Half of a Yellow Sun

I am not sure how I wound up reading this book, but this author is absolutely amazing. This book grabs hold of you even before the first page. The title alone made me curious. I could not put this book down and I didn't want it to end. I could feel the emotion written on every page of this book and I felt like I was actually living in Nigeria during this time. The characters, their dreams, their happiness and their heartache all felt so real. I thought the storyline flowed incredibly well. I look forward to reading more books by this author. She has a rare gift and I don't understand how anyone could rate this book less than stellar.

Resonating against the backdrop of current-day events in The Sudan is remarkable young author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's engrossing story set during the brief history of Biafra, a breakaway area of Nigeria that had a short, bloody existence as a nation during the 1960s. In the post-colonial era when many new African nations were born, many native Nigerians saw their new government as little more than a black version of their white European oppressors. Achidie's lead character, Professor Odenigbo, an ethnic Igbo, lives comfortably, to the extent that he can hire a houseboy, 13-year-old Ugwu. These two main characters provide the adult, academic and child's-eye, non-academic view of both revolutionary rhetoric and action.

Adichie's story of revolution is also a family story as Odenigbo's beautiful girlfriend Olanna, her twin sister Kainene, and her boyfriend, white author/journalist Richard become involved. Peripheral characters also play an important role in the interpersonal plot development. Adichie does a wonderful job describing the lives of various classes in Nigerian society - haves, middle-class and the dirt poor inhabitants of refugee camps. For me, she struck her only wrong note with a series of chapter summaries from a book being written by Richard. I felt that these could have been expanded to real chapters or left out. "Half of a Yellow Sun" refers literally to the design of Biafra's national flag. Ironically it also represents the reality of this small country, on which the sun never truly rose.

Highly recommended to readers of historical fiction, and to those who want to learn more about life in Africa. Four strong stars.

I agree with Music Mom. It really drags - so much so, that I didn't notice the time switches as I plodded through it - and became utterly confused about the course of events. The time switches emphasise that the three "main" characters hardly change throughout the decade. Their circumstances alter but nothing really changes them psychologically. The time switches also emphasise that the novel really doesn't move forward at all. "Sweeping", "all encompassing", "ambitious" are adjectives I see employed to discuss the book. I agree, but add that it lacks a focus and a narrative thread to keep this reader interested. An interesting and worthy topic, but a novel in need of a good editor.

In Nigeria, devastated by civil war in the 1960s, we see the birth of the state of Biafra and relearn quite a bit of history. It is through the eyes of three different characters, whose personal tales intertwine, that history blends with their difficult paths:

Ugwu, a houseboy for eccentric university lecturer Odenigbo. Olanna, whose parents raise her and twin sister Kainene in the most privileged of backgrounds in Lagos; she leaves everything behind to follow Odenigbo as they are very much in love. Richard, a timid British national charmed by the Igbo culture and enthralled by Kainene, whose personality is an enigma for everyone. Obviously many other characters rotate all around and as we become acquainted with each of them, their presence is always pertinent and complementary to the main story.

I would not add anything else as the tale would be spoiled but I cannot refrain from strongly recommending this book as it is informative in many ways, its narrative flows beautifully, heartbreakingly, even comically at times and your heart is captured within the lines. It does not dwell on the violence of war even though it (the violence) is perceived in subtle but incredibly effective ways.

Read this book, you will not regret it. Quoting from my review title, simply wonderful, indeed.

This beautifully rendered novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie describes to us in breathtaking details the polarizing 1960s of Nigeria. As with Purple Hibiscus Purple Hibiscus: A Novel Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie proves yet again that her voice is not one that is easily silenced. The centers around twin sisters, Olanna and Kainene, who, along with their family, get encompassed by civil war. All I really need to say is I couldn't put this book down! From the first sentence to long after I completed it, this book stayed with me. Some call this book a love story, others it's a fictional tale based on non-fictional events, but it really is about people enduring through some of the hardest times imagined. The honesty in the language, the way Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie created the dialog, all culminate to create this haunting tale. A+