Interesting but less than gripping, 29 Oct 2008
I'm one of those minority reviewers who was less than gripped by this novel. I finished it but it seemed a bit of a chore at times (although other parts seemed to flow). I felt frustrated by the characters - the love stories between them never seemed convincing. I was hugely interested in the subject matter - I knew so little about the Biafra war and the book prompted me to find out more. However, the traumatic events surrounding our characters (and often happening to them) never seemed to be fully explored. The word Biafra is synonomous with starvation yet in the book I never got the sense of how bad things really were. Then in the last few pages, the war is over and they go home (minus Kainene). Having put so much emotional effort (throughout the book) into fighting for an independent Biafra, defeat by the Nigerians must have been devastating for our characters but I don't get this sense at all. Perhaps the war and famine had been so awful that they were simply glad it was over and that they could return to their homes, even if they had lost the war. I have to commend the author on bringing to life a long-forgotten (to the west) and little known part of Africa's history. But I don't know - it all felt a bit frustrating for me.

Brilliant, 28 Oct 2008
Cannot praise this book enough. I found myself on the train tears streaming down my face not wanting to get off at my stop. It is everything a good book should be. Wonderful characters some you love and some you hate. I hated reading the end as I didnt want it to be over. I fell in love with Ugwu and felt like I watched him grow up! I wont spoil it for you...Just read!

dissapointed, 24 Oct 2008
Apart from the insight about Biafra, this was a dissapointingly poor quality read. If the book had been shortened by half,then I think believe that it would have read better. Sadly, the story dialogue was stiff and I was not drawn into the saga.

Disappointing, 09 Oct 2008
It's not the sort of book I'd normally pick up - prize winning, political etc - but I was approached it with excitement after hearing good reviews from people I know.

Although the story seemed promising, neither the characters or themes interested me and the only thing that kept me going was the fact I had to read it. I found the skipping back and forth through time confusing, and was a bit baffled by the numerous characters who melted into one another at points.

It caused a bit of a stir at the book group I run due to its subject and some people loved it, but sadly i did not.

A beautifully written novel taking us where no amount of reportage or photojournalism ever truly can, 02 Oct 2008
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has written a deeply human novel about the 1967 Nigeria-Biafra war, a war that some have accused the world of turning away from, in a book that she says she always knew she would write. Within the novel a character is actually writing a book entitled `The World Was Silent When We Died'. Indeed, as a reasonably politically aware young student at the time, I remember, along with millions of others, turning my attention towards Vietnam and, by default, away from what seemed a complex internecine African struggle.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie does not lecture us, despite having lost both her grandfathers and other family members to the war. Instead, she creates a wonderful group of characters whom we come to care about greatly and whom we follow through personal stories that are in turn comical, tragic, idealistic, romantic and sexy, as well as reflecting the political forces and beliefs that culminated in the horrific slaughter and starvation of over a million people.

The narrative in this book is well served by a faultless prose style. Never tricksy or laboured, each chapter centres on one of the protagonists as their lives intertwine and separate and in this way we learn effortlessly a great deal about the cultural, geographical and political landscape of Adichie's country.

In the opening pages we are introduced to Ugwu, a village boy who lands the job of houseboy to Dr Odenigbo, an engagingly pompous radical academic. With Ugwu, we listen at the door to the after-dinner revolutionary talk of Odenigbo and his set of university colleagues as they debate, before the war and often in an increasingly inebriated state, various radical solutions to what they perceive as the plight of the Igbo people within Nigeria. This clever device allows many of the disparate views of the origins to the conflict to be expressed whilst acknowledging an ambiguity within perspectives and a multiplicity of potential causal factors. The deliberately divisive behaviour of Britain as the former colonial power, for example, and the machinations of the multinational oil companies, although alluded to only casually, are nonetheless pinpointed directly by this means.

Olanna and Kainene are the beautiful twin daughters of a successful African business man, Kainene successfully following him into the commercial world while Olanna frustrates her parents' hopes and goes to live with Odenigbo. As the fall of territory during the war leads to mass migration and increasing catastrophe, these two women reveal further their personal strengths and provide striking models of compassion, hope and unflagging determination. Kainene, in particular, is portrayed as a very `modern' woman and this, and many other aspects of this magnificent book, led me to question some of my lazy previous assumptions about the values, perspectives and lifestyles of at least a section of the Nigerian people in that period.

Joseph Stalin infamously said that whereas one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic. By giving us a cast of characters whose lives and destinies we come to deeply care about, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie leads us inside the otherwise incomprehensible anonymity of such a huge tragedy and forces us to - gives us the privilege, really - of glimpsing the authentically human dimension to this conflict. A beautifully written novel taking us where no amount of reportage or photojournalism ever truly can.

Interesting but less than gripping, 29 Oct 2008
I'm one of those minority reviewers who was less than gripped by this novel. I finished it but it seemed a bit of a chore at times (although other parts seemed to flow). I felt frustrated by the characters - the love stories between them never seemed convincing. I was hugely interested in the subject matter - I knew so little about the Biafra war and the book prompted me to find out more. However, the traumatic events surrounding our characters (and often happening to them) never seemed to be fully explored. The word Biafra is synonomous with starvation yet in the book I never got the sense of how bad things really were. Then in the last few pages, the war is over and they go home (minus Kainene). Having put so much emotional effort (throughout the book) into fighting for an independent Biafra, defeat by the Nigerians must have been devastating for our characters but I don't get this sense at all. Perhaps the war and famine had been so awful that they were simply glad it was over and that they could return to their homes, even if they had lost the war. I have to commend the author on bringing to life a long-forgotten (to the west) and little known part of Africa's history. But I don't know - it all felt a bit frustrating for me.

Brilliant, 28 Oct 2008
Cannot praise this book enough. I found myself on the train tears streaming down my face not wanting to get off at my stop. It is everything a good book should be. Wonderful characters some you love and some you hate. I hated reading the end as I didnt want it to be over. I fell in love with Ugwu and felt like I watched him grow up! I wont spoil it for you...Just read!

dissapointed, 24 Oct 2008
Apart from the insight about Biafra, this was a dissapointingly poor quality read. If the book had been shortened by half,then I think believe that it would have read better. Sadly, the story dialogue was stiff and I was not drawn into the saga.

Disappointing, 09 Oct 2008
It's not the sort of book I'd normally pick up - prize winning, political etc - but I was approached it with excitement after hearing good reviews from people I know.

Although the story seemed promising, neither the characters or themes interested me and the only thing that kept me going was the fact I had to read it. I found the skipping back and forth through time confusing, and was a bit baffled by the numerous characters who melted into one another at points.

It caused a bit of a stir at the book group I run due to its subject and some people loved it, but sadly i did not.

A beautifully written novel taking us where no amount of reportage or photojournalism ever truly can, 02 Oct 2008
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has written a deeply human novel about the 1967 Nigeria-Biafra war, a war that some have accused the world of turning away from, in a book that she says she always knew she would write. Within the novel a character is actually writing a book entitled `The World Was Silent When We Died'. Indeed, as a reasonably politically aware young student at the time, I remember, along with millions of others, turning my attention towards Vietnam and, by default, away from what seemed a complex internecine African struggle.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie does not lecture us, despite having lost both her grandfathers and other family members to the war. Instead, she creates a wonderful group of characters whom we come to care about greatly and whom we follow through personal stories that are in turn comical, tragic, idealistic, romantic and sexy, as well as reflecting the political forces and beliefs that culminated in the horrific slaughter and starvation of over a million people.

The narrative in this book is well served by a faultless prose style. Never tricksy or laboured, each chapter centres on one of the protagonists as their lives intertwine and separate and in this way we learn effortlessly a great deal about the cultural, geographical and political landscape of Adichie's country.

In the opening pages we are introduced to Ugwu, a village boy who lands the job of houseboy to Dr Odenigbo, an engagingly pompous radical academic. With Ugwu, we listen at the door to the after-dinner revolutionary talk of Odenigbo and his set of university colleagues as they debate, before the war and often in an increasingly inebriated state, various radical solutions to what they perceive as the plight of the Igbo people within Nigeria. This clever device allows many of the disparate views of the origins to the conflict to be expressed whilst acknowledging an ambiguity within perspectives and a multiplicity of potential causal factors. The deliberately divisive behaviour of Britain as the former colonial power, for example, and the machinations of the multinational oil companies, although alluded to only casually, are nonetheless pinpointed directly by this means.

Olanna and Kainene are the beautiful twin daughters of a successful African business man, Kainene successfully following him into the commercial world while Olanna frustrates her parents' hopes and goes to live with Odenigbo. As the fall of territory during the war leads to mass migration and increasing catastrophe, these two women reveal further their personal strengths and provide striking models of compassion, hope and unflagging determination. Kainene, in particular, is portrayed as a very `modern' woman and this, and many other aspects of this magnificent book, led me to question some of my lazy previous assumptions about the values, perspectives and lifestyles of at least a section of the Nigerian people in that period.

Joseph Stalin infamously said that whereas one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic. By giving us a cast of characters whose lives and destinies we come to deeply care about, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie leads us inside the otherwise incomprehensible anonymity of such a huge tragedy and forces us to - gives us the privilege, really - of glimpsing the authentically human dimension to this conflict. A beautifully written novel taking us where no amount of reportage or photojournalism ever truly can.

