Things Fall Apart (Macmillan Reader) by Chinua Achebe, John Davey Summary and Reviews
|
Our Price: $7.73 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Things Fall Apart (Macmillan Reader)
Book Review: Its no surprise his other novels couldn't live up to this
Summary: 4 Stars
As a child I mimicked the theme tune of the Things Fall Apart TV show which was as dull as watching paint dry. More than twelve years later I decided on a whim to finally read this novel. It was definitely worth all the hype. Its written so simply and in a really unbiased manner. You're invited to feel sympathy and hatred for the lead character Okonkwo all at the same time. How reliable a historical account it is, is discussed in the introduction by Anthony Appiah (which also goes a little too far in my opinion when it tells you what happens at the end!!). However it provides a very good insight to what life would have been like in those times.Book Review: A Cultural Awakening
Summary: 5 Stars
Okonkwo epitomized a die-hard African traditionalist with a firm conviction in the destiny of his people, yet a man who failed to accept the inevitable changes in his world. Things fall apart exposes us to the culture of the Ibo people of Nigeria and brings out the characters to the understandable to the reader. In our own little ways, we are like Okonkwo, caught in a world where we have little influence. The lesson is that No matter how powerful we are, we should not impose our wills on others, especially a will that reflects our egos and not the interest of humanity. Clash of cultures is what this book tells us about. Just as in THE USURPER AND OTHER STORIES, NO LONGER AT EASE,THE OLD MAN AND THE MEDAL, TRIPLE AGENT DOUBLE CROSS, one gets a better idea of what Africans and other native peoples went through after being left with no choice but to accept the values and laws of the foreign powers that came into their lives.Book Review: Be careful which copy you buy!
Summary: 3 Stars
Am I just a complete muppet or is it not that obvious this isn't the actual novel? Macmillan Readers are real books retold for schoolkids to teach them English. So I finish the 96 page school version thinking it's a wee bit simple ("But he didn't say because he was too proud, and that made him sad. Spot went to the beach. Spot was happy"). And now I'm reading the real book with the story ruined. I couldn't see a warning on the site or in the reviews. Live and learn I suppose.Book Review: the centre cannot hold!
Summary: 5 Stars
Quite simply this is the book! Thats it. This is the book. I must have read this book a million times and still find myself beholden to it, in awe of the simplicity of Achebe's writing and the sheer power of it. My dog-eared copy is one of my most prized possesions!Book Review: A classic story
Summary: 5 Stars
This was one of the first books in African literature that I read and I was not disappointed. It is amazing. The larger than life character of Okonkwo is reduced to disillusioned man because he could not adapt to the changing times. The big lesson is that we should never attempt to have control of everything beyond ourselves.DISGRACE, DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE are fine and hilarious books to read.