Monday, March 30, 2009

Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

purple hibiscus
chimamanda ngozi adichie
c. 2003
307 pages
completed 3/27/2009

read for: themed reading challenge, orbis terrarum challenge

*may contain spoilers*

I am forever indebted to this book for pulling me out of my reading slump AND for letting me say I actually did read something all the way through in the month of March. Yea me!

Purple Hibiscus is the story of Kambili and Jaja, two Nigerian teenagers who live with their fanatical Catholic parents. After spending time away from their parents on vacation with their aunt and cousins, Kambili and Jaja realize that life should be different. They learn to think for themselves and make their own decisions about life, love, family, and religion. And so, upon their return home, trouble ensues.

I have to say that while I did enjoy this book, I liked Adichie's other novel, Half of a Yellow Sun, better. This story has been told before. And while the Nigerian culture and politics made it seem fresh, a lot of the novel was predictable. That being said, I am definitely looking forward to more by Adichie.

3/5

2 comments:

Richard said...

I think you're the first reviewer I've seen who didn't rave about this author, but I guess there's nothing like predictability to ruin a novel. Thanks for the review--hope your other OT books turn out to be more enjoyable experiences for you!

Elizabeth said...

I agree - Half of a Yellow Sun was a much more compelling read.