Beautiful, inspiring, heartbreaking, 14 Nov 2008
This is just a beautiful read! The writing is as clear as a bell and the characters are heartbreakingly real. Kambili is a 15-year old Nigerian girl who is caught between and old order and the new: as Nigeria is suddenly brutalised by a military dictatorship, she is forced to make her own choices, between previously unquestionned family life with her tyrannical father vs her free-thinking, liberated aunt and cousins. And just to complicate matters further, she falls in love.....
It's an inspiring and wise mix of the political and personal, which manages to make you think and care deeply about the issues and the people. I have read it twice (rare for me)and it only gets better.

Beautiful Story Line Poor Characterisation, 20 Aug 2008
My sister recommended Purple Hibiscus to me sometime last year. However, I was reluctant to read the book because I was not sure that it could live up to Half a Yellow Sun, Adichie's other book. In hindsight, I was right.

The novel is narrated by Kambili Achike, the fifteen-year old daughter of a wealthy Nigerian businessman. The book begins with a description of her family life: Her wealthy father, Eugene Achike, whom she called Papa, had made good in life. He had numerous factories and a newspaper, which took an uncompromising stand on the corruption of the ruling elite. To cap it all, he was a philanthropist par excellence, supporting many causes.

Beneath the respectable veneer, however, all is not well. Her father, supporter of all noble causes sacred and secular, was a very violent man. He regularly beat Kambili and her brother, Jaja at the slightest provocation; failure to say the novenas correctly, eating before Mass, failing to top their high-school class all came in for Papa's lash. Good man that he was, Eugene Achike was particularly obsessed by the Catholic religion. Yes, Papa was a good old religious fundamentalist. The result: Kambili's home, despite all the appurtenances of wealth, was a miserable place where Kambili and her brother lived in mortal fear (of Papa.)

Enter Papa's sister, Kambili's Aunt, Ifeoma. Kambili and her brother, Jaja spend two weeks at Aunt Ifeoma's house in Nsukka. The experience changes their lives. Aunt Ifeoma, though not as rich as Papa, is lively, smart, tolerant, in short, all that Papa is not and then some. After their stay at Nsukka, life cannot be the same again. Kambili meets a dashing man of the cloth who takes too keen an interest in the teenager; Jaja and Kambili interact more with their cousins Amaka, Obiora and Chima. They discover a loving world where children think for themselves and are free to speak their minds.

The drama between Papa and his family unfolds against a backdrop of recent Nigerian politics. A corrupt military junta has just seized power in a military coup. The junta will do all in its power to squelch dissent and freedom of the press. Papa's incorruptible paper, the Standard, is pressured to recognise the junta. Papa refuses with the result that the paper's editor is assassinated by the military dictators. So far so good a plot.

Ms Adichie liberally plagiarised recent Nigerian history for some of her characters. As a Nigerian, I could see that, Ade Coker, the idealist editor, who is killed by a letter bomb in the novel was actually Dele Giwa; the pro-democracy activist killed using acid was Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the military dictator rumoured to have died between the legs of a prostitute, General Sani Abachi. That Ms Adichie spends little effort to disguise these characters is understandable since the novel is primarily about relationships within the Achike family and not about the socio-political situation in the country.

To my mind, the novel falls apart due to its superficial-often two-dimensional- characterisation. Except for Papa, whose character was fleshed out, all the other characters were light; Mama, for example, always amenable and subservient, Kambili, always the innocent on-looker, and Aunt Ifeoma, always defiant and head-strong. Furthermore, Amaka and Obiora, Kambili's teenage cousins seem too clever by half. When a friend Ifeoma's complains, "The military tyrants continue to reign because the weak cannot resist", Obiora responds, "That's just unrealistic pep-rally nonsense". How many fifteen year olds respond with such depth?

Purple Hibiscus succeeds in exposing the hypocrisy of (fundamentalist) religion. Eugene Achike is the product of the clash, rather the grafting, of Christianity onto an African traditionalist substrate. Papa seemed to spent his whole life trying to resolve that conflict. More importantly, it is the story of a young girl trying to come to terms with her sometimes benign but overly domineering father.

Ms Adichie is a gifted writer. Her style is simple yet punchy, and reminds me of that of Chinua Achebe. Overall, Purple Hibiscus is a good read. However, for all its strengths and acclaim, its poor characterisation did not escape me. Hence, the novel deserves 3 stars. Her other novel, Half a Yellow Sun, which won the Orange Prize, is a more mature, more subtle piece. I would recommend it highly to anyone who wants a more nuanced portrayal of Nigerian life.


Intensely good., 10 Aug 2008
This book is simply written but full of intense feelings. It was difficult in that I could have cried throughout for Kambili, her brother and their mother. It is a story of finding true love in unexpected places and a story of the resilience of children. Highly recommended and it will stay with you for days afterwards.

Tense, absorbing, 18 Jun 2008
As the previous reviewers have noted, Purple Hibiscus became completely addictive and I ended up finishing it at 1am. The characters are absorbing, although at first I couldn't really empathise with Kambili, especially during some of the earlier scenes with her cousin Amaka, where she annoyed me with her complacency. However, as the book went on, Kambili changes and her relationship with her cousins improves.It goes without saying how brilliant the character of Eugene is.He is brutal yet still commands the love of his children and his fanatical view of the Catholic faith affects every move Eugene makes.He believes everything, including excluding his father from his life and domestic violence, will eventually lead to salvation. Eugene is very complex,and he cannot be simply labelled as "evil" or "bad".

I thought the relationship between Kambili and the Father was particularly wonderful. Some of the scenes between them are just charged yet Adichie still manages to convey a sense of bittersweetness about the relationship.

The book has some incredibly tense moments in it and is just generally a fantastic book. Read it soon!

A must read for all..., 01 Jun 2008
When I got a recommendation to read this book, I honestly thought it would be another one of those books attempting to paint a foul picture of religion and although I am not a religious fanatic, I prefer to stay clear.
This book has indeed opened my eyes in a way other books I have read have not. The innocent love of Kambili... along with the teasing Father Amadi makes this book so surreal and wonderful that you feel yourself strangely present at the scene, like an invincible spectator. Gracefully written and far from 'backyard snob'! Good job!

Interesting but less than gripping, 29 Oct 2008
I'm one of those minority reviewers who was less than gripped by this novel. I finished it but it seemed a bit of a chore at times (although other parts seemed to flow). I felt frustrated by the characters - the love stories between them never seemed convincing. I was hugely interested in the subject matter - I knew so little about the Biafra war and the book prompted me to find out more. However, the traumatic events surrounding our characters (and often happening to them) never seemed to be fully explored. The word Biafra is synonomous with starvation yet in the book I never got the sense of how bad things really were. Then in the last few pages, the war is over and they go home (minus Kainene). Having put so much emotional effort (throughout the book) into fighting for an independent Biafra, defeat by the Nigerians must have been devastating for our characters but I don't get this sense at all. Perhaps the war and famine had been so awful that they were simply glad it was over and that they could return to their homes, even if they had lost the war. I have to commend the author on bringing to life a long-forgotten (to the west) and little known part of Africa's history. But I don't know - it all felt a bit frustrating for me.

Brilliant, 28 Oct 2008
Cannot praise this book enough. I found myself on the train tears streaming down my face not wanting to get off at my stop. It is everything a good book should be. Wonderful characters some you love and some you hate. I hated reading the end as I didnt want it to be over. I fell in love with Ugwu and felt like I watched him grow up! I wont spoil it for you...Just read!

dissapointed, 24 Oct 2008
Apart from the insight about Biafra, this was a dissapointingly poor quality read. If the book had been shortened by half,then I think believe that it would have read better. Sadly, the story dialogue was stiff and I was not drawn into the saga.

Disappointing, 09 Oct 2008
It's not the sort of book I'd normally pick up - prize winning, political etc - but I was approached it with excitement after hearing good reviews from people I know.

Although the story seemed promising, neither the characters or themes interested me and the only thing that kept me going was the fact I had to read it. I found the skipping back and forth through time confusing, and was a bit baffled by the numerous characters who melted into one another at points.

It caused a bit of a stir at the book group I run due to its subject and some people loved it, but sadly i did not.

A beautifully written novel taking us where no amount of reportage or photojournalism ever truly can, 02 Oct 2008
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has written a deeply human novel about the 1967 Nigeria-Biafra war, a war that some have accused the world of turning away from, in a book that she says she always knew she would write. Within the novel a character is actually writing a book entitled `The World Was Silent When We Died'. Indeed, as a reasonably politically aware young student at the time, I remember, along with millions of others, turning my attention towards Vietnam and, by default, away from what seemed a complex internecine African struggle.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie does not lecture us, despite having lost both her grandfathers and other family members to the war. Instead, she creates a wonderful group of characters whom we come to care about greatly and whom we follow through personal stories that are in turn comical, tragic, idealistic, romantic and sexy, as well as reflecting the political forces and beliefs that culminated in the horrific slaughter and starvation of over a million people.

