Once again I was glad to reread this. The devastating changes to the African culture are only a footnote in the story of the European conquest of Africa. Nearly perfect. ( )

One of the titles for my up-coming class in Colonial/Post-Colonial Lit. ( )

It reminded me of Roots in the way that description of tribal life takes more space than plot (although this book is much more exaggerated in this count). Was this a literary device to give the reader the feeling that ancient tribal ways were destroyed quickly and fairly easily by Europeans? Or did the author simply run out of steam? In either case I enjoyed the book but would have enjoyed a more balanced and active version. ( )

Yes things do fall apart, but the sad thing about this book is what caused things to fall apart. In this case it was Christian Ministers going into a Nigerian village and pretty much forcing the people to convert ; or else... ( )

A very interesting book, and I went into it without knowing what to expect.

The first 100 pages or so were very slow. Very little plot to drive the narrative forward, and a lack of strong/likable characters to care about. The narrative was mostly driven forward by the setting and world. The cultures and customs of the tribe were fascinating.

The main character, Okonkwo, was a character that was morally despicable. However so well written, that it was impossible not to empathize. Him realizing that his culture and traditions were being erased right out from under him was honestly heartbreaking. I knew African colonialism was terrible, but this definitely made it feel more real.

While initially I was put off by the pacing of this, I think it actually worked out really well. The beginning is slow, and you get to know, and understand the culture and customs of the tribe. The last 40 or so pages go by so fast, as the white man gets introduced to this tribe, and their (and thus, the reader's) world gets catapulted into an entirely new world at a breakneck speed. ( )