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Half of a Yellow Sun [Paperback]

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (227 customer reviews)
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Book Description

15 Jan 2007

In 1960s Nigeria, a country blighted by civil war, three lives intersect.

Ugwu, a boy from a poor village, works as a houseboy for a university professor. Olanna, a young woman, has abandoned her life of privilege in Lagos to live with her charismatic new lover, the professor. And Richard, a shy English writer, is in thrall to Olanna’s enigmatic twin sister. As the horrific Biafran War engulfs them, they are thrown together and pulled apart in ways they had never imagined.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s masterpiece, winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction, is a novel about Africa in a wider sense: about the end of colonialism, ethnic allegiances, class and race – and about the ways in which love can complicate all of these things.


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Product details

  • Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Perennial; 1st Harper Perennial Edition edition (15 Jan 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0007200285
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007200283
  • Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (227 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 868 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

'Vividly written, thrumming with life…a remarkable novel. In its compassionate intelligence as in its capacity for intimate portraiture, this novel is a worthy successor to such twentieth-century classics as Chinua Achebe's “Things Fall Apart” and V. S. Naipaul's “A Bend in the River”.' Joyce Carol Oates

'Here is a new writer endowed with the gift of ancient storytellers.’ Chinua Achebe

'I look with awe and envy at this young woman from Africa who is recording the history of her country. She is fortunate – and we, her readers, are even luckier.' Edmund White

'Absolutely awesome. One of the best books I've ever read.' Judy Finnigan

'[Deserves] a place alongside such works as Pat Barker's “Regeneration” trilogy and Helen Dunmore's depiction of the Leningrad blockade, “The Siege”.' Guardian

About the Author

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in Nigeria in 1977. Her first novel, ‘Purple Hibiscus’ (2003), was longlisted for the Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction. Her second novel, ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ (2007), won the Orange Prize for Fiction. Her short story collection, ‘The Thing Around Your Neck’, was published to critical acclaim in 2009. Her work has been selected by the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association and the BBC Short Story Awards and has appeared in various literary publications, including ‘Granta’, ‘Zoetrope’ and ‘The Iowa Review’. She lives in Nigeria.


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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
148 of 154 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping plot, powerful themes, excellent... 25 Sep 2006
Format:Hardcover
`Half of A Yellow Sun' confirms Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as one of my favourite authors. Following up a very successful first novel is always difficult but this is exceptional writing.

While tackling a difficult subject, the lead up to and the course of Nigeria's Biafra War in the 1960's, it is told in a very readable and accessible way. The events unfold through the eyes of three central characters who are swept along in the chaos of civil war. There is Ugwu, the houseboy of a university lecturer; Olanna, the lecturer's partner; and Richard, an English journalist who lives with Olanna's twin sister. They are forced together and separated in unexpected ways throughout the war, each witnessing events that affect them deeply.

Interwoven in the main plot are other important themes, the necessity (for the innocent people displaced by war) and ineffectiveness (through corruption and misappropriation) of emergency relief aid; the use of child soldiers and horrors they are forced to endure; how the West perceives Africa (a good example being the situation when two American reporters are more interested in the death of one white journalist than one thousand local, black civilians); how religion, tribal loyalties and the political elite can tear a country apart; and how many of these factors can be traced back to the impact that colonialism had on the country. There are significant lessons that can be drawn from this novel, particularly with regards to how the world is dealing with the current crisis in Darfur, for example.

The structure of the novel worked well, creating intrigue and suspense throughout. It was gripping from start to finish but the tension that built in the final section meant it had to be read in one session - there was no way it could be put down.
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56 of 59 people found the following review helpful
By missp85
Format:Hardcover
After Purple Hibiscus, I was not in a hurry to read the next offering from Chimamanda. The first novel, praised by critics, other authors and many of the other reviewers on this page, left me feeling very dissatisfied. I found it unecessarily slow and was of the opinion that the author fell into the "ethnic" trap that is the downfall of many young African writers.

Half of a Yellow Sun was simply fantastic. It was (and forgive the cheese), a JOY to read. I have tried, and failed, to read many a book on the Nigerian Civil War. Its a part of my country's history that I feel is poorly documented and is glossed over by many Nigerians, the bulk of whom understandably still bear very painful memories of its brutality and futility.

