April Reviews

Help
Kathryn Stockett
5/5
G.P. Putnam's Sons 10/02/2009 Paperback
Library

I've meant to pick up this book for a while now, and I was glad to find it in the Library. I loved it in many ways. It was easy to read, and had so many nuanced details about life in Jackson. The story is amazing and with Stockett's in depth look into the characters voices, we get a real sense of their personality. After I read the book, I followed it up with the film and thought it was very well portrayed by all of the actors. 

The story is gripping and immediately throws the reader into the lives of women on opposite ends of the social scales. But it is also about writing, about story telling, about changing things through books and that creates a microcosm of interesting thoughts among the storyline its self. I raced through the story and was completely hooked. It's Stockett's first novel, which gives it a little bit more of an exciting flavour, unlike other first novels the idea is clear, concrete and well handled. I highly recommend this to all readers to become one of your favourites!


Americanah

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

4.5/5
Virago 04/04/2014 Paperback
Library

Another book with a focus on modern race interactions specifically in America and
Nigeria. As a white british girl, I found it hugely enlightening, issues I'd just never thought of before were laid out honestly. I pretty much hated the interuption of the blog posts, as I always do in books that have them. But they worked better for the character's voice than the narrator. 

The story is fairly standard, a Nigerian girl goes to school in America and then returns home but its not really driven by the plot. I didnt particularly get interested in her interactions with her family or her relationships but we needed a framework to hang the ideas from, which led to some fairly flat characters floating around the protagonist.

I will say it was very beautiful written, which made it a joy to read and I loved reading it next to Help for a fast forward in time. Overall I liked the writing style and am on the hunt for Half of a Yellow Sun.