The narrative in this book is well served by a faultless prose style. Never tricksy or laboured, each chapter centres on one of the protagonists as their lives intertwine and separate and in this way we learn effortlessly a great deal about the cultural, geographical and political landscape of Adichie's country.

In the opening pages we are introduced to Ugwu, a village boy who lands the job of houseboy to Dr Odenigbo, an engagingly pompous radical academic. With Ugwu, we listen at the door to the after-dinner revolutionary talk of Odenigbo and his set of university colleagues as they debate, before the war and often in an increasingly inebriated state, various radical solutions to what they perceive as the plight of the Igbo people within Nigeria. This clever device allows many of the disparate views of the origins to the conflict to be expressed whilst acknowledging an ambiguity within perspectives and a multiplicity of potential causal factors. The deliberately divisive behaviour of Britain as the former colonial power, for example, and the machinations of the multinational oil companies, although alluded to only casually, are nonetheless pinpointed directly by this means.

Olanna and Kainene are the beautiful twin daughters of a successful African business man, Kainene successfully following him into the commercial world while Olanna frustrates her parents' hopes and goes to live with Odenigbo. As the fall of territory during the war leads to mass migration and increasing catastrophe, these two women reveal further their personal strengths and provide striking models of compassion, hope and unflagging determination. Kainene, in particular, is portrayed as a very `modern' woman and this, and many other aspects of this magnificent book, led me to question some of my lazy previous assumptions about the values, perspectives and lifestyles of at least a section of the Nigerian people in that period.

Joseph Stalin infamously said that whereas one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic. By giving us a cast of characters whose lives and destinies we come to deeply care about, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie leads us inside the otherwise incomprehensible anonymity of such a huge tragedy and forces us to - gives us the privilege, really - of glimpsing the authentically human dimension to this conflict. A beautifully written novel taking us where no amount of reportage or photojournalism ever truly can.

Beautiful, inspiring, heartbreaking, 14 Nov 2008
This is just a beautiful read! The writing is as clear as a bell and the characters are heartbreakingly real. Kambili is a 15-year old Nigerian girl who is caught between and old order and the new: as Nigeria is suddenly brutalised by a military dictatorship, she is forced to make her own choices, between previously unquestionned family life with her tyrannical father vs her free-thinking, liberated aunt and cousins. And just to complicate matters further, she falls in love.....
It's an inspiring and wise mix of the political and personal, which manages to make you think and care deeply about the issues and the people. I have read it twice (rare for me)and it only gets better.

Beautiful Story Line Poor Characterisation, 20 Aug 2008
My sister recommended Purple Hibiscus to me sometime last year. However, I was reluctant to read the book because I was not sure that it could live up to Half a Yellow Sun, Adichie's other book. In hindsight, I was right.

The novel is narrated by Kambili Achike, the fifteen-year old daughter of a wealthy Nigerian businessman. The book begins with a description of her family life: Her wealthy father, Eugene Achike, whom she called Papa, had made good in life. He had numerous factories and a newspaper, which took an uncompromising stand on the corruption of the ruling elite. To cap it all, he was a philanthropist par excellence, supporting many causes.

Beneath the respectable veneer, however, all is not well. Her father, supporter of all noble causes sacred and secular, was a very violent man. He regularly beat Kambili and her brother, Jaja at the slightest provocation; failure to say the novenas correctly, eating before Mass, failing to top their high-school class all came in for Papa's lash. Good man that he was, Eugene Achike was particularly obsessed by the Catholic religion. Yes, Papa was a good old religious fundamentalist. The result: Kambili's home, despite all the appurtenances of wealth, was a miserable place where Kambili and her brother lived in mortal fear (of Papa.)

Enter Papa's sister, Kambili's Aunt, Ifeoma. Kambili and her brother, Jaja spend two weeks at Aunt Ifeoma's house in Nsukka. The experience changes their lives. Aunt Ifeoma, though not as rich as Papa, is lively, smart, tolerant, in short, all that Papa is not and then some. After their stay at Nsukka, life cannot be the same again. Kambili meets a dashing man of the cloth who takes too keen an interest in the teenager; Jaja and Kambili interact more with their cousins Amaka, Obiora and Chima. They discover a loving world where children think for themselves and are free to speak their minds.

The drama between Papa and his family unfolds against a backdrop of recent Nigerian politics. A corrupt military junta has just seized power in a military coup. The junta will do all in its power to squelch dissent and freedom of the press. Papa's incorruptible paper, the Standard, is pressured to recognise the junta. Papa refuses with the result that the paper's editor is assassinated by the military dictators. So far so good a plot.

Ms Adichie liberally plagiarised recent Nigerian history for some of her characters. As a Nigerian, I could see that, Ade Coker, the idealist editor, who is killed by a letter bomb in the novel was actually Dele Giwa; the pro-democracy activist killed using acid was Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the military dictator rumoured to have died between the legs of a prostitute, General Sani Abachi. That Ms Adichie spends little effort to disguise these characters is understandable since the novel is primarily about relationships within the Achike family and not about the socio-political situation in the country.

To my mind, the novel falls apart due to its superficial-often two-dimensional- characterisation. Except for Papa, whose character was fleshed out, all the other characters were light; Mama, for example, always amenable and subservient, Kambili, always the innocent on-looker, and Aunt Ifeoma, always defiant and head-strong. Furthermore, Amaka and Obiora, Kambili's teenage cousins seem too clever by half. When a friend Ifeoma's complains, "The military tyrants continue to reign because the weak cannot resist", Obiora responds, "That's just unrealistic pep-rally nonsense". How many fifteen year olds respond with such depth?

Purple Hibiscus succeeds in exposing the hypocrisy of (fundamentalist) religion. Eugene Achike is the product of the clash, rather the grafting, of Christianity onto an African traditionalist substrate. Papa seemed to spent his whole life trying to resolve that conflict. More importantly, it is the story of a young girl trying to come to terms with her sometimes benign but overly domineering father.

Ms Adichie is a gifted writer. Her style is simple yet punchy, and reminds me of that of Chinua Achebe. Overall, Purple Hibiscus is a good read. However, for all its strengths and acclaim, its poor characterisation did not escape me. Hence, the novel deserves 3 stars. Her other novel, Half a Yellow Sun, which won the Orange Prize, is a more mature, more subtle piece. I would recommend it highly to anyone who wants a more nuanced portrayal of Nigerian life.


Intensely good., 10 Aug 2008
This book is simply written but full of intense feelings. It was difficult in that I could have cried throughout for Kambili, her brother and their mother. It is a story of finding true love in unexpected places and a story of the resilience of children. Highly recommended and it will stay with you for days afterwards.

Tense, absorbing, 18 Jun 2008
As the previous reviewers have noted, Purple Hibiscus became completely addictive and I ended up finishing it at 1am. The characters are absorbing, although at first I couldn't really empathise with Kambili, especially during some of the earlier scenes with her cousin Amaka, where she annoyed me with her complacency. However, as the book went on, Kambili changes and her relationship with her cousins improves.It goes without saying how brilliant the character of Eugene is.He is brutal yet still commands the love of his children and his fanatical view of the Catholic faith affects every move Eugene makes.He believes everything, including excluding his father from his life and domestic violence, will eventually lead to salvation. Eugene is very complex,and he cannot be simply labelled as "evil" or "bad".

I thought the relationship between Kambili and the Father was particularly wonderful. Some of the scenes between them are just charged yet Adichie still manages to convey a sense of bittersweetness about the relationship.

The book has some incredibly tense moments in it and is just generally a fantastic book. Read it soon!

A must read for all..., 01 Jun 2008
When I got a recommendation to read this book, I honestly thought it would be another one of those books attempting to paint a foul picture of religion and although I am not a religious fanatic, I prefer to stay clear.
This book has indeed opened my eyes in a way other books I have read have not. The innocent love of Kambili... along with the teasing Father Amadi makes this book so surreal and wonderful that you feel yourself strangely present at the scene, like an invincible spectator. Gracefully written and far from 'backyard snob'! Good job!

Unfinished masterpiece, 13 Oct 2008
Suite Francaise sat on my permanent "mountain" of waiting-to-be-read books for about a year, unopened. Had I only known...

The Holocaust claimed the lives of innumerable people. Irene Nemirovsky was among them. She died at Auschwitz a year after writing the first two novels (out of intended five) belonging to Suite Francaise. "Storm in June" and "Dolce" were re-discovered decades after she died and subsequently published, adding a further and unusual insight to the tragedy of war. The world lost a very talented writer, already successful and well known at the time of her death.

I think it is important however to discern the actual BOOK from the extraordinary CIRCUMSTANCES surrounding its discovery and the personal history of its author, as it would have been, in my opinion, a great literary success regardless. No doubt this is easier said than done, especially after turning the last page having read not only the book but all the following appendixes, which clarify the author's frame of mind and personal turmoil at the time of writing, as well as several points about the manuscripts that were still pending and awaiting a definite closure, a task possible only after the end of WW2, primary background of the entirety of Suite Francaise.

