villages are like NOW and TODAY. What gets preserved? What gets lost? What gets adapted?

Anyway, so maybe the first 60% of the book is just life in the village, and much is made of idiomatic sayings (which were great) and the stuff that ethnographers are into (weddings and death rites and cuisine and such) and then the horror happens: Christian missionaries arrive. Shit gets real, then, and mostly because shit starts to NOT MAKE SENSE anymore. The missionaries and the colonial government don't understand, don't attempt to understand, and it's all pretty horrible.

So I think the best part of this book was Okonkwo, the protagonist. He was so brilliantly etched: driven by a raging insecurity, ruthless in his ambitions, and ultimately a bit of a Fisher King as well (i.e. his fortunes mirror the land's). The sympathy and exactitude of Okonkwo's portrayal was - MWAH. BRILLIANT.

Another striking point was how, when the missionaries arrive, all the village misfits join up: this immediately made me want to read anthropological histories of religious conversion, and why people choose to associate with in- or out-groups and all that.

But yeah, overall, I appreciated this in a clinical way, but didn't connect super deep. For Nigerian stuff (which I have decided I love, seriously, the country of Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Boyega, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, mwah mwah), I guess I like more modern stuff? With Lagos as the MOLTEN CORE OF NAKED CAPITALISM. i.e. Americanah :)

* I made the mistake of reading the feasty scenes when I was really hungry and I was like SOUP AND FUFU AAAGHHH