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4 reviews

Half of a Yellow Sun

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Published: 2007-09-04
Paperback : 543 pages

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Recommended to book clubs by 4 of 4 members

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Introduction

A haunting story of love and war from â??one of the worldâ??s great contemporary writersâ? (Barack Obama), the best-selling author of AmericanahÂ andÂ We Should All Be Feminists.

With effortless grace, celebrated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie illuminates a seminal moment in modern African history: Biafra's impassioned struggle to establish an independent republic in southeastern Nigeria during the late 1960s. We experience this tumultuous decade alongside five unforgettable characters: Ugwu, a thirteen-year-old houseboy who works for Odenigbo, a university professor full of revolutionary zeal; Olanna, the professorâ??s beautiful young mistress who has abandoned her life in Lagos for a dusty town and her loverâ??s charm; and Richard, a shy young Englishman infatuated with Olannaâ??s willful twin sister Kainene. Half of a Yellow Sun is a tremendously evocative novel of the promise, hope, and disappointment of the Biafran war.

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Recommended to book clubs by 4 of 4 members.

Member Reviews

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by Meenal P. (see profile) 05/08/21

by nayla b. (see profile) 07/01/19

by Myra K. (see profile) 10/16/18

by Joy R. (see profile) 03/26/18

by Paula J. (see profile) 04/29/17

"Half of a Yellow Sun"by Janice D. (see profile) 09/03/14

It's an interesting book, with interesting characters. But biggest complaint is how long it is... not quite sure it was worth it.

"Half of a Yellow Sun"by Jillian P. (see profile) 07/28/11

I read this book from beginning to end which is unusual for me. At first it was a little slow but it kept building up in intensity and interest so I could not stop wanting to read every moment I got. Then... (read more)

"4.5 stars"by Michelle M. (see profile) 02/14/11

A beautifully told story of a savage civil war, Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun definitely deserved the 2007 Orange Prize.

'They sat on wooden planks and the weak morning sun streamed in

... (read more)

"THis a beautifully crafted story from 5 points of view, so you can see class and genger and age perspectives on the Biafra war from the Biafra view point."by flo h. (see profile) 11/15/08

I couldn't put this down, even though some of it is very dark.
The characters were warmly drawn and the view point was not what I remember from the news reports of the 60's. Seeing this vie
... (read more)

"Story of the Nigerian/Biafran civil war in the late 60's told through the eyes of 5 very human characters."by Amy B. (see profile) 04/01/08

I think the author was masterful in providing 5 different points of view, using the same narrator. The book was intimate, lovely, sad, and grim. It was a great history lesson wrapped in a very human package.... (read more)

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