Having said this, the book itself is a standout. The first novel, "Storm in June" recounts the exodus from the city of Paris due to the advancing Nazi invasion. Different characters from different backgrounds feel Paris is not safe any longer and decide to leave everything behind and flee, seeking refuge in the French countryside. Coming to terms with the lurking spectre of war generates the most varied reactions and perturbates minds and souls, revealing the true nature of each individual.
A few characters mentioned in "Storm in June" reappear, but only just, in the following novel, "Dolce" (and that's because some connections were meant to be further developed in the never-written but intended sequels). Set in a small town in the French countryside, the Germans have already arrived and impose their rules and regulations to the locals, often occupying their homes for accommodation. Everyone is bitter, resentful and scared about the imposed presence of the Nazis, from the farmers to the lords of the manor so to speak. As in the first novel, the true nature of each character reveals itself in this time of need, fear and confusion.

What the two novels have in common is the wonderful characterization. It is clear that the author wanted to project people and their feelings most of all. No matter how rich, poor, famous, noble, sweet or arrogant, no matter their different backgrounds, they all have one thing in common: fear. And one target: survival. For themselves and their loved ones. The momentous events reveal the true nature of the characters involved and the disruption it causes to their life, merging into a form of cowardice and malignancy for some and humility, courage and hope for others.

And no, this is not "another one" of those books about war or the Holocaust. It is war felt and lived through by different characters with diverse points of views, and that includes the German soldiers, depicted especially in "Dolce". Definitely a different perspective, and an original one, of WW2.

Original language hues are sometimes lost in translation, I cannot know if this was the case, however the narrative here is captivating and has an erudite quality which speaks for itself; it is in any case extremely accessible and easily readable. Sad of course, although funny remarks are included too, sparsely distilled here and there befitting certain situations. Even the least important character -just like settings and surroundings- is etched vividly reflecting the multifaceted reality of war times. If this book was not brought to an end and feels a bit disjointed, it is not something that spoils the reading. Its essence is pristine and the message conveyed a tug at the heart. Need I say more? I loved it.






Compelling....though provoking, 31 Aug 2008
This book really surprised me. I read it after I'd read an article about the author in a newspaper, not really thinking it was my thing, but it was! I have no idea how much of the story (fact or fiction) was lost in translation to english, but what you get is interesting, insightful, full of emotion (no drivel though!!), undoubtedly bias and makes you think about the events of war in far more depth then you have probably ever done before. I would give the second part of the book 5/5, but found the first part not quite as engaging, nontheless it is an absolute must read and I'm sure its one of those books that I will pick up and find something new in again and again.

Disorganised and overrated!, 22 Apr 2008
I was very disappointed by this book. I found it very hard to get in to. There are far too many characters and scenarios and i found it hard to develop any empathy with the characters. Eventually gave up half way through Dolce and skipped to the letters at the back!

Nice cover, disappointing contents, 06 Apr 2008
I was very keen to read this book after hearing so many great reviews of it - have kept trying to progress with it but have finally admitted defeat. Just dull, with characters who made zero impact on me.

Disappointed, 16 Mar 2008
I really wanted to love Suite Francaise but I just didn't. My mistake was that I tried to read it as a polished novel but found it disjointed and frustrating as such. My friend looked at it as a piece of social history and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend this approach to future readers.

For me, the most fascinating part of the book is "the preface to the French edition". It covers Irene Nemirovsky's intriguing life(I've added her autobiography le Vin de Solitude to my TBR list) and the touching events of how the novel came into being. Also poignant are the letters that her husband, Michel Epstein, wrote to try and secure her release after she was arrested and sent to Auschwitz where she would eventually die.

Interesting but less than gripping, 29 Oct 2008
I'm one of those minority reviewers who was less than gripped by this novel. I finished it but it seemed a bit of a chore at times (although other parts seemed to flow). I felt frustrated by the characters - the love stories between them never seemed convincing. I was hugely interested in the subject matter - I knew so little about the Biafra war and the book prompted me to find out more. However, the traumatic events surrounding our characters (and often happening to them) never seemed to be fully explored. The word Biafra is synonomous with starvation yet in the book I never got the sense of how bad things really were. Then in the last few pages, the war is over and they go home (minus Kainene). Having put so much emotional effort (throughout the book) into fighting for an independent Biafra, defeat by the Nigerians must have been devastating for our characters but I don't get this sense at all. Perhaps the war and famine had been so awful that they were simply glad it was over and that they could return to their homes, even if they had lost the war. I have to commend the author on bringing to life a long-forgotten (to the west) and little known part of Africa's history. But I don't know - it all felt a bit frustrating for me.

Brilliant, 28 Oct 2008
Cannot praise this book enough. I found myself on the train tears streaming down my face not wanting to get off at my stop. It is everything a good book should be. Wonderful characters some you love and some you hate. I hated reading the end as I didnt want it to be over. I fell in love with Ugwu and felt like I watched him grow up! I wont spoil it for you...Just read!

dissapointed, 24 Oct 2008
Apart from the insight about Biafra, this was a dissapointingly poor quality read. If the book had been shortened by half,then I think believe that it would have read better. Sadly, the story dialogue was stiff and I was not drawn into the saga.

Disappointing, 09 Oct 2008
It's not the sort of book I'd normally pick up - prize winning, political etc - but I was approached it with excitement after hearing good reviews from people I know.

Although the story seemed promising, neither the characters or themes interested me and the only thing that kept me going was the fact I had to read it. I found the skipping back and forth through time confusing, and was a bit baffled by the numerous characters who melted into one another at points.

It caused a bit of a stir at the book group I run due to its subject and some people loved it, but sadly i did not.

A beautifully written novel taking us where no amount of reportage or photojournalism ever truly can, 02 Oct 2008
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has written a deeply human novel about the 1967 Nigeria-Biafra war, a war that some have accused the world of turning away from, in a book that she says she always knew she would write. Within the novel a character is actually writing a book entitled `The World Was Silent When We Died'. Indeed, as a reasonably politically aware young student at the time, I remember, along with millions of others, turning my attention towards Vietnam and, by default, away from what seemed a complex internecine African struggle.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie does not lecture us, despite having lost both her grandfathers and other family members to the war. Instead, she creates a wonderful group of characters whom we come to care about greatly and whom we follow through personal stories that are in turn comical, tragic, idealistic, romantic and sexy, as well as reflecting the political forces and beliefs that culminated in the horrific slaughter and starvation of over a million people.

The narrative in this book is well served by a faultless prose style. Never tricksy or laboured, each chapter centres on one of the protagonists as their lives intertwine and separate and in this way we learn effortlessly a great deal about the cultural, geographical and political landscape of Adichie's country.

In the opening pages we are introduced to Ugwu, a village boy who lands the job of houseboy to Dr Odenigbo, an engagingly pompous radical academic. With Ugwu, we listen at the door to the after-dinner revolutionary talk of Odenigbo and his set of university colleagues as they debate, before the war and often in an increasingly inebriated state, various radical solutions to what they perceive as the plight of the Igbo people within Nigeria. This clever device allows many of the disparate views of the origins to the conflict to be expressed whilst acknowledging an ambiguity within perspectives and a multiplicity of potential causal factors. The deliberately divisive behaviour of Britain as the former colonial power, for example, and the machinations of the multinational oil companies, although alluded to only casually, are nonetheless pinpointed directly by this means.

Olanna and Kainene are the beautiful twin daughters of a successful African business man, Kainene successfully following him into the commercial world while Olanna frustrates her parents' hopes and goes to live with Odenigbo. As the fall of territory during the war leads to mass migration and increasing catastrophe, these two women reveal further their personal strengths and provide striking models of compassion, hope and unflagging determination. Kainene, in particular, is portrayed as a very `modern' woman and this, and many other aspects of this magnificent book, led me to question some of my lazy previous assumptions about the values, perspectives and lifestyles of at least a section of the Nigerian people in that period.

Joseph Stalin infamously said that whereas one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic. By giving us a cast of characters whose lives and destinies we come to deeply care about, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie leads us inside the otherwise incomprehensible anonymity of such a huge tragedy and forces us to - gives us the privilege, really - of glimpsing the authentically human dimension to this conflict. A beautifully written novel taking us where no amount of reportage or photojournalism ever truly can.

Beautiful, inspiring, heartbreaking, 14 Nov 2008
This is just a beautiful read! The writing is as clear as a bell and the characters are heartbreakingly real. Kambili is a 15-year old Nigerian girl who is caught between and old order and the new: as Nigeria is suddenly brutalised by a military dictatorship, she is forced to make her own choices, between previously unquestionned family life with her tyrannical father vs her free-thinking, liberated aunt and cousins. And just to complicate matters further, she falls in love.....
It's an inspiring and wise mix of the political and personal, which manages to make you think and care deeply about the issues and the people. I have read it twice (rare for me)and it only gets better.

Beautiful Story Line Poor Characterisation, 20 Aug 2008
My sister recommended Purple Hibiscus to me sometime last year. However, I was reluctant to read the book because I was not sure that it could live up to Half a Yellow Sun, Adichie's other book. In hindsight, I was right.

The novel is narrated by Kambili Achike, the fifteen-year old daughter of a wealthy Nigerian businessman. The book begins with a description of her family life: Her wealthy father, Eugene Achike, whom she called Papa, had made good in life. He had numerous factories and a newspaper, which took an uncompromising stand on the corruption of the ruling elite. To cap it all, he was a philanthropist par excellence, supporting many causes.