Chimamanda's novel is so fantastic because her characters are astoundingly real. I read it at lightening speed whilst managing to savour every scene and twist in my mind, to the extent that I can still recall every event in the book and am anxiously waiting for my friends and family to read it, as I am desperate to discuss it with others who can, and will, appreciate its genius.

I saw every scene, heard every sound and felt every emotion as the story unfolded before me. I was consumed by this novel, by its fascinating plot and personalities, and by the vast array of themes it encompassed: The relationships between Olanna and Odenigbo; Olanna and Kainene; Kainene and Richard; Odenigbo and his group of intellectuals, Ugwu's loyalty and his later dabble with base brutality, the ease with which life was lived before the war, the fear, panic and inhumane responses that ensued amongst both the rich and the poor, the wartime propaganda, the inaction of the international community and the sheer surrealness of it all.
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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars History is people 11 Feb 2007
Format:Hardcover
Most of us will have little knowledge of the Biafra war, except, possibly, for the media's haunting images of starving children. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie brings her people's world to us in this beautifully crafted, deeply moving, novel. Set in Nigeria during the 1960s, the narrative alternates between the optimistic early years of the decade and the civil war period at the end of it. With her extraordinary storytelling skill, Adichie draws the reader into an absorbing account of fictionalized realities that is impossible to put down - or to forget after the last page is read. With this, her second novel, she confirms her international reputation, established first with Purple Hibiscus, as one of the leading new voices of African literature.

While the war for Biafra's independence, born out of highly complex Nigerian and international political circumstances, provides the essential context for the novel, Adichie's focus is on the personal and private, the struggle of the civilian Igbo population. Her depiction of the horrors of war, the starvation and destruction is realistic. Yet she does not allow these scenes to take over and succeeds in not overwhelming the reader with them. By concentrating on one family and its close circle of friends and neighbours, Adichie creates an intimate portrait of these people's lives during both these critical periods. She paints her characters and their ongoing interactions against the panoramic view of events and environments that influence their lives and challenges their peace and even their existence.

Central to her story are the twin sisters, Olanna and Kainene, from a wealthy middleclass Igbo family. The beautiful Olanna leaves Lagos for a university environment to be with her political firebrand lover, the math professor Odenigbo.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting history of Nigeria, but slow.
Set in Nigeria, the book follows the lives of two adult sisters both before and during the Nigeria-Biafran war of 1967-1970. Read more
Published 3 days ago by RRock1984
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant novel and very digestible way to learn a bit about the...
Definitely one of my top 10 books of all time and a must for anyone who has Nigerian friends or has any dealings with Nigeria.
Published 6 days ago by Jerokee
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping
A gripping novel about the Biafran / Nigerian civil war, with interesting narrative approaches to time and viewpoint. A complex situation made clear in quite shocking ways.
Published 9 days ago by TimB
4.0 out of 5 stars KINDLE?NEW?or 2nd HAND?
I PURCHASED THIS BOOK 2nd HAND- ALTHOUGH HAVE A kINDLE. IT WAS A BOOK CLUB READ AND I TRIED A 'CHEAPIE'- IN GOOD CONDITION BUT OLD AND SOMEHOW NOT EASY TO ACCEPT WHEN USED TO THE... Read more
Published 13 days ago by Margaret L. Russell
5.0 out of 5 stars Please read this
A really interesting read, not to be missed. Chimamanda is a very talented writer that cleverly brought all the characters to life. Read more
Published 17 days ago by l mills
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful read
Beautifully written and fascinating insight into a period I knew little about. Has made me undertake further research to deepen my understanding.
Published 18 days ago by Druantia
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Story
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down as I had to know what would come next. Se does a good job of keeping you in suspense throughout the book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by mel m
5.0 out of 5 stars Another cracker!
After reading purple hibiscus I moved on to this book. Again superbly written and so interesting, couldn't put it down. I will certainly be looking for more from this author. Read more
Published 1 month ago by mrs j m davies
5.0 out of 5 stars Half a Yellow Sun,
For those of us that remembered the troubled times it is the story of how we, in the west, presume our ways are the best.
Published 1 month ago by Connie
4.0 out of 5 stars Captivating!
Very good and captivating story. I wish she would have told us what happened to Kainene. I enjoyed the book though.
Published 1 month ago by Stellamarie Ajoku
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