Reviews

Lila hibiskus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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elleholland's review against another edition

5.0

Quite possibly one of the best books I have ever read. I read this for my A-Level English Coursework to link and differentiate from Jane Eyre. My focus was feminism, and this book gave me LOTS to depict. Amazing.

wumpfred's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

mnkgrl's review against another edition

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4.0

Very well written slice of life in Nigeria that cuts across class and religion.

taetris's review against another edition

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5.0

This novel is stunning.

The writing is excellent, whithout being flowery. It has a simplicity to it that makes everything flow easily and feel natural. The descriptions conveyed a real sense of place. Also, I now really want to try Nigerian food.

The themes are incredibly serious, and there are parts that are hard to read, but then again there are light moments strewn throughout.

Told through the eyes of a fifteen-year-old girl, it is also a coming-of-age story as we watch Kambili change and grow.

The book was compelling, I sped through it, I learned a lot, would recommend.

Reread 2024: I had forgotten a lot of the details. Still a stunning novel, Adichie really leans into the perspective of her main character - a true first person narrative. Along the way, she does subtle but powerful things with words - talking about important themes, building atmosphere, drawing morally gray characters, showing me how I had been saying Kambilis name wrong in my head the whole time...

deviouspigeon's review against another edition

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3.0

Some beautiful writing with this read and some very difficult topics to listen to. I am thankful for the narration to help with the Nigerian language. It didn't wow me.

olicooper1's review against another edition

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2.0

Nothing in here that really grabbed me. The writing was good, just didn't captivate me. I wasn't thrilled with the narrator.

That being said, this has not at all deterred me from saying Chimamanda is one of my new favorite authors. I look forward to see what she comes out with next.