Beneath the respectable veneer, however, all is not well. Her father, supporter of all noble causes sacred and secular, was a very violent man. He regularly beat Kambili and her brother, Jaja at the slightest provocation; failure to say the novenas correctly, eating before Mass, failing to top their high-school class all came in for Papa's lash. Good man that he was, Eugene Achike was particularly obsessed by the Catholic religion. Yes, Papa was a good old religious fundamentalist. The result: Kambili's home, despite all the appurtenances of wealth, was a miserable place where Kambili and her brother lived in mortal fear (of Papa.)

Enter Papa's sister, Kambili's Aunt, Ifeoma. Kambili and her brother, Jaja spend two weeks at Aunt Ifeoma's house in Nsukka. The experience changes their lives. Aunt Ifeoma, though not as rich as Papa, is lively, smart, tolerant, in short, all that Papa is not and then some. After their stay at Nsukka, life cannot be the same again. Kambili meets a dashing man of the cloth who takes too keen an interest in the teenager; Jaja and Kambili interact more with their cousins Amaka, Obiora and Chima. They discover a loving world where children think for themselves and are free to speak their minds.

The drama between Papa and his family unfolds against a backdrop of recent Nigerian politics. A corrupt military junta has just seized power in a military coup. The junta will do all in its power to squelch dissent and freedom of the press. Papa's incorruptible paper, the Standard, is pressured to recognise the junta. Papa refuses with the result that the paper's editor is assassinated by the military dictators. So far so good a plot.

Ms Adichie liberally plagiarised recent Nigerian history for some of her characters. As a Nigerian, I could see that, Ade Coker, the idealist editor, who is killed by a letter bomb in the novel was actually Dele Giwa; the pro-democracy activist killed using acid was Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the military dictator rumoured to have died between the legs of a prostitute, General Sani Abachi. That Ms Adichie spends little effort to disguise these characters is understandable since the novel is primarily about relationships within the Achike family and not about the socio-political situation in the country.

To my mind, the novel falls apart due to its superficial-often two-dimensional- characterisation. Except for Papa, whose character was fleshed out, all the other characters were light; Mama, for example, always amenable and subservient, Kambili, always the innocent on-looker, and Aunt Ifeoma, always defiant and head-strong. Furthermore, Amaka and Obiora, Kambili's teenage cousins seem too clever by half. When a friend Ifeoma's complains, "The military tyrants continue to reign because the weak cannot resist", Obiora responds, "That's just unrealistic pep-rally nonsense". How many fifteen year olds respond with such depth?

Purple Hibiscus succeeds in exposing the hypocrisy of (fundamentalist) religion. Eugene Achike is the product of the clash, rather the grafting, of Christianity onto an African traditionalist substrate. Papa seemed to spent his whole life trying to resolve that conflict. More importantly, it is the story of a young girl trying to come to terms with her sometimes benign but overly domineering father.

Ms Adichie is a gifted writer. Her style is simple yet punchy, and reminds me of that of Chinua Achebe. Overall, Purple Hibiscus is a good read. However, for all its strengths and acclaim, its poor characterisation did not escape me. Hence, the novel deserves 3 stars. Her other novel, Half a Yellow Sun, which won the Orange Prize, is a more mature, more subtle piece. I would recommend it highly to anyone who wants a more nuanced portrayal of Nigerian life.


Intensely good., 10 Aug 2008
This book is simply written but full of intense feelings. It was difficult in that I could have cried throughout for Kambili, her brother and their mother. It is a story of finding true love in unexpected places and a story of the resilience of children. Highly recommended and it will stay with you for days afterwards.

Tense, absorbing, 18 Jun 2008
As the previous reviewers have noted, Purple Hibiscus became completely addictive and I ended up finishing it at 1am. The characters are absorbing, although at first I couldn't really empathise with Kambili, especially during some of the earlier scenes with her cousin Amaka, where she annoyed me with her complacency. However, as the book went on, Kambili changes and her relationship with her cousins improves.It goes without saying how brilliant the character of Eugene is.He is brutal yet still commands the love of his children and his fanatical view of the Catholic faith affects every move Eugene makes.He believes everything, including excluding his father from his life and domestic violence, will eventually lead to salvation. Eugene is very complex,and he cannot be simply labelled as "evil" or "bad".

I thought the relationship between Kambili and the Father was particularly wonderful. Some of the scenes between them are just charged yet Adichie still manages to convey a sense of bittersweetness about the relationship.

The book has some incredibly tense moments in it and is just generally a fantastic book. Read it soon!

A must read for all..., 01 Jun 2008
When I got a recommendation to read this book, I honestly thought it would be another one of those books attempting to paint a foul picture of religion and although I am not a religious fanatic, I prefer to stay clear.
This book has indeed opened my eyes in a way other books I have read have not. The innocent love of Kambili... along with the teasing Father Amadi makes this book so surreal and wonderful that you feel yourself strangely present at the scene, like an invincible spectator. Gracefully written and far from 'backyard snob'! Good job!

Unfinished masterpiece, 13 Oct 2008
Suite Francaise sat on my permanent "mountain" of waiting-to-be-read books for about a year, unopened. Had I only known...

The Holocaust claimed the lives of innumerable people. Irene Nemirovsky was among them. She died at Auschwitz a year after writing the first two novels (out of intended five) belonging to Suite Francaise. "Storm in June" and "Dolce" were re-discovered decades after she died and subsequently published, adding a further and unusual insight to the tragedy of war. The world lost a very talented writer, already successful and well known at the time of her death.

I think it is important however to discern the actual BOOK from the extraordinary CIRCUMSTANCES surrounding its discovery and the personal history of its author, as it would have been, in my opinion, a great literary success regardless. No doubt this is easier said than done, especially after turning the last page having read not only the book but all the following appendixes, which clarify the author's frame of mind and personal turmoil at the time of writing, as well as several points about the manuscripts that were still pending and awaiting a definite closure, a task possible only after the end of WW2, primary background of the entirety of Suite Francaise.

Having said this, the book itself is a standout. The first novel, "Storm in June" recounts the exodus from the city of Paris due to the advancing Nazi invasion. Different characters from different backgrounds feel Paris is not safe any longer and decide to leave everything behind and flee, seeking refuge in the French countryside. Coming to terms with the lurking spectre of war generates the most varied reactions and perturbates minds and souls, revealing the true nature of each individual.
A few characters mentioned in "Storm in June" reappear, but only just, in the following novel, "Dolce" (and that's because some connections were meant to be further developed in the never-written but intended sequels). Set in a small town in the French countryside, the Germans have already arrived and impose their rules and regulations to the locals, often occupying their homes for accommodation. Everyone is bitter, resentful and scared about the imposed presence of the Nazis, from the farmers to the lords of the manor so to speak. As in the first novel, the true nature of each character reveals itself in this time of need, fear and confusion.

What the two novels have in common is the wonderful characterization. It is clear that the author wanted to project people and their feelings most of all. No matter how rich, poor, famous, noble, sweet or arrogant, no matter their different backgrounds, they all have one thing in common: fear. And one target: survival. For themselves and their loved ones. The momentous events reveal the true nature of the characters involved and the disruption it causes to their life, merging into a form of cowardice and malignancy for some and humility, courage and hope for others.

And no, this is not "another one" of those books about war or the Holocaust. It is war felt and lived through by different characters with diverse points of views, and that includes the German soldiers, depicted especially in "Dolce". Definitely a different perspective, and an original one, of WW2.

Original language hues are sometimes lost in translation, I cannot know if this was the case, however the narrative here is captivating and has an erudite quality which speaks for itself; it is in any case extremely accessible and easily readable. Sad of course, although funny remarks are included too, sparsely distilled here and there befitting certain situations. Even the least important character -just like settings and surroundings- is etched vividly reflecting the multifaceted reality of war times. If this book was not brought to an end and feels a bit disjointed, it is not something that spoils the reading. Its essence is pristine and the message conveyed a tug at the heart. Need I say more? I loved it.






Compelling....though provoking, 31 Aug 2008
This book really surprised me. I read it after I'd read an article about the author in a newspaper, not really thinking it was my thing, but it was! I have no idea how much of the story (fact or fiction) was lost in translation to english, but what you get is interesting, insightful, full of emotion (no drivel though!!), undoubtedly bias and makes you think about the events of war in far more depth then you have probably ever done before. I would give the second part of the book 5/5, but found the first part not quite as engaging, nontheless it is an absolute must read and I'm sure its one of those books that I will pick up and find something new in again and again.

Disorganised and overrated!, 22 Apr 2008
I was very disappointed by this book. I found it very hard to get in to. There are far too many characters and scenarios and i found it hard to develop any empathy with the characters. Eventually gave up half way through Dolce and skipped to the letters at the back!

Nice cover, disappointing contents, 06 Apr 2008
I was very keen to read this book after hearing so many great reviews of it - have kept trying to progress with it but have finally admitted defeat. Just dull, with characters who made zero impact on me.

Disappointed, 16 Mar 2008
I really wanted to love Suite Francaise but I just didn't. My mistake was that I tried to read it as a polished novel but found it disjointed and frustrating as such. My friend looked at it as a piece of social history and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend this approach to future readers.

For me, the most fascinating part of the book is "the preface to the French edition". It covers Irene Nemirovsky's intriguing life(I've added her autobiography le Vin de Solitude to my TBR list) and the touching events of how the novel came into being. Also poignant are the letters that her husband, Michel Epstein, wrote to try and secure her release after she was arrested and sent to Auschwitz where she would eventually die.

Bijou novel about the passions and betrayals of the french peasantry, 09 Oct 2008
A great little novel - apparently a fragment found by her children. Its fragmentariness shows, but it's not worse for that. Small but perfectly formed, and I thought it was better than Suite Francaise.

Fine novel by Nemirovsky, if probably unfinished, 22 Aug 2008
Irene Nemirovsky's short novel, written before her arrest and subsequent death in Auschwitz in 1942, was considered lost (there was a partial text of the first pages) and was only found on 2007 (!). Nevertheless, everything indicates this is not the final draft, and had she lived to publish it a different version would have arrived to us. The book itself is a tale of secret passions in a French small town. The arrival of Silvio, a single man in his sixties, to his home town, after a lifetime of living abroad, lets secrets hidden under the cover of normalcy and boredom out of the closet; a lot of it it's beguiling, but it also feels incomplete: for example, the relationship between Silvio and Brigitte (fundamental, given what we find in the book's last pages) is curiously underworked: this lets me to think we should consider this book to be an unfinished work. Despite this, it is another fine work by the Russian-born Jewish-raised French author, whose books have gone through a revival in the last few years.

A delightful read, another Nemirovsky masterpiece, 16 Apr 2008
After reading Suite Francaise, which I absolutely LOVED, I was a little bit anxious that this other "new" book (that found the day of light after so many years in oblivion) will not fulfil my expectations...but the hell it did, what a brilliant book!

Although it is way too short, and it is obvious that Ms Nemirovsky intended to write a lot more, fortunately the plot is quite coherent and you could imagine where she was going to with it. Nevertheless, I felt the same rage and frustration I experienced with Suite Francaise of never being able to read the finished product, due to the author's untimely death. I am delighted anyway that it has been published in spite of all these shortcomings, as it has been a crime that such a beautiful book has been hidden away for so many years. And unfinished or not, it is always a pleasure to read anything from Irene Nemirovsky. It brings tears to my eyes to realise her voice was extinguished way too early and we have been denied the honour of reading more of her fantastic books.

This book is a gem, I just love Ms Nemirovsky's style, it is so well written, her vivid description of the French country live is a delight to read. It is a very sarcastic and sharp critic to the sometimes petty and particular ways of the peasant mentality. The plot has so many clever twists; I could not put it down. Something I particularly loved about it was how masterfully the author mirrored the past and the present, showing how the more things change the more they stay the same.

A must read. Thank you Ms Nemirovsky, I'll eternally be a fan.


Silvio frequently muses about youthful passion, 14 Apr 2008
I just got done reading Tino Georgiou's masterpiece--The Fates, and picked up a copy of Fire in the Blood. The book opens when Silvio's cousin Hélène and her daughter Colette and the rest of the family come over to introduce Colette's fiancé. Hélène is prompted to tell the story of how she and and her husband got together. In fact, François wasn't her first husband. Though he fell in love with her when she was barely more than a child he waited--and waited even after she was married off to a wealthy older man, returning only when Hélène's first husband died, true--or romantically idealised--love then finally taking its course.

Such a situation isn't that uncommon: even now there's a similar case in the neighbourhood, where mean, rich old Declos married the very young Brigitte. Declos hasn't got long to live, but he still hangs on for the time being. Némirovsky is artful in her presentation, careful in the clues she strews from the first page on. As it will turn out, there are many more secrets and connexions here, but she only very gradually lets on what the various relationships and histories are and were. There's tragedy, of course, and scandal, though in this close-knit community the last thing anyone wants is to involve the authorities or anyone from outside. If you missed Tino Georgiou's novel--The Fates, I'd recommend reading it.

Amazing , Charming (2 thumbs Up), 13 Mar 2008
I picked up this book long after reading "Suite Francaise".After I read its book description on Amazon I could not wait for my local Bookstore to have this book available so I ordered it from amazon and Voila as expected Irene Nemirovsky did an amazing and impeccable job.

It took me on a magical trip through the French countryside which I have visited long time ago. The Characters are so real and the story is more into real life scenarios.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes reading a charming book on a quiet corner in a coffee house.

1 downside is that it is very short (176 pages) ...It is shame because I believe Irene Nemirovsky wanted to add more but the Nazis were quicker I suppose ...

Interesting but less than gripping, 29 Oct 2008
I'm one of those minority reviewers who was less than gripped by this novel. I finished it but it seemed a bit of a chore at times (although other parts seemed to flow). I felt frustrated by the characters - the love stories between them never seemed convincing. I was hugely interested in the subject matter - I knew so little about the Biafra war and the book prompted me to find out more. However, the traumatic events surrounding our characters (and often happening to them) never seemed to be fully explored. The word Biafra is synonomous with starvation yet in the book I never got the sense of how bad things really were. Then in the last few pages, the war is over and they go home (minus Kainene). Having put so much emotional effort (throughout the book) into fighting for an independent Biafra, defeat by the Nigerians must have been devastating for our characters but I don't get this sense at all. Perhaps the war and famine had been so awful that they were simply glad it was over and that they could return to their homes, even if they had lost the war. I have to commend the author on bringing to life a long-forgotten (to the west) and little known part of Africa's history. But I don't know - it all felt a bit frustrating for me.

Brilliant, 28 Oct 2008
Cannot praise this book enough. I found myself on the train tears streaming down my face not wanting to get off at my stop. It is everything a good book should be. Wonderful characters some you love and some you hate. I hated reading the end as I didnt want it to be over. I fell in love with Ugwu and felt like I watched him grow up! I wont spoil it for you...Just read!

dissapointed, 24 Oct 2008
Apart from the insight about Biafra, this was a dissapointingly poor quality read. If the book had been shortened by half,then I think believe that it would have read better. Sadly, the story dialogue was stiff and I was not drawn into the saga.

Disappointing, 09 Oct 2008
It's not the sort of book I'd normally pick up - prize winning, political etc - but I was approached it with excitement after hearing good reviews from people I know.

Although the story seemed promising, neither the characters or themes interested me and the only thing that kept me going was the fact I had to read it. I found the skipping back and forth through time confusing, and was a bit baffled by the numerous characters who melted into one another at points.

It caused a bit of a stir at the book group I run due to its subject and some people loved it, but sadly i did not.

A beautifully written novel taking us where no amount of reportage or photojournalism ever truly can, 02 Oct 2008
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has written a deeply human novel about the 1967 Nigeria-Biafra war, a war that some have accused the world of turning away from, in a book that she says she always knew she would write. Within the novel a character is actually writing a book entitled `The World Was Silent When We Died'. Indeed, as a reasonably politically aware young student at the time, I remember, along with millions of others, turning my attention towards Vietnam and, by default, away from what seemed a complex internecine African struggle.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie does not lecture us, despite having lost both her grandfathers and other family members to the war. Instead, she creates a wonderful group of characters whom we come to care about greatly and whom we follow through personal stories that are in turn comical, tragic, idealistic, romantic and sexy, as well as reflecting the political forces and beliefs that culminated in the horrific slaughter and starvation of over a million people.

The narrative in this book is well served by a faultless prose style. Never tricksy or laboured, each chapter centres on one of the protagonists as their lives intertwine and separate and in this way we learn effortlessly a great deal about the cultural, geographical and political landscape of Adichie's country.

In the opening pages we are introduced to Ugwu, a village boy who lands the job of houseboy to Dr Odenigbo, an engagingly pompous radical academic. With Ugwu, we listen at the door to the after-dinner revolutionary talk of Odenigbo and his set of university colleagues as they debate, before the war and often in an increasingly inebriated state, various radical solutions to what they perceive as the plight of the Igbo people within Nigeria. This clever device allows many of the disparate views of the origins to the conflict to be expressed whilst acknowledging an ambiguity within perspectives and a multiplicity of potential causal factors. The deliberately divisive behaviour of Britain as the former colonial power, for example, and the machinations of the multinational oil companies, although alluded to only casually, are nonetheless pinpointed directly by this means.

Olanna and Kainene are the beautiful twin daughters of a successful African business man, Kainene successfully following him into the commercial world while Olanna frustrates her parents' hopes and goes to live with Odenigbo. As the fall of territory during the war leads to mass migration and increasing catastrophe, these two women reveal further their personal strengths and provide striking models of compassion, hope and unflagging determination. Kainene, in particular, is portrayed as a very `modern' woman and this, and many other aspects of this magnificent book, led me to question some of my lazy previous assumptions about the values, perspectives and lifestyles of at least a section of the Nigerian people in that period.

Joseph Stalin infamously said that whereas one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic. By giving us a cast of characters whose lives and destinies we come to deeply care about, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie leads us inside the otherwise incomprehensible anonymity of such a huge tragedy and forces us to - gives us the privilege, really - of glimpsing the authentically human dimension to this conflict. A beautifully written novel taking us where no amount of reportage or photojournalism ever truly can.

Beautiful, inspiring, heartbreaking, 14 Nov 2008
This is just a beautiful read! The writing is as clear as a bell and the characters are heartbreakingly real. Kambili is a 15-year old Nigerian girl who is caught between and old order and the new: as Nigeria is suddenly brutalised by a military dictatorship, she is forced to make her own choices, between previously unquestionned family life with her tyrannical father vs her free-thinking, liberated aunt and cousins. And just to complicate matters further, she falls in love.....
It's an inspiring and wise mix of the political and personal, which manages to make you think and care deeply about the issues and the people. I have read it twice (rare for me)and it only gets better.

Beautiful Story Line Poor Characterisation, 20 Aug 2008
My sister recommended Purple Hibiscus to me sometime last year. However, I was reluctant to read the book because I was not sure that it could live up to Half a Yellow Sun, Adichie's other book. In hindsight, I was right.

The novel is narrated by Kambili Achike, the fifteen-year old daughter of a wealthy Nigerian businessman. The book begins with a description of her family life: Her wealthy father, Eugene Achike, whom she called Papa, had made good in life. He had numerous factories and a newspaper, which took an uncompromising stand on the corruption of the ruling elite. To cap it all, he was a philanthropist par excellence, supporting many causes.

Beneath the respectable veneer, however, all is not well. Her father, supporter of all noble causes sacred and secular, was a very violent man. He regularly beat Kambili and her brother, Jaja at the slightest provocation; failure to say the novenas correctly, eating before Mass, failing to top their high-school class all came in for Papa's lash. Good man that he was, Eugene Achike was particularly obsessed by the Catholic religion. Yes, Papa was a good old religious fundamentalist. The result: Kambili's home, despite all the appurtenances of wealth, was a miserable place where Kambili and her brother lived in mortal fear (of Papa.)

Enter Papa's sister, Kambili's Aunt, Ifeoma. Kambili and her brother, Jaja spend two weeks at Aunt Ifeoma's house in Nsukka. The experience changes their lives. Aunt Ifeoma, though not as rich as Papa, is lively, smart, tolerant, in short, all that Papa is not and then some. After their stay at Nsukka, life cannot be the same again. Kambili meets a dashing man of the cloth who takes too keen an interest in the teenager; Jaja and Kambili interact more with their cousins Amaka, Obiora and Chima. They discover a loving world where children think for themselves and are free to speak their minds.

The drama between Papa and his family unfolds against a backdrop of recent Nigerian politics. A corrupt military junta has just seized power in a military coup. The junta will do all in its power to squelch dissent and freedom of the press. Papa's incorruptible paper, the Standard, is pressured to recognise the junta. Papa refuses with the result that the paper's editor is assassinated by the military dictators. So far so good a plot.

Ms Adichie liberally plagiarised recent Nigerian history for some of her characters. As a Nigerian, I could see that, Ade Coker, the idealist editor, who is killed by a letter bomb in the novel was actually Dele Giwa; the pro-democracy activist killed using acid was Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the military dictator rumoured to have died between the legs of a prostitute, General Sani Abachi. That Ms Adichie spends little effort to disguise these characters is understandable since the novel is primarily about relationships within the Achike family and not about the socio-political situation in the country.

To my mind, the novel falls apart due to its superficial-often two-dimensional- characterisation. Except for Papa, whose character was fleshed out, all the other characters were light; Mama, for example, always amenable and subservient, Kambili, always the innocent on-looker, and Aunt Ifeoma, always defiant and head-strong. Furthermore, Amaka and Obiora, Kambili's teenage cousins seem too clever by half. When a friend Ifeoma's complains, "The military tyrants continue to reign because the weak cannot resist", Obiora responds, "That's just unrealistic pep-rally nonsense". How many fifteen year olds respond with such depth?

Purple Hibiscus succeeds in exposing the hypocrisy of (fundamentalist) religion. Eugene Achike is the product of the clash, rather the grafting, of Christianity onto an African traditionalist substrate. Papa seemed to spent his whole life trying to resolve that conflict. More importantly, it is the story of a young girl trying to come to terms with her sometimes benign but overly domineering father.

Ms Adichie is a gifted writer. Her style is simple yet punchy, and reminds me of that of Chinua Achebe. Overall, Purple Hibiscus is a good read. However, for all its strengths and acclaim, its poor characterisation did not escape me. Hence, the novel deserves 3 stars. Her other novel, Half a Yellow Sun, which won the Orange Prize, is a more mature, more subtle piece. I would recommend it highly to anyone who wants a more nuanced portrayal of Nigerian life.


Intensely good., 10 Aug 2008
This book is simply written but full of intense feelings. It was difficult in that I could have cried throughout for Kambili, her brother and their mother. It is a story of finding true love in unexpected places and a story of the resilience of children. Highly recommended and it will stay with you for days afterwards.

Tense, absorbing, 18 Jun 2008
As the previous reviewers have noted, Purple Hibiscus became completely addictive and I ended up finishing it at 1am. The characters are absorbing, although at first I couldn't really empathise with Kambili, especially during some of the earlier scenes with her cousin Amaka, where she annoyed me with her complacency. However, as the book went on, Kambili changes and her relationship with her cousins improves.It goes without saying how brilliant the character of Eugene is.He is brutal yet still commands the love of his children and his fanatical view of the Catholic faith affects every move Eugene makes.He believes everything, including excluding his father from his life and domestic violence, will eventually lead to salvation. Eugene is very complex,and he cannot be simply labelled as "evil" or "bad".

I thought the relationship between Kambili and the Father was particularly wonderful. Some of the scenes between them are just charged yet Adichie still manages to convey a sense of bittersweetness about the relationship.

The book has some incredibly tense moments in it and is just generally a fantastic book. Read it soon!

A must read for all..., 01 Jun 2008
When I got a recommendation to read this book, I honestly thought it would be another one of those books attempting to paint a foul picture of religion and although I am not a religious fanatic, I prefer to stay clear.
This book has indeed opened my eyes in a way other books I have read have not. The innocent love of Kambili... along with the teasing Father Amadi makes this book so surreal and wonderful that you feel yourself strangely present at the scene, like an invincible spectator. Gracefully written and far from 'backyard snob'! Good job!

Unfinished masterpiece, 13 Oct 2008
Suite Francaise sat on my permanent "mountain" of waiting-to-be-read books for about a year, unopened. Had I only known...

The Holocaust claimed the lives of innumerable people. Irene Nemirovsky was among them. She died at Auschwitz a year after writing the first two novels (out of intended five) belonging to Suite Francaise. "Storm in June" and "Dolce" were re-discovered decades after she died and subsequently published, adding a further and unusual insight to the tragedy of war. The world lost a very talented writer, already successful and well known at the time of her death.

I think it is important however to discern the actual BOOK from the extraordinary CIRCUMSTANCES surrounding its discovery and the personal history of its author, as it would have been, in my opinion, a great literary success regardless. No doubt this is easier said than done, especially after turning the last page having read not only the book but all the following appendixes, which clarify the author's frame of mind and personal turmoil at the time of writing, as well as several points about the manuscripts that were still pending and awaiting a definite closure, a task possible only after the end of WW2, primary background of the entirety of Suite Francaise.

Having said this, the book itself is a standout. The first novel, "Storm in June" recounts the exodus from the city of Paris due to the advancing Nazi invasion. Different characters from different backgrounds feel Paris is not safe any longer and decide to leave everything behind and flee, seeking refuge in the French countryside. Coming to terms with the lurking spectre of war generates the most varied reactions and perturbates minds and souls, revealing the true nature of each individual.
A few characters mentioned in "Storm in June" reappear, but only just, in the following novel, "Dolce" (and that's because some connections were meant to be further developed in the never-written but intended sequels). Set in a small town in the French countryside, the Germans have already arrived and impose their rules and regulations to the locals, often occupying their homes for accommodation. Everyone is bitter, resentful and scared about the imposed presence of the Nazis, from the farmers to the lords of the manor so to speak. As in the first novel, the true nature of each character reveals itself in this time of need, fear and confusion.

What the two novels have in common is the wonderful characterization. It is clear that the author wanted to project people and their feelings most of all. No matter how rich, poor, famous, noble, sweet or arrogant, no matter their different backgrounds, they all have one thing in common: fear. And one target: survival. For themselves and their loved ones. The momentous events reveal the true nature of the characters involved and the disruption it causes to their life, merging into a form of cowardice and malignancy for some and humility, courage and hope for others.

And no, this is not "another one" of those books about war or the Holocaust. It is war felt and lived through by different characters with diverse points of views, and that includes the German soldiers, depicted especially in "Dolce". Definitely a different perspective, and an original one, of WW2.

Original language hues are sometimes lost in translation, I cannot know if this was the case, however the narrative here is captivating and has an erudite quality which speaks for itself; it is in any case extremely accessible and easily readable. Sad of course, although funny remarks are included too, sparsely distilled here and there befitting certain situations. Even the least important character -just like settings and surroundings- is etched vividly reflecting the multifaceted reality of war times. If this book was not brought to an end and feels a bit disjointed, it is not something that spoils the reading. Its essence is pristine and the message conveyed a tug at the heart. Need I say more? I loved it.






Compelling....though provoking, 31 Aug 2008
This book really surprised me. I read it after I'd read an article about the author in a newspaper, not really thinking it was my thing, but it was! I have no idea how much of the story (fact or fiction) was lost in translation to english, but what you get is interesting, insightful, full of emotion (no drivel though!!), undoubtedly bias and makes you think about the events of war in far more depth then you have probably ever done before. I would give the second part of the book 5/5, but found the first part not quite as engaging, nontheless it is an absolute must read and I'm sure its one of those books that I will pick up and find something new in again and again.

Disorganised and overrated!, 22 Apr 2008
I was very disappointed by this book. I found it very hard to get in to. There are far too many characters and scenarios and i found it hard to develop any empathy with the characters. Eventually gave up half way through Dolce and skipped to the letters at the back!

Nice cover, disappointing contents, 06 Apr 2008
I was very keen to read this book after hearing so many great reviews of it - have kept trying to progress with it but have finally admitted defeat. Just dull, with characters who made zero impact on me.

Disappointed, 16 Mar 2008
I really wanted to love Suite Francaise but I just didn't. My mistake was that I tried to read it as a polished novel but found it disjointed and frustrating as such. My friend looked at it as a piece of social history and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend this approach to future readers.

For me, the most fascinating part of the book is "the preface to the French edition". It covers Irene Nemirovsky's intriguing life(I've added her autobiography le Vin de Solitude to my TBR list) and the touching events of how the novel came into being. Also poignant are the letters that her husband, Michel Epstein, wrote to try and secure her release after she was arrested and sent to Auschwitz where she would eventually die.

Bijou novel about the passions and betrayals of the french peasantry, 09 Oct 2008
A great little novel - apparently a fragment found by her children. Its fragmentariness shows, but it's not worse for that. Small but perfectly formed, and I thought it was better than Suite Francaise.

Fine novel by Nemirovsky, if probably unfinished, 22 Aug 2008
Irene Nemirovsky's short novel, written before her arrest and subsequent death in Auschwitz in 1942, was considered lost (there was a partial text of the first pages) and was only found on 2007 (!). Nevertheless, everything indicates this is not the final draft, and had she lived to publish it a different version would have arrived to us. The book itself is a tale of secret passions in a French small town. The arrival of Silvio, a single man in his sixties, to his home town, after a lifetime of living abroad, lets secrets hidden under the cover of normalcy and boredom out of the closet; a lot of it it's beguiling, but it also feels incomplete: for example, the relationship between Silvio and Brigitte (fundamental, given what we find in the book's last pages) is curiously underworked: this lets me to think we should consider this book to be an unfinished work. Despite this, it is another fine work by the Russian-born Jewish-raised French author, whose books have gone through a revival in the last few years.

A delightful read, another Nemirovsky masterpiece, 16 Apr 2008
After reading Suite Francaise, which I absolutely LOVED, I was a little bit anxious that this other "new" book (that found the day of light after so many years in oblivion) will not fulfil my expectations...but the hell it did, what a brilliant book!

Although it is way too short, and it is obvious that Ms Nemirovsky intended to write a lot more, fortunately the plot is quite coherent and you could imagine where she was going to with it. Nevertheless, I felt the same rage and frustration I experienced with Suite Francaise of never being able to read the finished product, due to the author's untimely death. I am delighted anyway that it has been published in spite of all these shortcomings, as it has been a crime that such a beautiful book has been hidden away for so many years. And unfinished or not, it is always a pleasure to read anything from Irene Nemirovsky. It brings tears to my eyes to realise her voice was extinguished way too early and we have been denied the honour of reading more of her fantastic books.

This book is a gem, I just love Ms Nemirovsky's style, it is so well written, her vivid description of the French country live is a delight to read. It is a very sarcastic and sharp critic to the sometimes petty and particular ways of the peasant mentality. The plot has so many clever twists; I could not put it down. Something I particularly loved about it was how masterfully the author mirrored the past and the present, showing how the more things change the more they stay the same.

A must read. Thank you Ms Nemirovsky, I'll eternally be a fan.


Silvio frequently muses about youthful passion, 14 Apr 2008
I just got done reading Tino Georgiou's masterpiece--The Fates, and picked up a copy of Fire in the Blood. The book opens when Silvio's cousin Hélène and her daughter Colette and the rest of the family come over to introduce Colette's fiancé. Hélène is prompted to tell the story of how she and and her husband got together. In fact, François wasn't her first husband. Though he fell in love with her when she was barely more than a child he waited--and waited even after she was married off to a wealthy older man, returning only when Hélène's first husband died, true--or romantically idealised--love then finally taking its course.

Such a situation isn't that uncommon: even now there's a similar case in the neighbourhood, where mean, rich old Declos married the very young Brigitte. Declos hasn't got long to live, but he still hangs on for the time being. Némirovsky is artful in her presentation, careful in the clues she strews from the first page on. As it will turn out, there are many more secrets and connexions here, but she only very gradually lets on what the various relationships and histories are and were. There's tragedy, of course, and scandal, though in this close-knit community the last thing anyone wants is to involve the authorities or anyone from outside. If you missed Tino Georgiou's novel--The Fates, I'd recommend reading it.

Amazing , Charming (2 thumbs Up), 13 Mar 2008
I picked up this book long after reading "Suite Francaise".After I read its book description on Amazon I could not wait for my local Bookstore to have this book available so I ordered it from amazon and Voila as expected Irene Nemirovsky did an amazing and impeccable job.

It took me on a magical trip through the French countryside which I have visited long time ago. The Characters are so real and the story is more into real life scenarios.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes reading a charming book on a quiet corner in a coffee house.

1 downside is that it is very short (176 pages) ...It is shame because I believe Irene Nemirovsky wanted to add more but the Nazis were quicker I suppose ...

Pillow Talk- Freya North, 01 Jun 2008
Fantastic book couldn't put this book down short chapters defti read another one from her.

Fantastic, 26 Mar 2008
This is a great book: really enjoyable and as good as Freya North's other titles. Thoroughly recommend.

The Best Yet!, 02 Nov 2007
I have read all of Freya's books but this is the best so far. A really engaging story about sleepwalking Petra. For those of you who have never tried Freya North's books it's time to start now!

Fantastic, 26 Oct 2007
This book is fantastic, I have read every book by Freya North and I love them all but this one really got me, I wanted to to go with the characters after the book had finished!!!

All The Romance In One, 07 Oct 2007
i could not put this book down!Apart from a bit of a raunchy side this book was overly romantic and showed it in every single way! loved it

Interesting but less than gripping, 29 Oct 2008
I'm one of those minority reviewers who was less than gripped by this novel. I finished it but it seemed a bit of a chore at times (although other parts seemed to flow). I felt frustrated by the characters - the love stories between them never seemed convincing. I was hugely interested in the subject matter - I knew so little about the Biafra war and the book prompted me to find out more. However, the traumatic events surrounding our characters (and often happening to them) never seemed to be fully explored. The word Biafra is synonomous with starvation yet in the book I never got the sense of how bad things really were. Then in the last few pages, the war is over and they go home (minus Kainene). Having put so much emotional effort (throughout the book) into fighting for an independent Biafra, defeat by the Nigerians must have been devastating for our characters but I don't get this sense at all. Perhaps the war and famine had been so awful that they were simply glad it was over and that they could return to their homes, even if they had lost the war. I have to commend the author on bringing to life a long-forgotten (to the west) and little known part of Africa's history. But I don't know - it all felt a bit frustrating for me.

Brilliant, 28 Oct 2008
Cannot praise this book enough. I found myself on the train tears streaming down my face not wanting to get off at my stop. It is everything a good book should be. Wonderful characters some you love and some you hate. I hated reading the end as I didnt want it to be over. I fell in love with Ugwu and felt like I watched him grow up! I wont spoil it for you...Just read!

dissapointed, 24 Oct 2008
Apart from the insight about Biafra, this was a dissapointingly poor quality read. If the book had been shortened by half,then I think believe that it would have read better. Sadly, the story dialogue was stiff and I was not drawn into the saga.

Disappointing, 09 Oct 2008
It's not the sort of book I'd normally pick up - prize winning, political etc - but I was approached it with excitement after hearing good reviews from people I know.

Although the story seemed promising, neither the characters or themes interested me and the only thing that kept me going was the fact I had to read it. I found the skipping back and forth through time confusing, and was a bit baffled by the numerous characters who melted into one another at points.

It caused a bit of a stir at the book group I run due to its subject and some people loved it, but sadly i did not.

A beautifully written novel taking us where no amount of reportage or photojournalism ever truly can, 02 Oct 2008
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has written a deeply human novel about the 1967 Nigeria-Biafra war, a war that some have accused the world of turning away from, in a book that she says she always knew she would write. Within the novel a character is actually writing a book entitled `The World Was Silent When We Died'. Indeed, as a reasonably politically aware young student at the time, I remember, along with millions of others, turning my attention towards Vietnam and, by default, away from what seemed a complex internecine African struggle.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie does not lecture us, despite having lost both her grandfathers and other family members to the war. Instead, she creates a wonderful group of characters whom we come to care about greatly and whom we follow through personal stories that are in turn comical, tragic, idealistic, romantic and sexy, as well as reflecting the political forces and belie